Mick Hartley

Here we go again:

A transgender barrister has sparked a row after being shortlisted for a prominent legal profession award that highlights the achievements of female lawyers.

Robin Moira White has been nominated in the “leader of the year” category of the Women Influence and Power in Law UK Awards, which is organised by one of the most prominent legal publishers in the United States.

The 58-year-old barrister was born male and transitioned 11 years ago. Her inclusion on the shortlist has reignited arguments over whether awards designed to recognise female achievement should potentially go to transwomen who have not had the same career experiences as natal women.

Her nomination triggered criticism from gender critical campaigners and a flurry of social media abuse.

Maya Forstater, a tax expert who won a landmark legal claim after being sacked from a think tank for posting gender critical comments on social media, said that “women’s prizes, awards and leadership schemes exist to celebrate female achievement in professions that have been male-dominated”.

Forstater, who has co-founded a campaign organisation called Sex Matters, added that it was “concerning that across business, academia, sports and the arts, schemes that were set up to address the barriers that women face are being repurposed to validate the identity of transgender males”.

White denied that she was stealing the nomination from natal women. “There are thousands of female barristers and only three transwomen and one non-binary barrister. We are vanishingly small.” She added that it was “a regressive analysis that transwomen don’t fit into the larger group. To say my life is full of privilege and I haven’t faced discrimination is wrong”.

But no one's saying her life is full of privilege and that she hasn’t faced discrimination. What they're saying – a point she studiously ignores – is that as a biological male she shouldn't be taking an award that's designed specifically for women. She's a male who spent the major part of her career as a man, with all the concomitant male advantages. As a lawyer you'd think she's be able to understand that. 

How refreshing it would have been if she'd said: great, thanks for the honour, but no, it wouldn't be right for me to accept. Never happens, though, does it?