The legendary presenter and activist has spoken out about the rise in transphobic hate
BY ELLA GAUCI, IMAGE BY GETTY
Sandi Toksvig is a legend for many things: she’s hosted iconic TV shows like QI and The Great British Bake Off, she’s continually advocated for women’s rights, and she’s been a firm pillar of the LGBTQIA community. In a recent interview with iNews, she proved once again why she is so beloved.
Ahead of hosting the festive show A Winter’s Tale on 25 November for the London Gay Men’s Chorus, Sandi spoke about the rise in transphobic hate occurring from “people who call themselves radical feminists”. The GBBO star expressed how much this sort of rhetoric “distressed” her.
“I could weep. I don’t get it. It’s beyond me,” she explained. “When the feminist movement started in the 60s and 70s, lesbians were often excluded, because we were told that we would make the movement less palatable. I have been excluded myself, so how could I do that to someone else? It fills me with rage.”
Sandi came out in 1994, a time when Section 28 was still in place. In the interview with iNews she also spoke about the importance of owning her identity not just for, but also for her children. “My then-partner and I were not prepared for them to grow up in the shadow of a secret,” she said.
Although Sandi has received some backlash from anti-trans groups and individuals, including Julie Bindel who wrote a piece in The Spectator just a few days later entitled “Who is Sandi Toksvig to lecture ‘radical feminists’ like me?”, the lesbian icon has received a wave of praise online for standing up for trans rights.
“Sandi Toksvig is a true feminist and like most lesbians, feminists and women generally, is supportive of trans people,” one user on Twitter wrote.
DIVA magazine will celebrate 30 years in print in 2024. If you like what we do, then get behind LGBTQIA media and keep us going for another generation. Your support is invaluable.
One thought on “Lesbian icon Sandi Toksvig talks about being “distressed” by anti-trans rhetoric from “people who call themselves radical feminists””