James Morton scottish trans alliance quote

From forewomen.scot

The hoped-for consensus seems more likely to be around the government being right.” Spot on from @LucyHunterB

Whatever prison policy Morton is describing, it is not the one in Scottish prisons (& is unworkable in practice). Time to deal in reality.

Rhona Hodgekiss former prison governor of Cornton Vale, says that in her experience it is "always an issue to have trans women in with female prisoners”.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-scotland-51452489/ex-prison-chief-expresses-concern-about-trans-women-in-female-jails

"My experience is, that it is always an issue to have trans women in with female prisoners, I think you have to think beyond the obvious things like physical or sexual threat, which are sometimes an issue, to the very fact of the presence of a male bodied person in amongst vulnerable women causes them distress and consternation."

thread:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3823351-Ex-prison-chief-expresses-concern-about-trans-women-in-female-jails

From the Sunday Times article above,
"James Morton, manager of the Scottish Trans Alliance, said it was “disingenuous” for the church to say that reform was being rushed. He said: “There has been ongoing robust public debate about this reform since 2017. Over 15,500 people took part in the first Scottish government consultation in 2018, and the bill is now going through a second additional consultation period above and beyond what most legislation is subject to.”

“The SPS does careful risk assessments and refuses to allow trans prisoners to move to the female estate if they pose a risk of predatory behaviour,” said Morton.

“Even when a trans woman is assessed as safe to be in the female estate, women prisoners do not share actual cells or shower with trans women. They only interact with any trans women in the closely supervised recreation and work areas where there are also male prison officers, visitors and tradesmen present.”

Rhona Hotchiss
interview:
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p082x063

Talk from the recent For Women Scotland meeting in Edinburgh:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpfTBEXqGQM

Morton is the one who is disingenous.

February 2018 OP postermiri1985 wrote,
"Transgender prisoner living as woman wins jail's Miss Fitness competition by 'country mile'
www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/outrage-transgender-prisoner-living-woman-12022675

"A source said: “The rest of them shouldn’t have bothered even entering."
“It was surreal. Everybody knew it wasn’t very fair, but nobody was allowed to say it."
“The women inmates have had to accept that Stewart is being allowed to live as a woman, despite not having had surgery."
“That means she is in the showers at the same time as other inmates, which some have found quite awkward."

These women have so little, its so sad that their privacy and fair play have been stripped from them too"
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3169178-Transgender-prisoner-living-as-woman-wins-jails-Miss-Fitness-competition-by-country-mile

May 2018 OP TerfinUSA posted:
"Transgender killers split up by prison chiefs"

www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/transgender-killers-kept-apart-after-12493525

Yes it's Sophie formerly Daniel Eastwood who terrified a female guard into quitting her job www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/female-prison-guard-quits-after-9379668

(NB Eastwood, referred to here as Hannibal (Hannah-belle, shurely: ed) Lecter Jr is not to be confused with Tiffany Scott formerly Andrew Burns www.alloaadvertiser.com/news/15507716.Shirtless_prisoner_hurls_abuse_at_sheriff_as_she_is_jailed/)

Sophie's charming campaign of terror earned her a move from Shotts prison to the female wing at Greenock Prison, where she met her soul mate Alex Stewart (formerly murderer Alan Baker) the recently crowned 'Miss Fitness' www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3169178-Transgender-prisoner-living-as-woman-wins-jails-Miss-Fitness-competition-by-country-mile

Alex's tireless advocacy for transgender rights brought these two together www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3237471-Transgender-prisoners-in-Scotland-progress-report

"Despite their new female identities neither have had surgery, and fellow inmates complained that they felt intimidated around the pair because of their behaviour."

threads:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3242178-Transgender-killers-split-up-by-prison-chiefs

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3242264-Transgender-murders-in-Scottish-womens-prison

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3237471-Transgender-prisoners-in-Scotland-progress-report

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3337063-RESOURCE-THREAD-Transwomen-in-Women-s-Prisons

June 30th 2019 Sunday Times
'Feminists celebrate U‑turn on self‑identification in Scotland as women’s prisons review trans policy
Women’s rights activists hope the victory will trigger a rethink in England and Wales'
(extract)
"The Sunday Times has learnt that Scotland’s prison service, which already has a de facto self-identification policy, is to review it after a whistleblower said the tiny number of trans prisoners in Scotland’s female jails had been responsible for a “quite horrific” number of incidents towards women inmates, including threats of rape."
www.thetimes.co.uk/article/feminists-celebrate-u-turn-on-self-identification-in-scotland-as-women-s-prisons-review-trans-policy-gr3vtzwj9

James Morton claims that there has been plenty of robust public debate in Scotland in this Times article today:

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/e91df7e8-55b8-11ea-9f52-925d1cf654c9?shareToken=6c54e92296047ce1b36364f1e3e55511

Only trans people are allowed to speak on trans issues.

It's a classic case of identity politics. There is a mindless reverence these days of 'lived experience' above all else, including rigorous scientific analysis. Hence only trans people can speak on trans issues, only black people can speak on issues like racism, only 'people with autism' can speak about autism etc. You don't need any professional qualifications or a background of rigorous competence in your field of expertise to be able to contribute to the topic. Your 'lived experience' is all that matters.
Anyone else who has questions or concerns is exerting their 'disgusting privilege'.

Of course people's experiences should help inform public policy. It is important that experts and professionals work with various groups and all concerned parties when undertaking the research needed to generate guidelines that will be implemented. There should be a healthy balance and co-operation between the people who create public policies and the people who will be affected by the implementation of such policies. However, there should always be a spirit of critical thinking and analysis and also a willingness to examine how policies might have unintended effects on other groups, especially other vulnerable people.

Equality Impact Assessments were meant to be a tool to help in this task of conflicting rights and needs, and yet we've seen time and again that EQIAs are not being carried out or are done in a shoddy manner that completely defeats the purpose of it.

Policies and guidelines have been outsourced wholesale to these identity groups of 'lived experience' which results in certain activists and those with a personal and political agenda being able to push their amateur opinions and have undue influence in shaping institutions like schools and prisons.

It's why someone like JM, who as far as I can see has zero educational and professional qualifications in law or criminology or sociology, can generate guidelines for prisons that are all about trans prisoners and their feelings, and doesn't address the issues of female prisoners being affected by the implementation of such guidelines.
It's why groups like Mermaids push their amateur ideas in schools and are able to influence NHS services. (The CEO is / was an IT consultant I think?! And has a transgender child.... Is that the extent of her qualifications?)

These are the consequences of allowing identity politics to shape our decision making.

" part of the homeless scene"

Is that what abject poverty is nowadays? A SCENE?

I see this a lot in the trans community, whom I work with in a small capacity. Only trans people are allowed to speak on trans issues. If I say anything which is critical thinking then I am problematic and need to educate myself. Which I did. And now I am even more worried.

James is a professional trans person.

I'm not sure that is healthy - in the same way that some women get involved in the NCT and are still there when their own babies are 24 years old - sometimes a life event or illness or condition is the most interesting thing which has ever happened to you. And you make it your life. And, I'm just not sure that is a sensible thing for any person.

Schools, prisons... For someone who keeps their educational and professional qualifications under wraps, JM manages to get policies and guidance that JM has worked on accepted by all sorts of institutions without any questions asked.

There is (apparently) a review of the sex self-id policies in Scottish prisons.
The schools policies were withdrawn.
One wonders at what point questions will be asked about the due dilligence which was done in sub-contracting this work out.

Scottish Trans Alliance is a very small organisation with charitable status.
'Scottish Trans Alliance currently has two full-time members of staff: James Morton and Vic Valentine, and a number of diverse part-time and sessional workers and volunteers who assist us in our work. We are part of the Equality Network:'
www.scottishtrans.org/about-us/our-aims/

July 2019 Transgender Trend
'What does Scotland’s U-Turn on Transgender Schools Guidance Mean for England and Wales?'
(extract)
The Scottish government has taken the welcome step of having a rethink on many areas concerning changes to the GRA. The LGBT Youth transgender schools guidance has now been withdrawn in Scotland due to concerns about girls being excluded from their own toilets and changing-rooms. The Scottish government will produce their own guidance following consultation and a full Equalities Impact Assessment. Scotland is leading the way on action which must now also be taken by Westminster on the schools guidance used throughout England and Wales." (continues)
www.transgendertrend.com/scotland-u-turn-transgender-schools-guidance-england-and-wales/

analysis:
www.transgendertrend.com/scottish-transgender-schools-guidance-controversy-nothing-new/

Schools, prisons... For someone who keeps their educational and professional qualifications under wraps, JM manages to get policies and guidance that JM has worked on accepted by all sorts of institutions without any questions asked.

In the Holyrood interview linked upthread Morton explains:

“I dropped out of university at 19 because there was no protection back then and the way that a gay friend had been treated by other students was so horrific, I just felt I couldn’t transition there and really without going into too much detail, between the ages of 19 and 21, life was very difficult. I had really bad mental health, my relationship with my mum had broken down and I started my transition while I was part of the Edinburgh homeless scene.”

James appears to have only worked at the STA according to LinkedIn. No education history on there at all

Hmmm... I wonder what are JM's qualifications in terms of policy, sociology, psychology, law etc. On what grounds was JM the best person to author the Scottish Prisons Policy, I wonder?

Its an important question given that the Scottish government have paid Morton substantial sums of money over a long period to influence such complex pieces of public policy which impact children & Vulnerable Adults.

Im unsure as to James Morton's qualifications

Morton also played a key role in writing contraversial Scottish Schools' policy.

June 2018 BBC 'How should schools support transgender pupils?'
(extract)
"In the introduction to the guidance, James Morton of the Scottish Trans Alliance wrote: "Over the last few years, increasing visibility and inclusion of trans people means that more people are feeling confident to come out as trans at younger ages instead of keeping their gender identities hidden for decades in fear.

"Whilst it is great that young trans people are increasingly being accepted and supported by their friends and families, we know that some schools have struggled to keep up with the fast-paced changes in this area."

The guidance deals with a huge range of issues including how to help children who want to come out, beating bullying and the use of gender neutral language.

It also touches on issues such as social dancing, school uniform and PE.

The points made in the guidance include:

Allowing transgender pupils to choose which toilets and changing rooms they use.
Teachers are advised not to disclose information to parents or carers without a child's permission.
Critics have expressed concern about how putting the guidance into practice could affect other pupils - for instance the effect on girls if someone born with a male body starts to use their changing rooms."
www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-44601824

January 2019 Herald
30th January 2019
'Trans guidance for Scottish schools breaches 11 children's rights, campaigners warn'
(extract)
Controversial guidelines governing the inclusion of trans pupils in schools could breach as many as 15 articles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, according to a new campaign for women and girls.

Many councils and schools have adopted the guidelines, without assessing the impact on other pupils, according to the group Women and Girls in Scotland (WGiS).

The report comes ahead of a public meeting in Edinburgh tomorrow (Thursday) which is being held by ForWomen.Scot, another group calling for greater protection for the rights of women and girls.

The advice to schools, written by LGBT Youth and the Scottish Trans Alliance, states that trans pupils should share overnight accommodation on school trips with pupils based on their gender identity rather than their biological sex, and should be allowed to take part in sports, and use changing rooms and toilets based on the gender they identify as.

Any pupils who have concerns about this should be asked to wait and use facilities after a trans pupil has done so and "they should be reminded of the school's ethos of inclusion, equality and respect". There is no need to tell parents if their child is to share accommodation with a trans peer of the opposite sex, the guidance states.

However WGiS says note of these measures have been assessed for any impact on other pupils – particularly girls, which is a legal requirement under public sector equality duties." (continues)
www.heraldscotland.com/news/17393697.trans-guidance-for-scottish-schools-breaches-11-childrens-rights-campaigners-warn/

Hmmm... I wonder what are JM's qualifications in terms of policy, sociology, psychology, law etc. On what grounds was JM the best person to author the Scottish Prisons Policy, I wonder?

Westminster
Women and Equalities Committee Trans Enquiry
Tuesday 13 October 2015

Witnesses: Peter Dunne, Visiting Researcher, New York University Law School, Karen Harvey, Chair, a:gender, James Morton, Manager, Scottish Transgender Alliance, and Ashley Reed, initiator of online petition on gender self-definition

parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/4e7f52c6-1357-43f8-98c0-af160b156b40

Peter Dunne contributed the recent paper to Scottish GRA which drew parallels with the impact on females in changing spaces between the presence women who'd had mastectomies for cancer treatment & males who identify as women
www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/5149172/snp-breast-cancer-patients-id-row-mastectomies/
thread:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3788251-Scottish-GRA-consultation

Who funds Scottish trans alliance and for how much ?

Transseminars, Retheorising Gender and Sexuality: an ESRC seminar series:
(2012?)
James Morton
Help or Harm? Trans people’s experiences of health services and the impact on their mental health
Biography

James is the Scottish Transgender Alliance Coordinator. Since 2007 his national post has been funded by the Scottish Government to provide the Scottish public and voluntary sectors with training and policy development guidance on transgender equality and human rights. He has worked collaboratively with a wide range of academics, voluntary sector organisations and public bodies in Scotland, the UK and Europe to evidence transgender experiences of gender inequalities.

The most recent and outstanding work by James is his contribution to the Trans Mental Health Study 2012, which he co-authored with Jay McNeil, Louis Bailey, Sonja Ellis and Maeve Regan. This research represents the largest survey of its kind in Europe, providing ground-breaking data on trans people’s mental health needs and experiences, explored in the context of daily life, social/support mechanisms and when accessing healthcare and mental health services. Central to the study was an exploration of how the process of transitioning (social and/or medical) impacts mental health and wellbeing. The research was unique in its exploration of both the positive and negative impact that being trans has on mental health and wellbeing."
transseminars.com/resources/trans-genealogies/james-morton/

STILLTish article, Spetember 2019:

'Ministry of Justice: Updated Policy on caring for Transgender Prisoners.'

(extract)
"The policy exposes how far the, legally protected, characteristic of sex has been eroded, by allowing anyone, regardless of biology, to declare they are a woman. The prison system is illustrative of just how far Gender Identity ideology is embedded within our legislature and enshrined in public policy.

Below is a quote 👇 from James Morton, of the Scottish Trans Alliance, which shows that Female prisoners are the subjects of a dangerous laboratory experiment. James is listed as an author of the Scottish Prisons Policy which deals with Transgender Prisoners. As James is a lobbyist for Trans Rights there is only one group at the forefront of the policy. Spoiler. Its not Women.

‘We strategized – we strategized – that by working intensively with the Scottish Prison Service to support them to include trans women as women on a self-declaration basis within very challenging circumstances, we would be able to ensure that all other public services should be able to do likewise’.

The above quote is illustrative of a complete disregard for the female prison population; one of the most vulnerable groups in our society. Domestic violence refuges, rape crisis centres and female prisons do seem to figure prominently in the targeted locations. Captive females are being targeted for this new branch of Men’s rights activism." (continues)
gendercriticalwoman.wordpress.com/2019/09/19/ministry-of-justice-new-policy-on-caring-for-transgender-prisoners/

Who funds Scottish trans alliance and for how much ?

I'd be surprised if JM has managed to fit in more that 4 hrs kip at any point in the past 5 years, what with all that misinformation to disseminate & lobbying to be done. No chance of anything inconvenient like a conscience to keep JM awake at night.

Wasn’t me tbh boom it was rowan

This thread is really really worth a read.
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3398737-We-re-Still-Here-Conference-8th-September-A-report-from-the-inside

2013 Unison guide by James Morton
'Gender identity
An introductory guide for trade union reps
supporting trans members'
www.unison.org.uk/content/uploads/2013/11/On-line-Catalogue219163.pdf

2017 updated version
www.unison.org.uk/content/uploads/2017/06/23488.pdf

(UNISON is the UK's largest public service trade union)

I shall have to read that in the morning OldCrone as if I read it now I suspect it will make me too angry to sleep.

It would be too outing to specify the context in which I heard the statistic quoted, but suffice to say whilst everyone else shook their heads and tutted, I smelled bullshit.

More

James Morton talked about how they can get rid of “gender” markers on things like IT systems and places where it isn’t relevant- apparently GDPR might be able to help them here.

JM’s campaigning tips were to gain trust in the local community- and to approach moderate feminists, “correct misconceptions and forgive any ignorance they may have displayed”. They want to gain trust and make themselves likeable.

Apparently small acts like helping to campaign about period poverty or retweeting the local branch of Women’s Aid will make a difference and result in some reciprocation. They want to make it look like they care about Women's issues so they don’t appear threatening

Oh right so from that link up above this is wha5 Morton said pasted below

James Morton gave some insight into tactics the TRAs will probably start using in England and Wales as they were successful in Scotland.

He said the TRAs need to build allies in mainstream women and children’s organisations so it looks like they care about them.

He also said what worked in Scotland's was a “constructive, friendly, innocent” tone when debating or in dialogue with the GC side. To be mindful about who is watching- essentially like what we do with the lurkers on the FWR board. To make the TRAs look like the reasonable side.

James also said that in dialect with elected officials, to clarify that the trans side aren’t silencing anyone but want to clarify the misconceptions being bandied around by GC feminists.

The Scottish GRA changes will probably be put forward in the 2019-2020 parliamentary year.