On Wednesday, she urged Britons to “get serious about this divisive thinking”, saying the “awakened” politics represented “a new religion with a new priestly caste”.
“While some fanatics believe this and put on the garb of the inquisitor and never tire of rooting out the unbelievers, others simply wear clerical robes to ward off rivals or nod and recite the creed because they are too frightened to disagree.” she claimed. “Neither of these approaches is acceptable in modern Britain.”
Ms Braverman urged her Cabinet colleagues to follow her lead and reduce “fatigue” in their own departments.
Last month, Jacob Rees-Mogg, the Brexit opportunities secretary, revealed he would ban “absurd” health and diversity training in Whitehall, replacing it with “smart, sensible courses”.
Ms Braverman insisted there should be free speech around the transgender debate following a series of high-profile court cases.
I received complaints from colleagues
Maya Forstater, a tax expert, was fired in 2019 over a series of tweets questioning government proposals to allow people to self-identify as the opposite sex.
She faced complaints from colleagues who said the statements were transphobic. Her visiting fellowship was not renewed and she was offered no more consulting work.
The original decision was overturned earlier this year by the Employment Appeal Tribunal, which ruled Ms Forstater’s “gender-critical” belief that a person cannot change their gender “must be tolerated in a pluralistic society”.
Asked about the case, Ms. Braverman said: “How did we get to the point where pointing out the facts of biology can get you fired?”
It comes after Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak, the Conservative leadership candidates, pledged to take a tougher stance on transgender issues.
Last week Ms Truss praised audiences “who know what a woman is”, while Mr Sunak called for the terms “woman” and “mother” to be protected as the use of gender-neutral language increased.
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