Right-wingers have criticised a member of staff at Office for National Statistics (ONS) for wearing a Pride flag badge, with one critic describing it as the “flag of transgender activism”.

Emma Rourke, the interim deputy national statistician at the ONS, was seen wearing a small Progress Pride flag on her lanyard during her first address to staff, prompting right-wingers to claim that wearing the badge was not “impartial”.

Fiona McAnena, the director of campaigns at gender-critical group Sex Matters, told The Telegraph that the badge was “ostentatiously political”, and claiming that Rourke has “picked a side” by wearing it.

“The civil service code tells civil servants to be impartial. Rourke’s actions signal that when it comes to the clash between biological sex and self-defined ‘gender identity’, she has picked a side,” McAnena said.

The Telegraph referred to it as a “trans badge”, but it actually represents all gay, trans and intersex communities, as well as queer people of colour.

Flying in the face of such criticism, research has shown that women – particularly queer women – support transgender people, and overwhelmingly reject “gender-critical” views.

Thousands of cis women signed a petition in May rejecting transphobia, saying those with anti-trans views did not speak for them.

More than 35,000 women signed the petition, with one telling PinkNews: “Trans women are not a threat to anyone, they are among the most-marginalised in society and deserve to be loved and protected.”

A spokesperson for the ONS said it “strives to be an inclusive organisation where everyone feels respected [and was] proud to visibly support all our colleagues, who are delivering statistics with [the] utmost professionalism and impartiality”.

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