UK Edition
Police refuse to give gender of suspects in transgender brawl - in case they get it wrong
Police have refused to reveal the gender of two people suspected of punching a 60-year-old woman in the face during a brawl at a transgender event in case they get it wrong.
Scotland Yard, apparently concerned about a potential backlash, said it was “a grey area” and dependant on how the suspects describe themselves.
“We have to be very careful,” she said. “We are not going to commit ourselves to something because I’m afraid it’s not black and white.”
One of the suspects, who allegedly knocked the woman to the ground, smashing her camera and kicking her several times, is described as being of “white, around 5ft 7ins and of slim build with brown chin-length hair with blonde ends.”
The other had short blonde hair and was wearing a black, grey and white hooded camouflage jacket and multi coloured leggings.
A third suspect is a confirmed man, around 6ft tall with brown shoulder-length hair worn in a pony tail.
The police spokeswoman said the suspects “may possibly be transgender individuals”.
The brawl took place last month at Speakers’ Corner in Hyde Park ahead of a gender recognition talk.
The event was being hosted by a panel of Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminists (TERFs), who believe that trans women should not be given the same rights as those born female.
It had been due to take place at New Cross Learning Centre, south east London, but was cancelled after transgender activists lobbied the venue.
Instead, around 80 attendees were gathered in Hyde Park waiting to be given information about a secret new venue when Maria MacLachlan, who describes herself as a “gender critical feminist”, was knocked to the ground.
A Times journalist who was at the event wrote: “Trans activists and feminists were chanting and taunting each other.
“Maria was taking photographs when an opponent grappled with her, snatched her camera and smashed it on the ground.
“Then a tall, male-bodied, hooded figure wearing makeup rushed over, hit her several times and as police arrived, ran away. I asked a young activist if she was OK with men smacking women: ‘It's not a guy, you're a piece of s--- and I'm happy they hit her,’ came the reply.”
Video posted on social media appears to show a clash between two groups, some holding placards railing against misogyny and featuring the word TERFS.
After the attack, Ms MacLachlan, a mother-of-two, wrote on Facebook: "I am 60 years old and tonight I got beaten up and had my camera smashed by a bunch of kids young enough to be my grandchildren.
"Earlier this year, my sympathies for trans people started to evaporate after being shocked at the hatred and abuse and threats of violence being directed at women who think as I do, which is that gender is a load of crap and there's nothing wrong with being a 'feminine' man or a 'masculine woman' but the bottom line is that women are adult human females and men are adult human males.”