Trans rights support gets me daily abuse, says Doctor Who writer Russell T Davies

Tonia Antonazzi, a Labour MP who has been vocal about her views on protecting female-only spaces, said she had witnessed the backlash Davies had experienced and felt for him.

“I hugely respect Russell. He’s been a fantastic advocate for gender rights,” she said, adding that she believed Davies himself would not want to diminish anyone’s rights.

“We must not lose sex-based rights. Many women feel silenced, that they cannot say they need to have women-only spaces.”

She said self identification is important for single-sex spaces, sport, and changing rooms and also noted the importance of gender for data collection across public bodies.

But Antoniazzi believes the conversation around gender identity needed to be an open one, without the threat of hatred or harm to either side and “shouldn’t be an us-versus-them”.

She admitted that putting her head above the parapet made her susceptible to hate online, including death threats.

“I ignore it rather than be a victim to it… as a female MP, I don’t want to be silenced.”

In 2024, a tweet posted by the Gower MP went viral and resulted in her being a target for hate, “from people within my own party”, she said.

She has now turned off comments on her Facebook page “because of foul comments” and said it was done to protect the well-being of her family, friends and staff.

“The threat is real,” said Antoniazzi, alluding to the death of former Tory MP Anne Widdecombe, adding that she is “super careful” about what she does.

“I do have to plan ahead… I’m content in my small town, but other areas in my constituency I do sometimes think ‘I’m not going there by myself’ and I have to think about the security and staff I have with me.”

If you or someone you know has been affected by any of the issues mentioned in this article, support resources are available via BBC Action Line.