Liz Truss says it is ‘dehumanising’ to be ‘treated as a woman’, as she is challenged over trans rights

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Liz Truss has said it is “dehumanising” for someone to be “treated as a woman” – calling for everyone to be seen as “individual humans” instead. Using the word “woman” is box-ticking that prevents a proper focus on “talents and ideas and hard work”, the equalities minister told a meeting at the Conservative party conference. “That’s what we really need to get the focus back on – rather than seeing people as part of an identity group, we need to see them as individual humans.” The Council of Europe report followed a sharp rise in transphobic attacks since 2015, calling the refusal to allow self-identification “a contradiction with international human rights standards”. “And, under the Equality Act, it’s very clear that single sex spaces can be protected by organisations.” During the fringe meeting, organised by the Conservative Home website, Ms Truss also: * Declined to say whether the AUKUS pact meant the UK would step in to protect Taiwan from a China attack – while insisting it would “help prevent conflict”.