A biological man who identifies as transgender has been appointed to a parliamentary-facing role at a UK endometriosis charity. The decision by Endometriosis South Coast has put Steph Richards, 73, back into a public position with the group after previously stepping down as chief executive in 2024.
Richards, who was born male, will now liaise with MPs on behalf of the organization. The role is voluntary, and the charity says it does not involve speaking directly on behalf of patients, though it’s still raised questions from critics.
Endometriosis South Coast said the appointment was based on experience and commitment to raising awareness of the condition. A spokesman rejected the idea that only women are affected, stating: "It affects people of all genders, including trans men, non-binary, and intersex individuals."
The charity added that advocacy roles do not require personal experience with a condition and said this approach is consistent across healthcare and policymaking.
Criticism has come from several public figures. Novelist Amanda Craig, who experienced endometriosis, called the decision "absolutely ridiculous." She said: "It's fundamentally discordant and wrong. Even if it comes from a good place and wants to help women."
Craig also said: "This is something that's so specific to the female experience. It absolutely needs to be represented by someone with lived experience of this horrible disease."
Rosie Duffield, the independent MP for Canterbury, described the appointment as "inappropriate" and said she felt "uncomfortable" after being invited to a parliamentary event involving the charity.
"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.
Duffield added that Richards “can have no possible lived experience of this condition" and argued that women suffering from the disease would be better placed to represent it publicly.
"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," she said.
Richards, who was born male, will now liaise with MPs on behalf of the organization. The role is voluntary, and the charity says it does not involve speaking directly on behalf of patients, though it’s still raised questions from critics.
Endometriosis South Coast said the appointment was based on experience and commitment to raising awareness of the condition. A spokesman rejected the idea that only women are affected, stating: "It affects people of all genders, including trans men, non-binary, and intersex individuals."
The charity added that advocacy roles do not require personal experience with a condition and said this approach is consistent across healthcare and policymaking.
Criticism has come from several public figures. Novelist Amanda Craig, who experienced endometriosis, called the decision "absolutely ridiculous." She said: "It's fundamentally discordant and wrong. Even if it comes from a good place and wants to help women."
Craig also said: "This is something that's so specific to the female experience. It absolutely needs to be represented by someone with lived experience of this horrible disease."
Rosie Duffield, the independent MP for Canterbury, described the appointment as "inappropriate" and said she felt "uncomfortable" after being invited to a parliamentary event involving the charity.
"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.
Duffield added that Richards “can have no possible lived experience of this condition" and argued that women suffering from the disease would be better placed to represent it publicly.
"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," she said.
