Who is popular today?

Many questions remain in Anneliese Dodds’ proposals, but she recognises the fears of people in both camps – and that mattersThere have been few more toxic failures of politics in recent years than the bitter, emotive and often bad faith exchanges that have come to characterise public discussion of trans rights.Lives have been consumed, careers and reputations trashed, and good people exhausted by experiencing politics at its worst – which is to say politics used less as a democratic means for resolving difficult conflicts, and more as a weapon. Terrified of saying the wrong thing, well-intentioned public figures have fallen silent. Progressives in particular have all too often come across as nervous and confused, thrown by the concept of an equal rights issue in which both sides can justifiably claim to be vulnerable and fearful of violence.Gaby Hinsliff is a Guardian columnistDo you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...