The latest trans outrage might just be the most absurd one yet

The BBC’s Radio Four has been widely criticised – including last week by seasoned former Newsnight journalist Michael Crick – for its full-frontal turn to wokery. Against such a backdrop Woman’s Hour presenter Emma Barnett has taken a bold stand. Conducting an interview with trans woman (aka biological man) Steph Richards, the new CEO of endometriosis charity Endometriosis South West, Barnett held firm.

“There is a concern that as a trans activist...being the CEO of an endometriosis charity for women, that you will not preserve the importance of things like the word “woman” and that experience because in your statement...10 per cent of those ‘assigned female at birth’ suffer from this awful disease. Is the word you are looking for there, ‘woman’?”

Richards responded with the surreal, distorted logic that has become familiar: “I look at women, but also look at the issue of trans men and non-binary people. There’s something like 5,000 trans men who have endometriosis who probably feel absolutely rather left out. There’s also non-binary people”.

Barnett didn’t allow this to sit either: “But the vast majority are women” causing Richards to snap, as if Barnett was being childish: “Yes of course the vast majority are women, does that mean we should leave behind trans men Emma? I’m happy to use the word woman, I realise the vast majority of endometriosis affects women. You’ll also know there’s 29 cases of endometriosis found in men.”

29 cases? Should we erase the word “woman” for 29 cases of this ovarian disease in “trans men”? Most people would laugh their heads off at the suggestion, but Richards is representative of a mad and powerful minority, for which women are paying the price. Which makes laughing hard.

Trans allies of course piled on Barnett, including Labour MP Ben Bradshaw who accused her of ’bullying’ and conducting a ‘disgraceful’ interview. Another entitled attack from a biological man who should have kept his nose out: just what we needed.

Back in the real world, of course, listeners were grateful, thanking Barnett for defending biological reality, a battle it’s hard to believe we still have to wage.