Is Tim Farron a transphobe?

This is the question that has been asked on social media after it was revealed Tim sent this reply to a letter from a constituent:

Dear Alison,

Thank you very much for your recent letter with regard to your concern about single-sex spaces in women's prisons.

I would be more than happy to raise this concern on your behalf, as requested.

I am pleased to confirm that I have written to the Minister of State for Prisons and Probation and the Minister for Women and Equalities to share your concern regarding single-sex spaces in women's prisons and I will write again when I've received the response.

With best wishes

Yours sincerely

Tim Farron

Unfortunately this letter, not entirely surprisingly, is being used by opponents of trans rights as evidence of some kind of "victory". 

Does this letter show that Tim Farron is a transphobe? Well no, not exactly. But it does show that - once again - he is at best naive when dealing with LGBT+ issues.

Having received several similar letters from MPs down the years this is a pretty standard response. It has probably been drafted by a member of staff and may even be a standardised letter into which the relevant issues and designations of appropriate ministers are inserted. It doesn't necessarily reflect any personal views of the MP himself.

But - and there is a but - it's still unacceptable because it should be easy to respond to that kind of letter from a constituent in a way that doesn't appear to legitimise transphobic dog whistles. It shouldn't be diffcult for a Liberal Democrat MP (or their staff) to grasp how such a letter may be interpreted by those who oppose trans rights - and by some of us who support them. MPs also aren't obliged to forward "concerns" to the relevant government minister if they're in disagreement with them.

Why couldn't Tim have used the opportunity to acknowledge concerns but reiterate the Lib Dems' position? This too would be a standard response from an MP to a constituent (yes, I've received a few such letters from MPs thanking me for their views and politely telling me I am wrong, including an absolute cracker from David Cairns about electoral reform). 

I can quite confidently say no other Lib Dem MP would write a letter like this on this particular issue. Let's face it, we'd soon know about it if they had. So my question isn't so much whether Tim Farron is a transphobe (although his defence of JK Rowling might point to some personal views) but why he is given free rein to continue to embarrass the party as far as LGBT+ issues are concerned.

It won't come as news to many of you that I have consistently called Tim out on things he's said on LGBT+ rights and religion for well over a decade. For so long he claimed to be misunderstood and even misrepresented; he was clearly quite plausible because for so long it seemed most party members were happy to accept his excuses. So happy, in fact, that they voted for him as leader in 2015.

But I'm no longer a lone voice crying in the wilderness and it's now got to the point that these kinds of slip-ups and mistakes are sufficiently regular that they've become an embarassment to the party. The undeniable fact is that Tim has become something of a liability as far as equality issues are concerned. 

But I'm not just concerned about Tim - I am equally worried about how the Liberal Democrats are managing the concerns expressed about him. I made a complaint to the party about Mr Farron ten months ago, and have not received as much as an acknowledgement. I know other party members have found the complaints procedure equally frustrating and fruitless. Tim Farron is a frontbench spokesperson for the party and it seems that - in spite of his growing reputation for homophobia, allying himself with ultra-conservative religious organisations and now transphobia - few senior Lib Dems are willing to challenge him.

If there was one Lib Dem MP who could be expected to write this kind of letter in response to a constituent's "concerns" on single-sex spaces then it would be Tim Farron. And that's the problem - it's no longer surprising when these things happen. There was an inevitability about this, and there now has to be some action. Someone needs to have a word with Tim about how to appear a little less homophobic and transphobic. Something like "It's not a good idea to write articles defending known transphobes, and here's some guidance for responding to constituents..."

This incident provoked a number of Lib Dem women to make a statement reiterating the party position and affirming the lives and indetities of trans people. I agree with everything they say. They don't mention Tim Farron specifically but the context is quite clear: this is how we should respond when asked about "single-sex spaces". 

For too long Tim Farron has been allowed to create these embarrassing situations with few real consequences. Even his resignation from the leadership, if forced upon him at all, was as much the result of an abysmal General Election performance as anything else - however much he sought to make it personal and focused on perceived religious prejudices. The party has been remarkably tolerant of Tim, but it's time to say "enough is enough". Whenever I see "Tim Farron" trending on twitter I instantly think "what's he said now?" and I am sure I'm not alone. 

Is Tim Farron a transphobe? I can't answer that question. I hope not. Should the party do more to bring him into line? Yes, absolutely.