Outrage has been sparked by the appointment of a transgender woman to a parliamentary engagement role at an endometriosis charity.
Steph Richards, 73, who was born male, will liaise with MPs on behalf of Endometriosis South Coast.
The activist previously served as the organisation’s chief executive, but departed in 2024 amid objections from women’s rights campaigners who deemed the leadership “insulting”.
Steph Richards also founded TransLucent, which works for the “gender-diverse community in the UK”.
Steph Richards’s return to the Endometriosis South Coast in this new capacity has reignited debate about who should represent women suffering from the painful gynaecological condition.
Amanda Craig, an award-winning novelist who was longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction in 2021, has been among the most vocal critics of the decision.
Ms Craig, who endured acute endometriosis during her forties, branded the appointment “absolutely ridiculous”.
“It’s fundamentally discordant and wrong,” she said. “Even if it comes from a good place and wants to help women.”
Steph Richards has been appointed to a parliamentary engagement role at an endometriosis charity
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LINKEDIN: STEPH RICHARDS
The Royal Society of Literature fellow waited seven years before receiving her own diagnosis, with male doctors dismissing her as “a neurotic, middle-aged, middle-class woman”.
“This is something that’s so specific to the female experience,” Ms Craig told The Times.
“It absolutely needs to be represented by someone with lived experience of this horrible disease.”
Rosie Duffield, the independent MP for Canterbury, described Steph Steph Richards’ selection as “inappropriate”.
‘It’s fundamentally discordant and wrong,’ award-winning novelist Amanda Craig said
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AMANDACRAIG.COM
The former Labour MP said she felt “uncomfortable” when the charity representative invited her to a parliamentary event.
“I am really uncomfortable that, of all of the tens of thousands of women affected, someone who is biologically male is coming to speak about this in parliament,” she said.
Ms Duffield stressed Steph Richards “can have no possible lived experience of this condition”.
The gender-critical politician argued countless women who actually suffer from endometriosis would be far better placed to discuss the realities of living with the disease.
Rosie Duffield, the independent MP for Canterbury, described Steph Richards’ appointment as ‘inappropriate’
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PA“This is a senior spokesperson’s role, so it’s somebody speaking on behalf of an awful lot of sufferers, and you can’t, in my opinion, do that if you have no possible awareness of what women’s bodies go through.”
Endometriosis South Coast has defended its decision, maintaining Steph Richards was selected on the basis of merit and dedication to raising awareness of the condition at the policy level.
The charity clarified its new parliamentary envoy holds a volunteer position and does not occupy a senior role or speak directly on behalf of those affected by the disease.
A spokesman rejected the premise only women experience endometriosis, calling such a claim “scientifically inaccurate”.
“It affects people of all genders, including trans men, non-binary, and intersex individuals,” the charity stated.
The organisation argued effective advocacy does not depend on personal experience of a medical condition.
It insisted this principle applies throughout healthcare, policymaking and the voluntary sector.
Steph Richards has previously dismissed outrage following the appointment with the charity as “transphobic”.
