Senedd gets heated in gender debate

It gets a new kind of political at the Senedd as Darren Millar pushes the gender debate, and the First Minister steers clear.

Transcript

00:00First Minister, on Saturday we marked International Women's Day, a day to celebrate the achievements,

00:06rights and potential of women and girls here in Wales, across the UK and around the world.

00:11So can you tell us today, First Minister, in order that people across Wales can appreciate

00:16and understand what the Welsh Government was celebrating over the weekend,

00:20what's your definition of a woman?

00:22Really? Is that right? Is that right, Darren?

00:27On the day that we want to celebrate women, you want to start a culture war.

00:32That is not something that I'm engaging with.

00:35Of course it's always political here in the Senedd,

00:38but First Minister's questions went in a different direction than it doesn't often go in.

00:42We see questions about the NHS, schools, the economy,

00:45but one sort of taboo question has been one that's floated around online quite a lot,

00:49but has managed to sidestep much of Welsh political talk.

00:52The question of transgender people in sports.

00:54It's controversial, and the Members in the Senedd certainly know it.

00:57Now let me help you by giving you the definition that I use of a woman.

01:02To me, a woman is an adult human female.

01:06So will you commit today to ensuring that all Welsh sporting bodies,

01:10in receipt of Government funds, should be required to commit to sex-based categories

01:16so that women are not required to compete against biological males and to ensure fair competition?

01:23Honestly, did you not learn anything from why you lost the last general election?

01:29I mean, honestly, what people care about is the economy.

01:35They care about the NHS. They care about housing.

01:38They care about education. They care about connecting communities.

01:41Those are all the things that I am absolutely focused on,

01:44and I am not playing games with your culture war,

01:47because actually the people of Wales are not interested in that.

01:51They are interested in us getting on with the job and delivering for them.

01:56One could argue that Darren Miller definitely knew what he was doing a little bit

01:59and was pressing the gender question a little further than he needed to.

02:02But he says very clearly that women deserve safe spaces,

02:05and that is something that the First Minister certainly agrees with.

02:08The Welsh Government has a duty to ensure that all women in Wales

02:12should have access to safe, single-sex spaces,

02:16including public toilets, leisure centre changing rooms, women's refuges and hospital wards.

02:26Look, I think it is really important that we focus on the things that women really care about, right?

02:33What they care about is feeling safe, is making sure that they have their rights,

02:39that their children are able to flourish.

02:44And that is why this is a Government that for years

02:48has been focused on the things that really matter to women.

02:51The fact that we have given huge increases in childcare, for example,

02:57which you voted against, and you voted against, by the way.