Mick Hartley

Yesterday I was wondering if there were any trade unions not in thrall to gender ideology. Well, certainly not the UCU.

The University and College Union (UCU) today (Monday 26 May) overwhelmingly voted to stand with the trans community. Delegates attending the union's congress backed four motions (44,45,46,47) that committed the union to fight back against unprecedented attacks on trans people's human rights.

The motions come in the wake of the Supreme Court's gender ruling, the Cass Report, and Health Secretary Wes Streeting's decision to block trans youth's access to essential healthcare.

As a result of Congress' votes, UCU is now calling for employers to support the right to use gendered facilities which match gender identities and will write to Wes Streeting condemning the findings and methods of the Cass Report.

UCU general secretary Jo Grady said: 'Our Congress has once again committed our union to stand shoulder to shoulder with the trans community in the fight for equality.

'This year trans people have suffered a wave of attacks against them, but UCU remains steadfast as one of their most vocal allies. We refuse to allow trans people to be the collateral of a right-wing culture war and while they continue to experience violence at home, in the workplace and on the airwaves, we will stand by them.'

Phew. A Churchillian flourish to finish. "While they continue to experience violence at home, in the workplace and on the airwaves, we will stand by them."

It's true: the UCU under leader Jo Grady has consistently supported trans ideology, and kicked any gender-critical women – like Kathleen Stock at Sussex University – in the teeth.

Argument is useless. No, trans people have not suffered a wave of attacks; no, it's not a "right-wing culture war". And no, there are no trans youths being denied "essential healthcare" – just deluded kids in the grip of a social contagion being lured into a lifetime's nightmare of unnecessary medical mutilation and interference in the essential requirement to at least let them go through puberty and reach adulthood – at which point, maybe, they're mature enough to decide for themselves.

What a disgrace this whole business is. Helen Joyce made the point a while back that parents who allowed their kids to be transed would never admit they'd made a terrible mistake and ruined their children's lives. It's beginning to look like the same applies to any group that's backed gender ideology. They'll never admit they got it wrong. 

Plus, as is now clear, it's against the law.