SCOTTISH GRA REFORM ANNOUNCEMENT BROUGHT FORWARD

Yes pencils exactly

I found this Q&A exchange worrying -

Pauline McNeill (who seems basically pro GRA changes) - First, in the move to a statutory declaration for gender recognition legislation, has any thought been given to how a false declaration could be established?

Shirley-Anne Somerville - The criminalisation of false declarations is, of course, an exceptionally important aspect of this, and it is the basis on which I hope that people can have faith and trust in the system.

On the question of false declaration, and on other questions, I do not come to the chamber with all the answers today.

Hope, faith, trust, 'we don't have all the answers'.

This is not good enough and Somerville must know that, having talked at such length about women's fears that these proposed changes will be abused.

I bet my gran and my cat that nobody is ever prosecuted for making a false declaration, because 'I believe I am a woman' is unfalsifiable.

People should be allowed to believe what they like but the law must be based on material reality.

Go Joan

James Morton is a nasty misogynist who is not nearly as clever as James Morton believes the professional transperson, James Morton is.

Would bloody love to see James Morton's advice critiqued by anyone other than James Morton.

makemorenoisemanc.wixsite.com/mysite/mmnblog/penny-mourdant-and-the-lgbt-twelve

I think it's significant that the government have admitted the schools guidance was flawed.

James Morton wrote the school guidance but he also advised their prison policies when he worked at Scottish Transgender Alliance. From the above article.

The Scottish Transgender Alliance also submitted recommendations to the government which included the removal of sex markers on passports; full implementation of The Yogyakarta Principles definition of gender identity; and the removal of sex based exemptions in UK equality legislation

Now it would seem reasonable to assume that if government have admitted the schools guidance was flawed then they might look again at the prison guidance and the "advice" offered by Mr Mortons organisation more broadly.

I've just read Joan's statement. It's brilliant. It sums up everything. Hope.

RJnomore yes formal letters of complaint have to be the way forward. I wonder which org advises and trains your uni diversity people?

Transcript of all the questions and answers here, if anyone's broadband is as dodgy as mine this evening.

www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/report.aspx?r=12196

After reading it, I can now guess why I never received a reply from my MSP when I wrote to her a few months ago asking her to support Joan Mcalpine's position and expressing my concerns about erosion of single-sex provision for women.

I am so grateful.

This is democracy in action. It's flawed, it's got work to do, it's far from easy - but, this is a bunch of women exerting their right to protest and parliamentary process doing it's job, listening and reflecting.

We live in a country where women's voices are heard. Not enough, but, we're better than Canada and USA and many many others.

It is thrilling.

I wish we could all raise a glass together in person. Whoever we are. I don't know a single GC woman in real life. Which is why I'm glad of you lot.

Fascinated when you sum it up in that succinct paragraph it's truly shocking how remiss government has been. This multiple system failure and breaching of government own law and policy and sheer laziness of practice needs exposing and challenging.

Joan's statement has cheered me no end. What a brilliantly articulate presentation of the issues. She manages to cram all the pertinent points in and remains respectful. I'm in awe of her courage and dignified behaviour.

Best outcome we could have hoped for. I’m so relived and delighted.
We are massively in debt to the handful of women who have secured a voice with no funding, staff etc., and at great personal cost and risk.
Delighted the LGBT youth guidance has been withdraw- it was an horrendous affront to the dignity of girls, but acknowledgement that this was the case is a huge step forward.

Clearly Ministers will be all over this now. There’s a lovely line in Joan McAlpine statement which gives a nod to Scotland usually loving to be at the front... whilst Ms Sturgeon is desperate to reiterate we are just following TRA policy in place else where, Joan says: The fight against this by women has just begun and Scotland is at the forefront.

Indeed.

I would imagine ex Councillor Gregor Murray is most seriously displeased particularly as it appears that 'non-binary status' has been indefinitely put on hold.

Not had time to read the whole thread yet - but I'm cautiously hopeful. At least they're not bulldozing it through (yet).

But what an excellent twitter thread by Alice Timmons. Outstanding. "Maybe then people will accept we're afraid. Not hateful"

Absolutely, we are scared, and justifiably so. We already have the horrific news stories that are resulting from so many organisations, schools, NHS acting as though self ID is already law. And it's not on. Women say NO. Not all of them - but enough of them to justify a veto on self ID.

I see Mhari Black has made a tit of themself (you just don’t know these days do you?).

On the list love.

I may be back for help.

Formal complaints are the way to go.

God has something good happened while I was at work?

I’ve been fuming for two weeks after sitting through a presentation from University of Dundee (let’s name and shame) equality officer where she repeatedly conflated sex with gender identity and categorically stated several times that the equality act protected characteristic of sex refers to how you identify as a gender and that it was now law that you no longer need a GRC and it was illegal not to recognise you if you identify as a woman.

I did try to challenge but it’s pretty scary.

I think in the light of this I need to write a formal complaint?

I'm sure the lobbying register will be interesting too. Assuming it's properly filled out. Perhaps it's been given a glittery rainbow cover in honour of Pride. Or something.

I noticed Patrick Harvie didn’t applaud SAS after she’d given her speech. He really is an odious little toad.

Yeah happy is no5 clear at all what the end game here is for ppl who have dsyphoria

It seems like this has been pushed by organisations where they get loads of money and with that comes power and then more money
The push don’t seem to, come from the real ppl who have dysphoria

Or ppl like mermaids where it is the whole reason for being

Sometimes I think it’s like a collective madness pushed by erm I don’t know who but there must be a financial reason

I hope they realise this

I think they do, there was an emphasis on the EA exemptions, and on looking at how sex gender are disaggregated in data. I hope they manage to join the dots.

I think they are VERY exposed as regards legal challenges to what they have been doing to date, allowing self-ID by stealth and failing to invoke the same-sex exemptions when it would very clearly have been justified to protect female rights. Prisons, NHS? Refuges. Delegating policy drafting to lobby groups, not consulting, no legal scrutiny. The PSED, not fulfilled. Bias - forcing women's organisations to be "inclusive" of trans when the law very clearly states that same sex collectives are exempt where appropriate. Self ID in relation to crime stats, police recording. Gender self-ID in relation to intimate searches by prison staff and police. The list goes on. They are in breach of oodles of laws, both procedural and substantive.

I hope they realise this.

I wonder if any trans people could comment on why exactly getting a GRC is the ultimate endgame? I do have sympathy for the tiny minority experiencing gender disphoria, and recognise they need help & support. BUT if they can alleviate those symptoms by ‘dressing like a woman’ and many do not even bother to try & get a GRC yet continue to thrive living in their new gender, what purpose do GRCs serve?

I've just watched this and on the whole found it quite heartening.

Most of the women who asked questions acknowledged there were issues, even those in favour of changing the GRA. It was all very respectful.

Meanwhile the stroppy little men in suits (and Kezia Dugdale) had nothing except 'waawaawaah you promised! ' They're looking increasingly silly and irrelevant.

I could pick giant holes in Somerville's statement, and her responses to questions (and I will), but she has made it very clear that yes there is a debate and it needs to be had before laws are pushed through. Brava!

After years of #NoDebate bullshit, 2019 is the year we have the debate. See also the UK women & equalities inquiry into enforcing the EA.

This was the state of parliamentary debate in December 2016:

hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2016-12-01/debates/D4F283FB-2C02-4C8C-8C7E-BEAB889D1425/TransgenderEquality

(there's probably TV of this somewhere, I'll see if I can find it)

Look how far we've come in such a short time. We did this