LGBTQ activists will stage a protest against a Tory MP who was reported to police after calling a rival Green Party candidate a ‘man in a wig’.
Rachel Maclean, the party’s deputy chair, was accused of ‘dog whistle politics’ after sharing a post that dubbed Green Party candidate Melissa Poulton a ‘man who wears a wig and calls himself a “proud lesbian.”‘
She added her own comment, saying: ‘While the Greens don’t know what a woman is, my Worcestershire neighbours the people of Bromsgrove certainly do.’
The Redditch LGBTQ+ Community and friends have now said they will be holding a peaceful protest tomorrow in her constituency in solidarity for all minority groups following her comments with the group claims ‘promotes hate and division’.
Mrs Maclean, who has responsibility for safeguarding and women, has apologised for ‘any offence’ caused to Ms Poulton but insisted she would not be forced into agreeing that a trans woman is a biological woman or a lesbian.
LGBTQ activists will stage protest against a Tory MP Rachel Maclean (pictured) who was reported to police after calling a rival Green Party candidate a ‘man in a wig’
The party’s deputy chair was accused of ‘dog whistle politics’ after sharing a post that dubbed Green Party candidate Melissa Poulton (pictured) a ‘man who wears a wig and calls himself a “proud lesbian”‘
Ms Poulton, who is a member of the Green Party’s equality and diversity committee, is standing as a candidate for the party in Bromsgrove
An LGBTQ+ spokesperson said: ‘Hateful words and posts should not be tolerated in our society.
‘Of course Rachel Maclean is entitled to her opinions, but when that opinion promotes hate and division, then it needs to be challenged, and in her position she should know better.
‘This protest is to show her we will not tolerate the division she is trying to create but show her we are united in one voice of support for all in our community.’
Ms Poulton ran as a Tory candidate for Wyre Forest District Council as a man in 2019.
She is now standing for the Green Party in Bromsgrove. The prospective MP, a member of the Green Party’s equality and diversity committee, began to transition last year.
Responding to the comments, Ms Poulton said: ‘Without a shadow of a doubt it is a transphobic comment, it’s dog-whistling at the finest.
‘I’m here for representation as a queer woman, as a woman with transgender experience. We’ll see what happens at the ballot box.’
Joe Baker, Labour group leader at Redditch Borough Council, believed the original post, and Ms Maclean sharing it, were ‘absolutely vile and hateful.’
Ms Poulton ran as a Tory candidate for Wyre Forest District Council as a man in 2019
He said: ‘People who hold positions of authority should be looking after those they are in a position to serve.
‘I understand that the situation is sensitive and I believe everyone has a right to their opinions, but when that opinion promotes hate and harm then this needs to be challenged.’
In her online apology, which saw her delete the offending message, Mrs Maclean wrote: ‘Everyone should be free to live their lives and fulfil their potential regardless of their sex, sexual orientation or gender identity.’
But she added: ‘I did NOT apologise for my comments relating to the Green Party’s extreme policies on gender and self ID ideology.
‘As deputy chair for women, I am clear that the law allows me to say what a woman is and the difference between a woman and a trans woman.’
Writing in the Daily Mail earlier this week, the Redditch MP revealed she has previously been ‘shouted down by men from within the Labour Party’ for standing up for women.
But she said neither she nor the Tories will be cowed into stopping their defence of women. Mrs Maclean wrote: ‘God forbid a woman should say what a woman is, but as I found out on social media, apparently doing so is controversial these days.’
Vowing to continue to ‘fight in the face of a barrage of criticism to stand up for women’s rights’, the former minister continued: ‘Women and lesbians have fought for decades to have their rights respected. I will not stand idly by and see these erased.’
She said she would not be forced ‘to deny reality’ and say a trans woman was a biological woman, or that they are a lesbian.
She said: ‘No matter how many times I am reported to the police, I will continue to make this stand.’