Well if it’s just the safety of women and girls…

Written by

Ophelia Benson

in

Judges have ruled:

Judges have ruled that the UK government acted lawfully in blocking Scotland’s gender self-ID reforms. Legislation making it easier for people to change their legally-recognised sex was passed by the Scottish Parliament last year. The UK government blocked it from becoming law over fears it would [have an] impact on equality laws across Great Britain.

The Court of Session in Edinburgh has now rejected a Scottish government legal challenge to the veto.

The Scottish government can appeal.

Campaigners against the reforms warned the legislation could risk the safety of women and girls in same-sex spaces such as hospital wards and refuges. Supporters argued it would make the process of obtaining a gender recognition certificate (GRC) easier and less traumatic for trans people.

And, shockingly, the Scottish Parliament were happy to sacrifice the safety of women and girls – half the population – for the convenience of trans people, who are a tiny fraction of the population. One has to wonder why letting a tiny set of confused people “change their sex” (which is impossible anyway) is worth putting the female half of the population at risk.

Comments

2 responses to “Well if it’s just the safety of women and girls…”

  1. Lady Mondegreen Avatar
    Lady Mondegreen

    “Less traumatic”? Dealing with bureaucratic red tape can be maddening and time-consuming and frustrating, but traumatic?

    Based on what I’ve learned from listening to trans people, as we’re so often exhorted to do, I assumed that the “traumatic” part is having to “prove their identity.” A little googling showed I was on the right track. Per the Scottish Government website:

    The standard track is most commonly used. This requires applicants to:

    • be aged 18 or over

    • to provide evidence of a diagnosis of gender dysphoria and that they have lived in their acquired gender for at least two years

    • to make a statutory declaration that they intend to live in their acquired gender for the rest of their life

    Doesn’t sound the least bit traumatizing to me; in fact it sounds much easier than dealings I’ve had with various insurance companies, but

    This process has an adverse impact on people applying for gender recognition, due to the requirement for a medical diagnosis and the intrusion of having their life circumstances considered by the Gender Recognition Panel. We think that trans people should not have to go through this intrusive process in order to be legally recognised in their lived gender

    Oh, my. I take it the traumatizing parts are having to see a doctor and get diagnosed, and having to provide evidence of commitment to role, thus being reminded of the facts that you really are the sex you are and the rest of the world doesn’t necessarily see you as you see yourself.

    In other words: the applicant has to face reality, and we’re not supposed to require that of people who identify as transgender.

    Good on the Court of Session in Edinburgh.

  2. Brian M Avatar
    Brian M

    Why should it be simple and easy to obtain a legally binding “certificate” attesting to a fiction? A certificate that allows one to demand recognition by other people who are not similarly deluded. It should be hard. It should be demanding.

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