Motherwell ‘most trans friendly’ area in North Lanarkshire

That’s according to a nationwide poll of 21,000 people carried out by the publisher UnHerd in association with pollster FocalData, which found that more than a third of the British public support the rights of transgender children.

But Unherd said the results show the debate about gender is far from resolved.

Participants were asked how much they agreed with the statement “it is acceptable for adolescent children to make their own decisions about their gender identity”.

The responses were then analysed to create a model for each constituency, based on the characteristics of people living there, including age, voting record and employment status.

Of the four Westminster constituencies that are in or cross over into North Lanarkshire, the one considered the least trans-friendly was Airdrie and Shotts – 38% disagreed with gender freedom for children, compared to 33% who were supportive, with the rest undecided.

Of these, 17% strongly disagree with the statement, while 21% said they simply disagree.

At the other end of the scale was Motherwell and Wishaw.

Here, 38% of people were pro-trans rights, compared to 33% who were not.

The constituencies were ranked based on how many agree versus disagree, with the top ranking being considered the most supportive of gender freedom.

Airdrie and Shotts placed 608th out of 632 constituencies – not including the 18 in Northern Ireland – while Motherwell and Wishaw came in at 375th.

Across Britain as a whole, 37% of people think children should be able to make decisions about their gender, 30% do not, and 33% do not have an opinion either way.

James Kirkup, from Unherd, said: “The politics of transgenderism are under-explored for several reasons. Politicians’ timidity in the face of activists’ ferocity is one.

“But there’s another – that it’s a fiendishly complex issue that doesn’t fit easily into the narratives and categories that structure so much of British political debate.

“This poll shows that the debate about gender is not just unresolved. It has yet to even begin in earnest.”