Anthony Albanese cops backlash after saying men can’t have babies

Anthony Albanese has copped backlash over a one-word answer he gave during a recent interview, sparking some critics to accuse him of being transphobic.

Labor leader Anthony Albanese has come under fire for saying men can’t have babies.

Albanese participated in an interview with The Daily Telegraphthis week, where he declared his party was not for the woke left and answered a round of rapid-fire questions.

One of those questions was “can men have babies?” to which Albanese responded “no”.

Some social media users suggested his answer was transphobic and questioned why he didn’t respond “yes” to acknowledge transgender males who give birth.

“It would be very easy for Albanese to choose not to be transphobic. Very easy. He could just … not be transphobic,” one critic wrote.

Anthony Albanese’s “not woke” interview has triggered backlash. Picture: Justin Lloyd / Daily Telegraph

Refugee activist Shane Bazzi claimed Albanese’s response was “shameful”.

“Albanese proud to deny the existence of trans people just weeks after attending Mardi Gras. This is what we mean about politicians pinkwashing. F***ing shameful. This election is going to be so painful,” Mr Bazzi tweeted.

“Just when I’m starting to think the @AustralianLabor Party has turned a new leaf on LGBTQ+ rights, Anthony Albanese shows up to remind me that he, too, is transphobic,” argued another social media user.

But others argued he could not be considered transphobic from his one word answer.

“I’m really curious from what is clearly advertised as “quick questions” – how you infer that Albanese is transphobic? Biologically speaking, men cannot birth children, however there are notable exceptions. How can this nuance be derived from a single word response?” wrote one supporter.

Human rights activist Drew Pavlou, an independent running for the Senate, reposted criticism and the Q&A image from the newspaper, adding: “How did Albanese attack trans people?”.

Another person suggested if the question had been phrased “can trans men have babies?” he could have responded differently.

Other users on Twitter came out in defence of the potential future Prime Minister. Picture: NewsWire / Sarah Marshall

Mr Albanese is a vocal supporter of the LGBTI community and has marched in Sydney’s Mardi Gras for the last 30 years.

Before the federal government’s controversial religious discrimination bill was shelved in February, he fought for an amendment that would protect gay and transgender students.

“I’ll stand up for the rights of people to practise their religion, but I won’t support anyone who uses their religion as an excuse to be cruel, and to deny the rights of others who just happen to be different,” he argued before the bill passed the House of Representatives.

In a speech in 2014, the single father insisted he was a firm believer “that equal rights for all people—regardless of sexuality, race or gender—are a fundamental right.”

“I will continue to be a strong campaigner for equal rights, regardless of sexuality.”