Julie Burchill Julie Burchill

Is a ‘Transgender Day Of Remembrance’ really necessary?

On hearing that a ‘transgendered flag of remembrance’ was being flown by a government department for the first time (the Department of Education, on November 20th, the Transgender Day Of Remembrance) I was reminded of that old line about prison food – ‘It’s rubbish, and there’s not enough of it!’ It seems the height of duplicity that the sort of people who would mock a flag being flown to support our war dead (indeed, they might well use it as an excuse to break out the DIE TORY SCUM spray-paints) suddenly approve of running a bit of flimsy tat (which looks unpleasingly as if an Argie flag got put in a washing machine with a job-lot of red bedding) up a flagpole to celebrate a man’s right to tuck his tail between his legs and call himself Linda.

The flag was raised above the Department for Education to mark Transgender Day of Remembrance.

The flag was raised above the Department for Education to mark Transgender Day of Remembrance.

My scepticism was further teased when I found out that the brains behind it was Nicky Morgan – so good, as the old song almost said, that they named her twice, as Secretary of State for Education and Minister for Women and Equalities – who spoke thus:

‘I’m proud that for the first time a government department is flying the transgender flag – a mark of respect for all transgender people who have suffered discrimination and lost their lives due to hatred, violence, and prejudice.

Comments

Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months

Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.

Already a subscriber? Log in