If the United Kingdom’s Labour party secures power, intentionally misgendering a transgender individual would be considered an “aggravated offence.”
Using the wrong pronouns would then be considered equal to assault and harassment and punishable by up to two years in prison, the Daily Mail reported.
Critics believe the move will result in citizens being imprisoned solely for using an individual’s biological gender.
“Some police forces have shown themselves overzealous in the pursuit of supposed hate crimes and this reform would send them a signal to go even further,” a senior Tory member said. “We’ve seen people arrested for misgendering but this isn’t enough for Labour – they want them locked up for two years.”
The effort also jeopardizes free speech protections.
According to Caroline Ffiske from Conservatives for Women, “Thousands of women dispute the notion of ‘gender identity’ and particularly the idea that it should be prioritized over biological sex.”
“We have serious and legitimate concerns over being expected, in the workplace, when using public services or in private life, to refer to a man as ‘she/her,'” she continued.
