A Central Okanagan MLA earned a swift rebuke from her peers in B.C.’s legislature Thursday when she asked the premier to define “what is a woman.”

Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream MLA Tara Armstrong asked the question, referring to the U.K. recent Supreme Court ruling that the terms “woman” and “sex” refer to a “biological woman and biological sex” under UK equality laws.

Niki Sharma, deputy premier and attorney general, offered a response to Armstrong’s question.

“I want to send a message to all queer, trans and Two Spirit people in this province that we stand with you," Sharma said

"We see you and we, on this side of the house, are going to fight for an inclusive society for all people… We're going to make sure that our laws and all of our policies respect and stand up for the rights of all people.”

Sharma apologized to British Columbians that she had to address the type of politics that are “pitting communities against each other” and creating “division and fear in this province.”

Armstrong responded by asking if the premier, who was not at the legislature, would ban “the brainwashing, sterilization and mutilation” of “precious children” by “so called medical professionals.”

She claimed a ministry worker had previously bragged about transitioning 1,000 children. This assertion could not be verified and an email to Armstrong requesting clarification was not immediately answered.

“There can be no simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to the type of hate that was just raised in this house right now … the type of hate that seeks to deny an identity of people and seeks to create this cloud of fear and mistrust and misinformation about what that identity is in this province,” Sharma said.

“Again, I condemn it, Mr. Speaker, and I hope the whole house would stand in condemning that to trans people in this province.”

Support for Sharma was shown with a lengthy round of applause.

Armstrong has since posted a video recording of her moment in the legislature on her social media, saying that she "hit a nerve."