PUTTING on "different clothes" does not make someone transgender, Kemi Badenoch declared as she doubled down on her landmark law pledge.
The Equalities Minister this morning toured broadcast studios to passionately defend new plans to enshrine the rights of biological sex over gender.
Under the proposals, providers of single-sex services and spaces - including sports - will be able to exclude trans women without fear of being sued for discrimination.
The Cabinet Minister stressed they are not seeking to change the Equality Act but to clarify it in order to re-emphasise "what should be the status quo".
She reiterated the existing and continuing protections against discrimination on the basis of gender reassignment provided by the Equality Act will not be removed.
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Speaking to LBC, Ms Badenoch said trans people will be protected from those who merely change their attire to exploit legal loopholes.
She said: “We want people to have privacy and dignity. This is about protecting those who are vulnerable, it is not about stopping trans people from having privacy and dignity.
“That’s why we have said you should have unisex toilets, a disabled toilet is an example of that, or where there are shared spaces, they should be on the basis of biological sex.”
She added: “Changing your clothes doesn’t change who you are, we want people who are trans to be protected as well, people who want to change their clothes should not be able to exploit the scenarios we have prepared and the laws we have put in place to protect those people who are genuine transgender people, those who suffer gender dysphoria.
“Just putting on a different set of clothes does not make you transgender.”
The issue has already become a clear dividing line with Labour, with the Tories keen suggest the Opposition is not committed to women's rights.
Shadow Defence Secretary John Healey said the changes were “not needed”.
He told the BBC: “This is an election distraction from the really core issues that matter to people like the cost of living and the defence of the country,” he said.
“The Equality Act, which Labour brought in in 2010 and the Tories opposed, already protects single sex spaces for biological women. It already defines what a woman is. What’s certainly needed is clearer guidance and for service providers about how to safeguard those women."
Meanwhile, JK Rowling has accused Labour of being indiffirent towards the rights of women.
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The Harry Potter author took aim at former Labour spin doctor Alastair Campbell after he accused Kemi Badenoch of “weaponising” the issue of trans rights.
Ms Rowling wrote on X: "Thanks once again for highlighting Labour’s complacency and indifference towards the rights of half the electorate."