Urgent action for those in Scotland

This is helpful:

murrayblackburnmackenzie.org/2020/12/07/sex-and-gender-in-the-forensic-medical-services-bill/

I'm just so upset by this. It really shows that there are absolutely no limits to how women and young girls will be sacrificed. I feel so hopeless about Scotland's future, and I hate being a mother of girls at the moment.

I've just received exactly the same email from someone working for Mark Ruskell - another Scottish Green - so it's obviously their set response. I'm totally gutted by these people - I looked into joining the Greens recently, as I'm politically homeless - and it's only this issue that has made me decide not to support them. I responded too:

"I have looked at this issue in detail, and have a good understanding of it.

Could I please ask you to read this short document, which clearly explains the issue:

murrayblackburnmackenzie.org/2020/12/07/sex-and-gender-in-the-forensic-medical-services-bill/

The point here is that a woman who has been raped should have the right to request to be examined by a female, where a choice is available.

As currently drafted, the bill will allow her to request to see someone of a particular gender. The Scottish government has made it very clear that its interpretation of the female gender includes males who identify as women. This means that a woman who has just been raped (this may be just a few hours after the rape), could request to be examined by a woman, and be required to accept an intimate medical examination by a male who identifies as a woman. Despite a female medical examiner being available.

If the words"sex" and "gender" mean the same thing - why are the government insisting on using "gender" and not "sex"? Why are they putting the feelings of a small number of males who identify as women and who would, worryingly, like to have the job of carrying out intimate examinations of traumatised women, before the very strong feelings of women who have just been raped? How can this advance the purpose of the legislation - to encourage women who have been sexually assaulted to seek medical treatment and to provide evidence for a possible criminal prosecution, and as soon after the attack as possible?

Please represent your constituents - 50% of whom are women who are at risk of rape - and do what needs to be done to advance the purpose of this legislation, rather than voting on the basis of ideology. Please do not let us down on this. I have teenage daughters - I am absolutely shocked by what is happening here. Why are Scotland's girls and women being sacrificed like this?"

I don't understand the red herring.

I would expect that not changing "gender" to "sex" could have extremely bad knock-on effects on the availability of female examiners. Won't it mean that they have to apply "gender" instead of "sex" as a criterion in recruitment?

How many forensic medical examiners are there in Scotland? If they recruit even one TW for a role that needs a woman they're making the whole situation for victims worse, not better.

If the effect of voting for the amendment is "non-existent" why would it hurt to vote for it?

My thoughts too. I received exactly the same reply from Mark Ruskell

Got another reply from another Conservative list MSP, again saying they will support the amendment.

No surprise about Patrick Harvie's reply, I like your response, terryleather.

I've only just seen this, so I hope I am not too late. But I have written to my regional MSPs (no SNP amongst them, though two Greens), and my SNP MSP, so we'll see.

Thanks to PP for recommending Write To Them. What a useful resource!

So what he's saying is that the only way to ensure more women medical examiners is to change the definition of 'women' to include men?

I see.

Thank you for your email regarding an amendment to the Forensic Medical Services Bill lodged by Johann Lamont, to be debated on Thursday.

I have discussed this amendment with colleagues and with relevant organisations such as Rape Crisis Scotland, who have strongly advised that it should not be supported. They are of the view that the legal effect of the amendment, if it was passed, would be non-existent. However they are also clear in their view that the problem which needs to be addressed is the lack of women recruited to carry out medical examinations covered by the Bill.

Rape Crisis Scotland recently set out their views on this amendment in this article:
https://www.scotsman.com/news/opinion/columnists/forensic-medical-services-bill-important-step-forward-treatment-rape-survivors-scotland-gender-row-misses-point-sandy-brindley-30615433_

The original legislation which the new Bill related to was passed in 2014. By 2017 women were around 30% of the available forensic medical examiners, and this figure has risen to around 60%. However this needs to continue to rise if we are to ensure that survivors of sexual assault who make a request can be seen by a woman examiner, without delay. Making a single word change to the legislation about the request will not solve this problem, and appears to be motivated by views on other issues.

There has also been a certain amount of inaccurate information circulating about this amendment. I have received emails from people who are under the impression that it is an amendment to the Gender Recognition Act, and from those who appear to have been told that passing it would give survivors of sexual assault the right to be seen by a medical examiner of their choice. Neither of these claims is true.

I share the Government's desire to ensure that survivors of sexual assault can have forensic medical examination carried out by a women if this is their preference, but the only way to achieve this is to continue to increase the recruitment of women to this role, as Rape Crisis has made clear.

Yours sincerely,

Patrick Harvie MSP

This was my reply.

What is a woman Patrick?

If the effect of voting for the amendment is "non-existent" why would it hurt to vote for it?

But then it's pretty obvious that he's the witch sniffer and could smell the horror of terf from my email, I would expect nothing less

twitter.com/campervanwoman/status/1336635685076398082?s=19

Now Rape Crisis are saying if "sex" is used it might confuse women into believing they are guaranteed a female doctor...

Unsurprisingly my Green was a no, and sent a lengthy and patronising email about how I misunderstand the purpose of the amendment, and that it was nothing to do with the GRA (the GRA was not mentioned in my email). Also chucked in a snide comment about how I was motivated by views on other issues.

I've had a reply from the fudmeister.

I didn't think his reply could affect me, as I know he won't support the amendment. But I'm fucking livid now.

I’ve emailed all of mine and had one quick positive response from a conservative one.

Positive reply from one of my list Conservative MSPs - they will be supporting the amendment. Will be interested in hearing what my Labour MSP says. I wrote to him a few years ago, and he was utterly dismissive of my concerns.

I've no advancement on 2 replies, both Labour & both supporting the amendment.

I've got SNP, Tory, LibDem & greens. I know the Tories are saying they'll all vote for it, but the rest I'll be watching to see how they vote given they've not been arsed to reply.

I presume I'm on the 'irritating women ' list, Nonny.

Two replies here this morning. One from my Tory list MSP, assuring me that he will vote for the amendment and deploring the SNP record on justice.

The other from my constituency SNP MSP saying that he will keep my comments in mind. Which is better than a total nope.

Wow you must be on the naughty list ArabellaScott!

I've only had one actual reply. I seem to be routinely ignored by SNP and Greens.

Zero replies for me.

So it looks like any positive replies so far have come from either Labour or Conservative MSPs...

So far only one Tory has replied (saying he supports the amendment).

We all know who this is about. Don't we. That prostate-haver (to use the permitted term) who works in the women's rape crisis centre and fancies themself as an SNP MSP via the All Women Shortlist.

I decided then that even if the ship went down I couldn't live with myself if I didn't try to do something to stop it, no matter how small and insignificant. If that means my MSPs get sick of seeing my name so be it
Yes I decided this is the only way I will be able to look my daughters in the eye!

I have a positive reply from my Labour MSP yay!

And it's not missing the point, if the bill uses gender then examiners will also necessarily use gender. This means those much needed female examiners will actually be identifies-as-a-woman examiners. And because it all uses gender not sex the sex based exemptions will not be able to used and refusing an intimate examination from a TW will probably be a hate crime too

a development which would exclude trans women doctors from carrying out forensic examinations

Yes, indeed, I wish to exclude transwomen doctors from carrying out examinations when traumatised women have specifically and explicitly requested a female. You disingenuous finks.

The CEO of Rape Crisis Scotland has written in the Scotsman:

www.scotsman.com/news/opinion/columnists/forensic-medical-services-bill-important-step-forward-treatment-rape-survivors-scotland-gender-row-misses-point-sandy-brindley-3061543

Johann Lamont MSP has this week lodged an amendment to the bill, to change the reference from “gender” to “sex”. It is not clear what she is trying to achieve with this – some commentators see this as a development which would exclude trans women doctors from carrying out forensic examinations.

If this is the intent of the amendment, it will not achieve this. No concerns about the use of the term gender were raised when the original bill was passed by the Scottish Parliament in December 2013; the terms sex and gender are often used interchangeably. Replacing one word with another will have no impact on the availability of female doctors.

The amendment misses the point – the key issue facing women in Scotland accessing forensic examinations is not transwomen carrying out these examinations. As far as we know there are no trans examiners in Scotland.

I am so, so disappointed in them.