Scottish GRA draft legislation

I think the biggest effect of this legislation will be to embolden males who want to access single sex spaces, trans and non-trans alike

I agree with this Charleston.

I also think that it’s quite possible that because there was no discussion in the jurisdictions where this has already been introduced, very few people, other than dedicated trans campaigners, would even be aware the legislation had been brought in.

So those likely to abuse the legislation very likely don’t know it exists. But of course as word filters out, as is already occurring in prisons, then the problems become very quickly apparent.

And of course this is another reason why those pushing this are keen to roll it out without delay. They don’t want time for problems to emerge.

crosspost, OhHoly but yes, it's pretty damn cruel to the child and her family to pretend they don't exist and that incident never happened.

At what point will the risks and repercussions be concluded as not acceptable?

Do they give a number of assaults, rapes, etc, such as Katie Dolatowski's recent assault on a child in a toilet, which was followed by Dolatowski being housed in a woman's single sex accomm? Presumably this pretty illustrative case is being discounted. For some reason.

Of course much of the effect will be unquantifiable - how exactly do you count women who won't access or try to access single sex spaces because they know there may be males there? How do you count women not attending smears or mammograms because they've been told they're bigoted for requesting a female HCP? What about all the womens' groups that have now got to consider the presence of male-bodied people? Lesbian groups? Teenage schoolchildren avoiding toilets? Women who are now being told even the word 'woman' is exclusionary and therefore must be avoided?

We are being erased.

As I read this I'm thinking of the victims of Katie Dolatowski at the Morrison's in Fife.

No risk huh? Tell those little girls and their parents that.

First time commenter here. I wanted to add that in addition to Women & Girls Scotland, its worth following Murray Blackburn Mackenzie on Twitter. They are Edinburgh based policy analysts and have done a lot of research on the value of sex-disaggregated data.

I’m horrified that the age for applying for a GRC will be lowered to 16. It’s far too big a life changing decision to be made at 16.

Its five very target questions in the consultation.

No space to include other comments and no questions on sex based rights and any conflict

I can’t see how single sex spaces can be enforced. The EHRC said service providers should not ask to see GRCs. All other ID documents will read ‘female’. They know they are rendering the Equality Act useless as far as single sex spaces are concerned. They just think most people are too stupid to work that out.

In fairness I don’t think many places are asking to see birth certificates at present, but they can, and I think the biggest effect of this legislation will be to embolden males who want to access single sex spaces, trans and non-trans alike. With all the discussion, they too will learn that it is considered bad practice to request sight of a GRC and that organisations that want to use birth certificates to separate out men must ask EVERYONE (not just suspected males) to produce a birth certificate. More of these males, possibly many more, will demand access to female spaces, even those who aren’t legal females because they’ve got a really good chance of getting in.

I read on twitter that a guide will be going our

Am going to wait on that

Deeply frustrating that they claim there is no evidence of problems from countries where this has already been introduced.

The Faculty of Advocates cautioned during the last consultation that there had not been enough time for problems to have emerged. And lo and behold, problems are now beginning to emerge, most notably in Canada, but also now in Ireland vis-a-vis prisoners.

The fact that the single sex exemptions are not even being applied currently to prisons, where the problems of male violence and female vulnerability are most likely to collide gives me no faith whatsoever in the idea that the government will ensure the situation is balanced.

How can obvious males be excluded when all their ID documents tell us they are female?

That should say, ‘How can even obvious males be excluded when all their ID documents tell us they are female.’

@ItsAllGoingToBeFine thank you, so we are back in that'll never happen territory then

One of the safeguards of the original GRA was the relatively small number of males who were expected to use female spaces. The Minister responsible also said review by the panel (so not just anyone would be granted a GRC) was another safeguard. In reality very few were refused.

With these proposals anyone can get a GRC with ease. Not only will there be a large rise in the number of males using women’s spaces, the very worst kind, the sexual fetishists, will be over-represented.

What would happen with CRB checks?

Can anyone explain to me how the single sex exemptions in the Equality Act are to be enforced? How can obvious males be excluded when all their ID documents tell us they are female?

A recipient of the fund would be able to apply an exception which is available under the 2010 Act and could state as much in their inclusion plan. "

Yeah, ‘cos everyone is going to respond to “tell us your trans inclusion plans” with “we’re going to exclude them on the basis of sex”