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Original poster

Scottish Women. Write to your representatives

36 replies

ArabellaScott · 24/01/2023 16:08

www.writetothem.com/

Ask them how transwomen are not the problem.

Ask them why Isla Bryson is in a woman's prison.

Ask them why his victims had to call him 'she'.

Ask them what they they are doing.

Remain polite. Channel your anger into productive use. For his victims and the women in prison with him tonight.

Scottish Women. Write to your representatives
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littlbrowndog · 27/01/2023 20:58

the sex offender helped shaped that policy for Scottish prisions

Scottish Women. Write to your representatives
littlbrowndog · 27/01/2023 20:53

Will do again arabella

Waitwhat23 · 27/01/2023 20:47

The only reply I've yet received from my 7 list MSP's -

Thank you for emailing me on this important topic. People are right to be outraged by this.

Scottish Labour believes the safety of women and women prisoners is the paramount concern. Women prisoners are a vulnerable group who have often been subjected to violence and sexual abuse including rape. Often they are in prison for less serious crimes than men and for different types of offences. It is completely unacceptable that rapists are incarcerated in women’s prisons.

The Scottish Prison Service needs to review the risks to women in prisons. It is also of course correct to consider the duty of care towards individuals convicted of rape. However this does not mean that a rapist should be housed in a woman’s prison.

The Scottish Government set its policy relating to trans prisoners in 2014 and has been reviewing that policy for a number of years. Labour has been calling for that review to be fast-tracked. The voices of women in prisons, including women who have served time in prison and those working in the prison sector, need to be heard. Updated guidance must be issued urgently to give these institutions confidence in their ability to deal with those with gender reassignment appropriately and to exclude rapists from women’s prisons in accordance with the Equality Act.

It is very welcome that the First Minister has now said rapists should not be housed on the women’s estate. She needs to change the policy, which was set in 2014, and to bring forward guidance as a matter of urgency to make sure a rapist is not placed in the women’s estate again.

Thank you for taking the time to contact me.

IcakethereforeIam · 27/01/2023 00:03

I'm not Scottish but I thought this might need a bump for any new visitors.

Waitwhat23 · 25/01/2023 20:44

I was very careful to not mention the GRR Bill or GRC's - I focused purely on the SPS's self id policy currently in place. I'm sure I'll still get the cut and paste 'GRC blah blah blah' as I don't think they've got an answer to why the SPS have just been allowed to do whatever the fuck they like.

Original poster
ArabellaScott · 25/01/2023 20:38

For what it's worth, I didn't mention GRCs at any point. I just asked what the fuck a rapist was doing in a women's prison. Or words to that effect.

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Original poster
ArabellaScott · 25/01/2023 20:37

SNP MSP:

'It’s up to the Scottish Prison Service to allocate prisoners, their policy is to respect gender identities subject to risk assessment.
There’s no requirement to have a GRC to be recognised as your acquired gender by the SPS.'

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Original poster
ArabellaScott · 25/01/2023 20:36

Reply from a Conservative MSP:

'Adam Graham, who now goes by the name Isla Byrson, was convicted on Tuesday of two counts of rape and is set to be sent to the women’s prison HMP Corton Vale.

Our amendments to the Gender Recognition Bill would have prevented sex offenders from obtaining a Gender Recognition Certificate but they were voted down by other parties, which has left the system open to abuse from male sexual predators. Rape is a crime that can only be committed by men and our justice system must recognise that.

The SNP, Greens and Liberal Democrats blocked the introduction of vital safeguards on Nicola Sturgeon’s Bill. If this trans rapist is sent to a women’s prison, the vast majority of the public will find this utterly indefensible.'

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Original poster
ArabellaScott · 25/01/2023 20:36

Reply from a Green MSP:

'The Scottish Prisons Policy in relation to gender identity and gender reassignment has been in place since 2014 – 10 years after the adoption of the current gender recognition certificate process and 4 years after the implementation of the Equality Act. The policy is available online here: www.sps.gov.uk/nmsruntime/saveasdialog.aspx?fileName=SPSGenderIdentityandGenderReassignmentPolicy20142562_1392.pdf

As you can see it does not use Gender Recognition Certificates (6.4) for accommodation decisions.

Placement decisions are taken on a case-by-case basis by the Scottish Prison Service and are rightly not subject to political influence. The decision-making process is generally based on social transition and risk assessment. A GRC does not now - and would not, even were the Gender Recognition Reform Bill be adopted - confer any rights to placement.

The Scottish Greens support a wholesale review of our justice system and our manifesto committed us to supporting the work of the expert group established to examine how the criminal justice system deals with misogyny.

We also support reform of the criminal justice system so that it better works for survivors and will create a Victims Commissioner for Scotland to represent the interests of victims and to drive improvements and innovation in the justice system'

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Blister · 25/01/2023 19:47

Maybe they need reminding that they voted to leave this in the hands of the Scottish prison service instead of showing true leadership.

Waitwhat23 · 25/01/2023 17:58

Should we also write to Keith Brown as Cabinet Secretary for Justice? I'm not entirely sure how it works in terms of contacting MSP's who hold a specific role.

Original poster
ArabellaScott · 25/01/2023 11:44

Mood.

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Original poster
ArabellaScott · 25/01/2023 09:18

Female.

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nilsmousehammer · 25/01/2023 09:18

"I support a party that put a sex offender who preys specifically on women in a women's prison, and it's nothing to do with me".

So sick of people loving the piety and feelz of their virtue and identifying out of taking responsibility for the harm they do.

Endpress · 25/01/2023 09:15

That’s shocking Arabella. Who do these eedjits think they’re supposed to be representing? Is that a male or female msp?

Original poster
ArabellaScott · 25/01/2023 09:12

My SNP MSP says this is all up to the Scottish Prison Service and there's nothing they can do about it, nothing to do with them.

Washing their hands of it suddenly.

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Original poster
ArabellaScott · 25/01/2023 09:12

Yes, just make noise.

This whole shitshow needs to be exposed in every country that has ever considered creating laws that remove or undermine women's rights. Make noise on behalf of the women at risk, but also to protect your own rights - if your country doesn't have self ID yet it is quite likely to have the risk of it on the horizon.

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Panicmode1 · 25/01/2023 08:08

Is there any point writing if we aren't in Scotland?
(I'm SO beyond angry about all of this madness. The complete disregard for women and their rights and feelings - particularly when the TRAs, who in all of the pictures of protests appear to be almost exclusively white male incels/activists - bang on about being the 'most vulnerable'. How is a woman in prison less vulnerable than a male rapist locked in a cell with her?!)

SecretSophie · 25/01/2023 08:04
  • I won't give up.
SecretSophie · 25/01/2023 08:03

I've written the my MSP. Unlikely to be interested in women's views, he's SNP, but he's won't give up.

Holdmypint · 25/01/2023 07:40

I will write to mine. So, so angry about this.

Endpress · 25/01/2023 07:26

I’ve heard from our Msp already. Not gaslit.

Original poster
ArabellaScott · 24/01/2023 21:09

I will not walk away.

And I will not wheesht.

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MiladeeBeserko · 24/01/2023 20:45

Is there a central point where we can record our efforts?

I have written many emails, with no response, and despicable responses.

nilsmousehammer · 24/01/2023 20:40

This also needs adding to the other events this week.

Politicians in Scotland enabled this sex offender to be sent to a women's prison today.

On Saturday they stood smiling under banners about killing women, eating them, and raping the PM.

Last week a well known TRA MP openly intimidated a woman MP in the HoC, on tv, for having the temerity to politely state views he didn't share.

Where the actual fuck are the standards, consequences, basic sense of responsibility and accountability for these people paid from the public purse?

This is the Dominic Cummings/Boris Johnson school of politics. Act as shamefully as you like, look them in the eye and shrug, and carry on. (And if you're Nicola Sturgeon, just deny the bits of reality you don't like don't exist.) Until baffled, your critics give up and walk away.

The walking away has to stop now.