A Whitestone Insight poll has revealed that two-thirds of Labour voters, excluding ‘don’t knows’, believe a woman cannot have a penis.
However, the poll alarmingly also reveals that 33% of 18-24-year olds believe it is possible for women to have penises.
Commissioned by Christian Concern, the poll of 2,029 people online across Great Britain, shows the inconsistencies and confusion young people feel on gender issues with 53% of the same age bracket also believing that gender dysphoria should be treated as a mental health issue.
Leading up to the general election, parties have clashed repeatedly on the issue of gender/sex. After 14 years of inaction, the Conservatives have said that they will rewrite the Equality Act so that protections it enshrines on the basis of a person’s sex apply only to their biological sex.
However, there have been vague and mixed messages from Sir Keir Starmer and his colleagues.
This week, in response to NHS nurses taking legal action over being forced to undress and share a female changing room with a biological man, Shadow Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, said he was ‘horrified’ and committed to meeting the nurses.
Also this week, however, the Shadow Education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, said ‘trans women’ with penises can use female toilets. She added that a future Labour government would review draft guidance which bans gender ideology despite Keir Starmer saying that he would not allow it to be taught in schools.
Labour voters divided
In response to this poll, 75% of Labour voters expressing an opinion say that they agreed that a woman could not have a penis.
Labour voters were almost equally divided over whether or not someone should be able to self-identify with 52%, excluding don’t knows, saying they should be able to, but 48% saying they should not be able to.
65% of respondents expressing an opinion in general agree that the law should reflect biological definitions of sex whilst only 15% disagreed.
Perhaps surprisingly, almost two thirds (61%) of 18-24 year olds agreed with this proposal too.
Even a majority of those who identified as LGBT+ (58% excluding ‘don’t knows’) agreed that the law should reflect biological sex.
Progress Pride flag intrusion
During this Pride month thousands of members of the public have flagged concern over ‘divisive’ Progress Pride flags saturating public spaces.
Former Top Gear presenter, James May, for example, said that the Pride movement was displaying ‘too much bunting’ and expressed there was a danger of the approach mirroring 20th century dictatorships.
On a number of statements tested in the poll, the overwhelming conclusion can be drawn that respondents don’t want Pride and transgender ideology promoted to them.
Over two thirds (69%) of respondents giving an opinion said they respect people’s lifestyle choices but do not think trans ideology should be promoted publicly.
Two thirds of those expressing an opinion (62%) said that public buildings should not fly political flags.
Labour voters were equally split on the question of Pride flag displays, revealing a degree of support for more restrained public virtue signalling even among voters deemed to be ‘progressive’.
Over half of respondents (54% excluding ‘don’t knows’) said that flying the Pride flag on public buildings is inappropriate because it promotes a specific political ideology.
‘Failure of Culture’
Andrea Williams, chief executive of Christian Concern, which commissioned the poll, said:
“This week has revealed more than ever how the political class are all over the place on these issues.
“The poll reflects the mess we are in and reveals the absolute confusion and chaos that comes when we deny basic biological reality.
“Of deep concern in the poll is the impact LGBTQI+ ideology has had on young people minds. The belief among 18-24 year-olds that women can have penises shows a failure of our culture. It demonstrates a lack of care from those who should be protecting them most.
“This comes after years of school children being exposed to harmful and extreme gender identity ideology in the classroom.
“Institutions and any future government must urgently row back on promoting LGBTQI+ ideology and must recognise that the majority of the public simply do not want it to be forced onto their lives.”
*Whitestone Insight interviewed 2029 GB adults online between 19 and 20 June 2024. Data were weighted to be representative of all adults. Whitestone Insight is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules.