Boris Johnson tells G7 leaders world must rebuild ‘in a more gender-neutral and feminine way’
Boris Johnson was criticised for welcoming extreme anti-LGBT+ Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban to 10 Downing Street (Getty)
Boris Johnson surprised the G7 summit by saying the world must rebuild post-pandemic in a more “gender-neutral and feminine” way.
At a meeting of leaders of the G7 member states and representatives of the European Union, which was held in Cornwall last week, Johnson said “building back more equal” meant “in a more gender-neutral and a more feminine way”.
In his opening remarks at the G7 last Friday (11 June), Johnson said: “There is the potential to generate many, many millions of high-wage, high-skill jobs, and I think that is what the people of our countries now want us to focus on.
“They want us to be sure that we’re beating the pandemic together, and discussing how we’ll never have a repeat of what we’ve seen, but also that we’re building back better. Together. Building back greener, and building back fairer, and building back more equal.”
“How shall I…?” Johnson stumbled, going on to say: “In a more gender-neutral and, perhaps, in a more feminine way. How about that? Apart from anything else.
“So, those are some of the objectives that we have here before us.”
Asked what Boris Johnson meant by a “feminine” recovery, his spokesman told the Daily Mail he had been referring to a £430million pledge to support education for vulnerable young children and particularly girls.
The Tories are reportedly planning to outlaw gender-neutral toilets in the UK, having launched a review of public toilet provision – widely seen by LGBT+ activists as transphobic – late last year. Sources told The Telegraph that communities secretary Robert Jenrick was set to make it mandatory for public buildings to have separate toilet facilities for men and women.
Activists were quick to stress the lack of evidence around the so-called issue of gender-neutral restrooms and the struggles women allegedly face about them
The UK hosted this year’s G7 summit, on 11-13 June, with Johnson chairing.
Johnson came under fire ahead of the G7 summit for inviting Viktor Orban, the extreme anti-LGBT Hungarian prime minister, to Downing Street.
The Conservative government has infamously presided over the sharpest attacks on LGBT+ rights in recent years, with reforms to gender-recognition laws scrapped and a ban on so-called conversion therapy repeatedly delayed.
