Culture

Piers Morgan tells Susanna Reid: ‘I might wear a skirt to work’ in gender-neutral rant

May 16 2017
Written by Josh Jackman

Piers Morgan revived his out-of-touch-person-yelling-at-a-cloud routine this morning as he exploded over the idea of people expressing their gender identity.

The Good Morning Britain host has had a bee in his bonnet about gender-neutral issues ever since Emma Watson received the first gender-neutral MTV Movie and TV Award earlier this month.

And this morning, he reacted to news that north London’s Highgate School will introduce a ‘gender-neutral’ uniform policy with a whole different brand of petulance.

“The London private school we mentioned yesterday also wants to allow the boys, if they want to, to wear skirts – to school. Which sounds like a great idea,” he said, setting up the ‘punchline’.

The hosts were due to interview a Northamptonshire police chief about their force’s decision to replace helmets with gender-neutral caps to attract more trans officers.

“So let’s ask the police chief we’re talking to: will male policemen be wearing skirts on duty, because that’s all part of this gender-neutral move,” Morgan said.

His co-host Susanna Reid looked dubious, asking Morgan: “I don’t think even female police officers wear skirts on duty, do they? They wear trousers.”

Ignoring the mistake, Morgan ploughed on. “I think everyone should be able to wear a skirt.”

And then spitefully, as if it were some hilarious, cutting joke, he remarked: “I might wear a skirt to work tomorrow as part of my gender-neutral, non-binary identity.”

Rather than being shocked, as was clearly his intention, Reid responds tiredly: “If we all wear trousers, doesn’t that kill the issue off?”

Having failed to wow anyone with his nonsense, Morgan resorts to having a tantrum on live TV, yelling: “Oh it’s all just nonsense! All of it!”

Societal change is hardest on those with the most privilege. Spare a thought for poor Piers.

Later in the show, fellow co-host Charlotte Hawkins challenged Morgan, asking: “If someone doesn’t feel comfortable dressing as a boy and they want to be able to wear a skirt, why shouldn’t they be able to?”

He responded to this reasonable notion by saying: “I just think we should be allowed to have boys and girls shouldn’t we?”

Hawkins expanded on the concept, trying to educate Morgan about non-binary people.

“What if someone doesn’t feel they fit into that bracket? Shouldn’t we make space for them?” she asked.

“What if your child came to you and they were going through a struggle in their life and they didn’t identify with that and they wanted to change – what would you say?

Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid at the National Television Awards

(Photo by Jeff Spicer/Getty Images)

“Pull your socks up, don’t be so ridiculous?”

Morgan failed to comprehend, pointing out that he wasn’t talking about trans people and calling the idea of not labelling yourself as either male or female “a form of anarchy”.

“It’s like saying: ‘I don’t agree with the norms and life of the world, and I can do whatever I like,’” he protested.

Morgan’s outburst follows his last stab at talking about the issue a week ago, when he called himself “Arsenal tragic gender” in an intriguing but fundamental misunderstanding of what gender is.

Watch the full video of this morning’s rant below: