Olympian Sharron Davies leads campaign to show up at MPs’ homes and ask ‘what is a woman?’
Olympian Sharron Davies leads campaign to show up on MPs’ doorsteps and ask ‘what is a woman?’ (Jeff Spicer/Getty Images)
Olympian Sharron Davies is reportedly leading a campaign to have activists show up on MPs’ doorsteps and ask them “what is a woman?”
According to a report by The Telegraph, Davies is an ambassador for a campaign which will lead an “army” of volunteers to MPs doorsteps to ask them “what is a woman?” on camera, before publishing their videoed responses online.
The campaign, described as a “grassroots” and “apolitical” movement – despite the anti-trans slant to the campaign’s promotion and goals.
Former Olympic swimmer Davies, who has been fiercely campaigning against trans women’s inclusion in women’s sports, said on Twitter: “We need transparency, not deliberate confusion. If an MP doesn’t know what a woman is, they can’t fight for women.”
The ‘What Is A Woman?’ campaign claims its volunteers will be “trained on how to approach MPs respectfully and courteously”.
“This is about calmly giving MPs the chance to clarify their position, on camera. This is about transparency and honesty,” the campaign said.
The campaign has faced opposition from MPs and the LGBTQ+ community alike since it launched on Saturday (23 September), with Labour MP Kate Osbourne claiming the “vilification of trans people” is a way of “distracting from the mess the country is in”.
“I’ll save them the bother of doorstepping me. Yes, some women have a penis,” Osbourne said on Twitter.
“It’s clear that Tory allies will help with their ‘war on woke’ vilification of trans people to distract from the mess the country is in.
“How about asking MPs if they will eradicate homelessness and child poverty?”
Other critics to the campaign have brought up the case of MP Jo Cox, who was murdered in 2016 by a man from Batley and Spen, where she worked.
Critics have explained that Cox was killed in a “politically-motivated” attack, and that confronting MPs at their homes about potentially controversial topics could prove dangerous.
Twitter users have also pointed out that the campaign is being managed by Riverside Advisory, the owner of which – Mark Gallagher – was reportedly hired to repair Prince Andrew’s reputation after he faced sexual assault allegations.
The campaign comes as a survey has found a growing number of British people view trans people negatively.
The research, published in August, found that 39 per cent of Brits “personally view” trans people in a positive light, with 33 per cent saying their feelings are neutral and four per cent saying they “don’t know”.
The remaining 25 per cent had negative feelings towards the community. This is up from 16 per cent in 2021, and follows YouGov research in 2022 which found that Brits had become less likely to support trans rights.
PinkNews has contacted representatives for Sharron Davies for comment.
