Declaration for Biological Reality

We are a group of concerned citizens from a wide range of backgrounds and professions. We have very serious and growing concerns about the impact that gender identity ideology is having on our society.

24,745 Signatures

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Signatory Organisations

Bad Law Project logo Critical Therapy Antidote logo Don’t Divide Us logo Evidence-Based Social Work Alliance logo Fair Cop logo Family Education Trust logo Genspect logo HART logo LGB Christians Male Allies Challenging Sexism logo New Culture Forum logo Object! logo Our Duty logo Psychreg logo Reclaim Party logo Reduxx logo Reform UK logo Scottish Feminist Network logo ScotPAG logo Scottish Union for Education logo Social Democratic Party logo Thoughtful Therapists logo UsForThem logo Women’s Rights Network logo Women Wont Wheesht logo

Declaration for Biological Reality

We are a group of concerned citizens from a wide range of backgrounds and professions. We have very serious and growing concerns about the impact that gender identity ideology is having on our society.

Over recent years, there has been a demonstrable attack on biological reality in the United Kingdom. This has skewed public policy and discourse in favour of an ideology that has no scientific basis and which poses safeguarding risks to some of the most vulnerable groups.

1. Child Protection

Gender dysphoria is a recognised mental health condition and should be assessed and treated through exploratory therapy. There are often co-morbidities to gender dysphoria, including autism, body dysmorphia, trauma-induced illness, and internalised homophobia.

Studies show that most children experiencing gender dysphoria settle into their bodies after puberty. By contrast, the prescription of so-called puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones can cause irreversible developmental issues, physiological damage (such as infertility and sexual dysfunction) and significant social and relational harms. Contrary to arguments presented by proponents of gender identity ideology, this has a significant, direct and lifelong impact on child development, the true extent of which is not yet known.

There are also growing numbers of 'detransitioners' who have been left physically and emotionally scarred following decisions made in childhood or at a vulnerable time, raising serious questions about the assessment of their capacity, competency and ability to provide informed consent. Such safeguarding failures and resultant harm are demonstrated by practices at the now-disgraced Tavistock Clinic.

Furthermore, children are being taught gender identity ideology at school, as if it were fact, often to the exclusion or derision of biological reality. This includes teaching children that it is possible to be born in the wrong body, thereby encouraging vulnerable children to seek powerful medical treatment on ideological, rather than scientific, grounds. This is at an age where their ability to comprehend their future adult self is extremely limited or absent. Many schools shirk their duty of care by enabling pupils to socially transition in secret from their parents. This has a corrosive effect on children and their families and denies them involvement in their child's care. It is also of concern that teachers are making such decisions without any professional training or expertise in the assessment of a complex mental health condition.

We implore that:

  • Children should never be prescribed irreversible, experimental, and highly damaging puberty blockers or cross-sex hormones (save for their use in treating 'precocious puberty'). This applies to the NHS, registered private clinics and online unregulated providers.
  • Exploratory therapy for children with gender dysphoria should be protected.
  • No person should be compelled to affirm a child's desire to transition.
  • Schools should teach children biological reality - that sex is binary and immutable, that nobody is born in the wrong body, and that gender dysphoria is a mental health condition.
  • Schools should never socially affirm a pupil or enable them to socially transition.

2. Women's Rights

As a direct consequence of gender identity ideology, we have witnessed an erosion of the reality of what it means to be a woman.

Many political leaders have said they believe that it is possible for a woman to have a penis and have struggled to answer the simple question: 'What is a Woman?'.

Gender identity ideology seeks to reduce what it means to be a woman to a performative or vulgar stereotype within the nebulous concept of identity, rather than biological reality. Without any legislative underpinning, the word woman has been removed from core policies and guidance, and terms like 'cervix haver', 'menstruator', and 'child bearer' are used instead. In a twist of irony, some men who identify as female readily use the terms woman and mother; terms they themselves deny to adult human females.

This distortion of language risks endangering women, for example, those who may not be properly notified of or do not come forward for certain health screenings. Political campaigns have emerged (most notably in Scotland) which seek to enable men to self- identify as women, allowing them unfettered access to women's single-sex spaces. This has had a chilling effect on victims of domestic abuse and enabled male predators to invade single-sex spaces for nefarious purposes.

Finally, women's competitive sport is being impacted. Men, with their inherent physiological advantages, are often able to compete against and significantly outperform women. This undermines the dreams, ambitions and achievements of many women and risks destroying women's competitive sport entirely.

We implore that:

  • The Equality Act 2010 (and all future related legislation and official guidance) should make it clear that sex means biological sex.
  • The Gender Recognition Act 2004 should be amended to clarify that obtaining a gender recognition certificate does not change one's sex.
  • Self-ID should never become law.
  • Single-sex services, provisions and spaces should be protected and preserved. These spaces include, but are not limited to, prisons, toilets, changing rooms, hospital wards, refuges and shelters.
  • Male athletes should never compete in women's sports and athletics.

3. Freedom of Speech and Public Sector Neutrality

As a consequence of gender identity ideology seeping into public policy via organisations such as Stonewall, a significant number of people who maintain the belief that biological reality is fact have been dismissed from their employment, expelled from their studies, or had their characters smeared.

Conversely, public bodies and public servants, with a duty to remain politically and ideologically neutral, have improperly supported the tenets of gender identity ideology.

We implore that:

  • Biological reality should be explicitly protected. Nobody should be reprimanded or sanctioned for holding such views.
  • There should never be a requirement, legal or otherwise, to use 'preferred pronouns' or to acknowledge that 'someone has changed their sex'. No one should ever be forced to state their 'preferred pronouns'.
  • Public bodies should be free from symbolism and bias grounded in gender identity ideology. Public sector workers and organisations (particularly the police and NHS) should remain ideologically neutral and not display ideological symbols on their uniforms, buildings or vehicles.

4. LGB Without The 'T'

The conflation of sexual orientation and gender identity creates confusion and can have serious consequences.

There have been a significant number of cases in which children have been encouraged to believe they are 'trapped in the wrong body', only for it to subsequently materialise that they were experiencing same-sex attraction. Despite the need for explorative therapy, this was not provided, and many now assert they were pushed down an irreversible medical pathway.

Many LGB people have been accused of 'transphobia' or 'bigotry' for being same sex attracted, rather than attracted to another's 'self-identity'.

There has been 'forced teaming' taking place, with LGB people persistently being told that 'There is no LGB without the T'.

We implore that:

  • The term 'LGB', referring exclusively to sexual orientation, should be used as a distinct and separate category to gender identity.
  • LGB people should have the right to assemble 'without the T', and without being unjustly accused of transphobia in so doing.

Co-Signers

  1. Sharron Davies MBE - Olympian and Author
  2. Nick Fletcher MP - Conservative MP
  3. Baroness Fox of Buckley - Member of the House of Lords and Director of the Academy of Ideas
  4. Mark Jenkinson MP - Conservative MP
  5. Konstantin Kisin - Writer and Social Commentator
  6. Brendan Clarke-Smith MP - Conservative MP
  7. Ash Regan MSP - Alba Party MSP
  8. Professor Azeem Ibrahim OBE - Director, Research Professor and Author
  9. Neale Hanvey MP - Alba Party MP and Westminster Leader
  10. Richard Tice - Leader of Reform UK
  11. Dr Az Hakeem - Consultant Psychiatrist
  12. Douglas Murray - Author and Political Commentator
  13. Laura Anne Jones MS - Conservative Member of the Welsh Parliament and Shadow Minister for Education
  14. Andrew Doyle - Writer, Broadcaster and Comedian
  15. Louise Perry - Journalist and Author
  16. Katharine Birbalsingh - Headmistress of Michaela School
  17. William Clouston - Leader of the Social Democratic Party
  18. Dr Renée Hoenderkamp - GP, Writer and Presenter
  19. Marc Glendening - Head of Cultural Affairs at the Institute for Economic Affairs
  20. Graham Linehan - Writer and Director
  21. Dr Tony Hinton - Consultant Surgeon
  22. Frances Barber - Actress
  23. Neil Oliver - Archaeologist, Historian, Author and Presenter
  24. Mara Yamauchi - Olympian and Author
  25. James Dreyfus - Actor
  26. Dr Clare Craig - Diagnostic Pathologist and Co-Chair of HART
  27. Sarah Phillimore - Family Law Barrister
  28. Julia Hartley-Brewer -Journalist and Presenter
  29. Dr Heather Brunskell-Evans - Philosopher, Academic and Co-Founder of Women's Declaration International
  30. Allison Pearson - Columnist and Author
  31. Professor Eric Kaufmann - Professor of Politics at University of Buckingham
  32. Colin Wynter KC - Barrister
  33. Sinéad Watson - Detransitioner
  34. Toby Young - Editor in Chief of the Daily Sceptic
  35. James Esses - Writer, Commentator and Co-Founder of Thoughtful Therapists
  36. Dr Stuart Waiton - Chairman of the Scottish Union for Education and Lecturer
  37. Winston Marshall - Musician and Commentator
  38. Paul Embery - Author and Trade Unionist
  39. Peter Whittle - Founder and Director of New Culture Forum and Former Member of the London Assembly
  40. Milli Hill - Psychotherapist and Author
  41. Rosie Kay - Choreographer and CEO
  42. Dr Pam Spurr - Chartered Psychologist, Author and Presenter
  43. Dr Philip Kiszely - Cultural Historian and Academic
  44. Maggie Mellon - Social Worker and Co-Founder of the Evidence-Based Social Work Alliance
  45. Professor David Paton - Professor of Industrial Economics at University of Nottingham
  46. Dr Anna Loutfi - Equality and Human Rights Barrister and Head of Legal at the Bad Law Project
  47. Father Calvin Robinson - Anglican Deacon and Commentator
  48. Genevieve Gluck - Writer and Co-Founder of Reduxx Magazine
  49. Joanna Williams - Author and Commentator
  50. Heather Binning - Founder of Women's Rights Network
  51. Harry Miller - Former Police Officer and Founder of Fair Cop
  52. Adam Brooks - Entrepreneur and Commentator
  53. Jo Bartosch - Journalist
  54. Simon Edge - Novelist and Journalist
  55. Patrick O'Flynn - Political Commentator and Former Member of the European Parliament
  56. Stella O'Malley - Psychotherapist, Author and Founder of Genspect
  57. Laura Dodsworth - Journalist and Author
  58. Dominique Samuels - Commentator and Journalist
  59. Martin Daubney - Journalist and Former Member of the European Parliament
  60. Dr Val Thomas - Psychotherapist and Founder of Critical Therapy Antidote
  61. Dr Debbie Hayton - Teacher and Journalist
  62. Joe Burgo - Psychotherapist, Founder of Beyond WPATH and Vice-Director of Genspect
  63. Christina Jordan - Former Member of the European Parliament
  64. Molly Kingsley - Journalist, Campaigner and Executive Founder of UsForThem
  65. Belinda de Lucy - Former Member of the European Parliament
  66. Nick Buckley MBE - Charity Worker and Candidate for Mayor of Greater Manchester
  67. Darren Grimes - Broadcast and Political Commentator
  68. Sonia Poulton - Writer, Broadcaster and Journalist
  69. Peter D. Williams - Director of the Family Education Trust
  70. Alka Sehgal Cuthbert - Academic, Author and Director of Don't Divide Us