Watch the moment a GB News debate descended into a fiery row, with a councillor calling puberty blockers “life-saving”.
Alongside presenter Dawn Neesom, ex-SNP councillor Austin Sheridan and gender critical activist Stephanie Davies-Arai joined the channel to discuss JK Rowling’s stark warning thrown against Labour.
On Saturday, the Harry Potter author declared that Britain’s children “should be protected” from the party in an extraordinary swipe at Sir Keir Starmer.
Ms Rowling blasted the Government for delaying the publication of new transgender guidance designed to safeguard women’s access to female-only spaces.
The guidance would be published following April’s landmark Supreme Court ruling that defined “women” as biological females.
Such guidance would give recommendations on how to handle the operation of single-sex spaces, including toilets and changing rooms.
In delaying the document’s publication, Ms Rowling said Labour was “fighting to remove our daughters’ rights to the privacy and safety of single-sex bathrooms and changing rooms”.
Reacting to the statement on GB News, the gender critical activist said: “I think it’s a very fair comment. You look at Labour’s records.
The two GB News guests went head-to-head live on air
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GB NEWS
“They’re blocking the Supreme Court judgement, which was really clear that women’s spaces are for women and that means female, not male, who identifies women.”
She continued: “But the Labour Government is also going ahead with the puberty blockers trial.
“That’s the decision of the Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, who ironically, is the first openly gay as Health Secretary.
“But I don’t feel confident that that guidance will protect girls, given the fact that [Womens and Equalities Minister Bridget Phillipson] is blocking the Supreme Court.”
Mr Streeting gave the trial the greenlight
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PA
Shaking his head adamantly, Mr Sheridan argued: “When it comes to puberty blockers, as I see it, it’s not just trans kids that use puberty blockers.”
He emphasised that “we have to be aware that these medications are not exclusively for trans children” and they “save a lot of lives”.
“And young trans kids have the right to be supported, and it’s not a case that these are given out freely, which they are not and never have been,” he added.
Dawn weighed in at this point, arguing that young trans children “need protection and help”, adding: “I mean, I’m not even entirely sure what a trans child is!”
But Ms Davies-Arai declared trans children to be a “very recent social invention”.
“We have no idea how these children will develop and what they will become as adults. But we do know that the vast majority will turn out to be gay or lesbian as adults.
“Children are still developing. There’s no such thing as a child with a fixed gender identity. It’s totally made up!”
Despite banning prescribing puberty blockers to under-18s last year, Mr Streeting has allowed a trial of puberty blocking drugs for children questioning their gender.
He had been assured by the Cass Review recommendation into children’s gender care that it was the “right thing to do”.