Author Juno Dawson asks key question: ‘Who’s to blame for state of UK – trans people or Tories?’
Juno Dawson. (Eivind Hansen)
Bestselling author Juno Dawson has taken to Instagram to criticise Rishi Sunak and the UK government for demonising trans people at a time of food poverty, rising fuel bills and long NHS waiting lists.
Sharing a grid post on Friday (14 April), the author called out lead stories in the Daily Mail and The Sun which she said focused on “the bodies of trans women”, adding that “the problems in this country… are not caused by trans people”.
She also called out journalists “asking politicians about penises” during a time of rising poverty across the UK, echoing previous statements that Britain is an “artificially divided nation”.
She added: “The problems in your life, the problems in this country… food shortages, food poverty, the cost of living, fuel bills, the problems brought about by Brexit, NHS waiting lists… none of these things are caused by trans people.”
“Those things are caused by Tories.”
Juno Dawson’s video continued, as the author asked: “Who should we blame more? And you need to think about why Rishi Sunak keeps talking about trans people – because he can’t talk about his stellar track record or his taxes. Something to think about.”
Tory MP Lee Anderson previously claimed the government would fight the next UK election on a “mix of culture wars and trans debate.”
The prime minister recently told ConservativeHome that “100 per cent” of women do not have a penis, adding “biological sex is fundamentally important”.
Meanwhile, food poverty and cost of living soars across the UK.
‘The far right is out of ideas’
Juno Dawson has previously spoken out against anti-LGBTQ+ attacks, with her This Book Is Gay, being named as “one of the most banned” in the United States.
“I wrote This Book Is Gay 10 years ago next year. It has a warning on the back, it’s aimed at teenagers and it says it’s honestly explicit in places,” the author said in a previous Instagram post.
“I felt, as a former teacher, that sex education for LGBTQ+ teenagers wasn’t very good. They weren’t really learning anything they needed to keep them safe and healthy when they were in adult relationships, so I wanted to address that.
“What we’re seeing now is a really organised attack on books because the Far Right is out of ideas. What else can you attack but trans healthcare, drag queens, books,” she added.
According to a report released last year, almost half of books banned in US schools in the past year contained LGBTQ+ themes or characters.
