Trans rights Councillors wave flags and placards at gender critical activists

GREEN councillors held up pro-trans rights banners and pride flags from their seats in Bristol City Council chamber as a war of words with women's rights campaigners reignited.

- Adam POSTANS

The confrontational scenes at full council followed a walkout by several of the party's councillors at the previous meeting in September as gender critical activists were making statements from the public gallery.

On both occasions, Greens accused the members of the public of transphobic and offensive comments. In response, the campaigners said the councillors' placards, held up while they were speaking, were "intimidating and offensive".

The row centres on a ruling by the Supreme Court in April that the word 'woman' in the Equality Act refers only to biological sex at birth and that this does not include transgender women. At least two Green councillors identify as trans, while there is a transgender woman on the opposition Labour benches.

One member of the public, Wendy Stephenson, told the meeting: "People with ovaries are women, people who give birth are women, people who need maternity services are women. Why is Bristol City Council so keen on erasing women?"

Another, Elaine Hutton said: "Last month, violent trans activists inflicted serious damage on a conference centre in Brighton where women were meeting.