Lisa Nandy slams Piers Morgan for bizarre Usain Bolt analogy during car crash clash over trans rights
Piers Morgan grilled Lisa Nandy on trans rights on Good Morning Britain (YouTube)
Labour leadership hopeful Lisa Nandy has accused Piers Morgan of setting up a “false war” between cisgender women and trans women in a heated debate.
The exchange took place on Good Morning Britain today, where Nandy was grilled by Morgan on her support for trans people’s rights.
Morgan once again launched into a conversation about trans people on his show by asking Nandy if she agrees with a BBC educational video which says there are more than 100 genders.
Nandy told Morgan he could “do with watching one of them”. He continued to interrogate her on whether or not she agrees with the claim.
“It’s not for me to say,” Nandy replied.
Piers Morgan grilled Labour leadership hopeful Lisa Nandy on whether she believes children are born ‘without sex’.
He later quizzed her on whether or not she believes that “a child is born without sex”.
Nandy said she did not want to tell people “who they are” but said that children are “designated a biological sex” at birth and this can become “problematic” as they grow older.
She then slammed the Good Morning Britain host for his refusal to make any effort to understand trans people’s identities.
“I don’t know what’s difficult about that for you to understand… I don’t know why this is so hard,” Nandy said.
Morgan then brought the conversation to trans people competing in professional sport, asking Nandy if it is “fair” for trans women and cisgender women to compete against each other.
“Why wouldn’t you come on Good Morning Britain to tell us whether it’s fair for Usain Bolt to self-identify as female?” Morgan asked Nandy. “It’s complete madness,” he added.
Lisa Nandy slammed the presenter’s line of questioning, noting: “You’ve created more heat and less light,” and added: “Usain Bolt is not planning to self-identify as a woman and compete.”
You’re setting up a false war between women and trans rights.
“The battle is raging between women’s rights and transgender rights,” Piers Morgan retorted. He said the question of trans rights is “quite serious for the effect it has on women’s rights” and asked Nandy: “How far do trans rights go against women’s rights?”
He continued: “You’re not giving a straight answer because you’re worried [about] how the reaction will affect you.”
“I’m trying to defend women’s rights in a grotesquely unfair situation… What am I doing that’s so wrong?” Morgan added.
“You’re setting up a false war between women and trans rights,” Nandy told Morgan. The presenter insisted that he is “defending women’s rights”, conveniently ignoring the fact that Nandy is a cisgender woman in the process.
“I’m sorry, I think this is outrageous,” Nandy said.
Morgan once again claimed he identifies as a ‘two-spirit penguin’.
Needless to say, Morgan – who has become well known for his staunch opposition to trans rights – wheeled out his tired “I’m a two-spirit penguin” comment during the debate.
“I think you’re being trivial, because you’re talking about penguins when actually trans people are the most discriminated against people in the country,” Nandy replied.
Morgan denied that he was a “sensationalist bully” following the debate, and said he was just asking “straightforward questions”.
“For a Labour leader candidate to turn that into me attacking transgender people and accuse me of bullying is nonsense, dangerous nonsense.”
The car-crash debate will come as little surprise to anyone who has had the misfortune of watching Good Morning Britain in recent months. Morgan has repeatedly hit out at trans and non-binary people on the show and has repeatedly mocked British singer Sam Smith for being non-binary.
Morgan has claimed on a number of occasions that he is now identifying as a “two-spirit penguin” in a tired effort to denigrate the identities of people with differing gender identities.
