Anti-trans language has spread to other countries, including the United Kingdom, despite state legislatures in the United States that aim to ban gender-affirming care for juveniles and also remove trans people from public spaces.
In reality, England’s National Health Service just decided to stop prescribing puberty blockers for transgender children, giving pro-LGBTQ+ legislators the confidence to offer similar ideas in Parliament.
For instance, former UK Prime Minister Liz Truss introduced the Health and Equality Acts (Amendment) Bill.
If passed, this may determine sex in law as innate, outlaw gender-affirming care for trans youth in secret clinics, and impact all manner of social justice issues, like trans participation in sports, access to sex-affirming restrooms, and more.
Trans children, in particular, would be at risk from this bill.
The NHS’s decision to stop prescribing puberty blockers angered LGBTQ+ advocates, but the intense list for gender-affirming care presently saw a large number of families and young people using private treatment to address gender dysphoria, which is still permitted under current NHS decisions.
In accordance with Truss’s proposed legislation, minors could not obtain private gender-affirming care.
Fortunately, members of the country’s Labour Party kept Truss’s bill from advancing last week by using what is now being called the “Ferret Filibuster.”
Members of Parliament, instead of debating the bill, spent nearly five hours discussing another matter: What to name a pet ferret.
According to MP Sarah Champion, “I’d like to make it known that my brother had an Oscar.”
MP Maria Eagle replied: “Well, she has that now on the record. I don’t know, really, what else to say about that except that I am sure that Oscar brought her brother great joy, and that’s what pets do. I’m sure there are many other ferret owners who can attest to this.”
Other MPs joined in to talk about other pets, even those with Conservative backgrounds.
“Pets often help keep people sane when they are under pressure in their everyday pursuits, so it would be remiss of me not to put on the record the names of my three dogs, Tessa, Barney, and Maisie, and the name of my cat, Parsnip,” MP Mark Spencer contributed.
He then gave the names of 40 more animals.
Although Truss’s bill was not officially deposed by this entertaining filibuster, it has been moved to a debate on March 22 — at the bottom of the priority list. This implies that it is unlikely to be heard, according to reporter Erin Reed.
The event also caused quite a stir on social media, positioning the ferret as an “overnight symbol of trans resistance,” according to X (née Twitter) user @SpillerOfTea.
Another X user chimed in, sharing screenshots of a transcript from the filibuster, saying, “I haven’t felt positive about labor for a while. But filibustering Liz Truss’s anti-trans bill by talking about ferrets is sublime.”
“There is an undercurrent of ridiculousness that courses through Britain,” @DeeTweets00 said. “Which other country on earth would filibuster a bill by discussing ferrets, as awful as things can be in this country?”
Filibusters are not a new phenomenon, especially those that delay harmful bills against trans people.
Members of the Nebraska legislature made use of the tactic last year, and recent efforts to do so in West Virginia, where Democrats proposed dozens of amendments for debate and attempted to defeat them, garnered media attention.
This silly but wise move reaffirms hope on the horizon despite the constant efforts of many LGBTQ+ advocates to provide safe, accessible care for all trans people, especially trans youth.
“Apparently, dogs, cats, and ferrets have saved the UK from the latest bout of ever-escalating transphobia,” @tspacker posted on X. “Thank you for your service.”
Left and right header images courtesy of parliamentlive.tv, center image courtesy of Nickolett Emmert/Pexels
