A charity campaigning for a womb condition that can plague women for years has come under fire for appointing a trans woman as its new chief executive.
Endometriosis South Coast (ESC) has announced on X, formerly known as Twitter, that Labor activist Steph Richards will lead the organisation.
Ms Richards has previously claimed that transgender people can change their biological sex “just a bit” and boasted that they run a “safe space” where men can secretly disguise themselves as women, including as “schoolgirls”.
ECS’s announcement of Ms. Richards’ post included a statement next to her photo that read: “Isn’t it ridiculous that I will be in my 40s before medical professionals have even mentioned endometriosis?”
Transwomen, biological men who identify as women, cannot and should not have a uterus and therefore never suffer from endometriosis.
Health organization Endometriosis South Coast sparked outrage on social media when it announced transwoman Steph Richards as its new chief executive, with a quote suggesting biological men can suffer from the disease.
Feminist writer Milli Hill argued the appointment was no different to a controversial case last year in which a man was appointed as Scotland’s first ever dignity commissioner.
The appointment of Ms. Richards, who use the pronouns she and her and underwent £30,000 worth of treatment and surgery before the transition, received backlash.
Caroline Ffiske, director of Conservatives for Women, said she was in “disbelief” and added: “This is an insulting appointment. “It is an insult to women.
“This is an absolutely shocking appointment. There is just disbelief and despair across the community.”
Kellie-Jay Keen, founder of the Let Women Speak movement, criticized the charity’s language, saying it “ignores women” and called the appointment “merciful”.
“Everyone has lost their collective mind,” she added. “The losers are women with endometriosis who rely on a charity referring to them as ‘people’ rather than ‘women’, and a man as a woman.”
“This is an absolute disaster and an insult to all women who suffer from endometriosis, which is about 10 percent of women.” It’s really insulting.
“I think it’s a double insult that they use women’s language for him, but not for someone who suffers from this disease.”
The appointment also sparked outrage online, with critics slamming X.
One person wrote: “You have failed every woman currently using your services.”
One person who claimed to have suffered from the condition for years added: “As a woman who has suffered from endometriosis for decades, I simply cannot understand why you think this appointment is appropriate.”
On its website, Endometriosis South Coast states that it is an “integrative charity which aims to support people who have not yet started their diagnosis, are going through the stages of diagnosis or have been diagnosed with endometriosis and/or adenomyosis”.
It added that it aims to create a “safe space for all people with this disease, regardless of race, gender or religion.”
“This disease does not discriminate and neither do the people who run this charity,” the organization added on its website.
The charity later had to clarify that the statement released was not from Ms Richards and apologized for the “misunderstanding”.
“This quote comes from someone who supports our charity. Not from Steph herself,” they wrote.
“Steph is a huge supporter of what people are going through in the endo community.
“That’s why they were hired, not because they have their own endo journey.”
Feminist writer Milli Hill also objected to Ms Richards’ appointment, arguing that it was no different to last year when a man was appointed as Scotland’s first ever dignity commissioner.
That position, which was controversially given to tobacco salesman and later macho personal trainer Jason Grant, was eliminated after the riot.
Although Ms Richards did not directly respond to the outcry over her appointment, she responded to Ms Hill’s post by saying: “I have been researching issues surrounding pregnancy and women’s health for over 20 years.”
“Strangely enough, ‘sex’ wasn’t a problem back then.”
Ms Richards previously argued to Ms Hill that people can change their biological sex, male or female, “a little bit”.
Ms Richards, now in her 70s, has previously detailed her journey to becoming a trans woman on her blog.
In this report, she describes how she and her ex-wife Lin created a safe space where men could disguise themselves in secret from their families.
“Of course some wanted to be schoolgirls and brides, but for most it was just about wearing a dress, drinking a cup of coffee or, for the really brave, going shopping,” she wrote.
ECS claims to support “people” suffering from endometriosis, a condition in which uterine tissue grows in places on the female anatomy where it shouldn’t, such as the ovaries and fallopian tubes.
Symptoms include pelvic and abdominal pain, extremely painful periods, pain during sex and difficulty conceiving. They have a huge impact on patients and can also lead to depression.
The charity was eventually forced to apologize and explain that the quote came from a person who supports the charity and not Ms Richards herself.
Some people suffer from endometriosis, such as one user who only used IDD64 and said he found it difficult to understand how the charity could think this was appropriate
Around one in ten women in the UK are thought to suffer from endometriosis.
Despite its appearance, many women find it difficult to take their pain and symptoms seriously and may have to wait decades for a diagnosis.
The issue of removing the terms “women” and terms related to female anatomy from health information websites due to conditions that only affect biological females has been previously addressed.
Health experts criticize the trend, saying it dangerously complicates reporting on vital health care.
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Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
