Over a third of the population of the UK are not aware that so-called “transgender women” are in fact biological males, as campaigners accuse the LGBT movement and the legacy media of adopting “intentionally” confusing lingo to muddy the debate around transgenderism.
A survey conducted by the policy analysis firm Murray Blackburn Mackenzie (MBM) found that 35 per cent of Britons incorrectly believe a “transgender woman” was someone who was born as a biological woman or were unclear about what the term meant. The poll went on to find that there was even more confusion over the term “trans woman”, with 40 per cent of the public unable to correctly define the term.
The MBM survey found that there were disparities in understanding among different age groups, yet interestingly, it was the 25-34 age group that was most confused about the issue, with just 55 per cent being able to correctly state that a transgender woman was born as a man. Their younger cohort, from 18-24, showed a better understanding of the terminology, however, it was the elder generation, those above 55, that understood the terms the best, with 62 per cent being able to define “trans woman” and 70 per cent understanding what “transgender woman” means, The Telegraph reported.
The policy analysis firm placed the blame on legacy media institutions such as the BBC for broadly adopting new-fangled terminology surrounding gender without considering that the public might not be aware of what they are saying.
Indeed, the BBC has previously come under criticism last year for failing to relay to its audience that an American serial killer was in fact a biological male, and was forced into editing an article to reflect that the transgender killer was not born as a woman as the original article had implied.
Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Lisa Mackenzie of Murray Blackburn Mackenzie said: “Using these terms, without spelling out what they mean for a person’s sex as matter of course, will leave a large minority of people at best uncertain. At worst, they will have a back-to-front understanding of what they are being told or asked.”
“These results show that to avoid confusion and misunderstanding, journalists and others need to spell out clearly what sex of person is being referred to, in any context where sex matters.
“We also hope organisations which need to communicate with the public will commission further research as necessary, to understand how language here may confuse or clarify.”
The director of the Sex Matters campaign group, Maya Forstater added: “Whether it is accuracy in a news story, politicians explaining a policy or service providers communicating a rule, they need to spell out clearly whether the person is male or female.
“Terms like ‘trans woman’ and ‘transgender woman’ are confusing – intentionally so.”
The ability of the political class to accurately describe reality has also waned during the transgender debate, with Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer finally declaring that a woman is an adult female just last month after previously claiming that some women could have penises.
Ex-First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon was also stumped when pressed on whether a convicted rapist who claimed to be transgender was in reality a woman and if the rapist should be placed in a female prison. The failure of Sturgeon to give a succinct answer was one of the factors attributed to her political downfall.
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