Gender Recognition Reform - Bill at Holyrood

[ArabellaScott]

This Bill goes to parliament for discussion on Tuesday.

If you'd like to write to your MSPs to raise the issue of women's rights and/or children's rights, here are some useful ideas for points to raise/form letters:

forwomen.scot/08/10/2022/gender-recognition-reform-bill-stage-1-action/

To find your MSPs:

www.writetothem.com/

Bumping for tomorrow!

Have emailed all MSPs - no response from constituency MSP ( SNP), mixed response from Labour but Conservatives all replied promptly saying would be asking questions/ challenging

Beyond furious that this vote went through. Just hoping there will be sensible amendments.

It all helps, readsalot. Even if they don't respond, it lets them know that women care. They won't be able to say nobody warned them or raised concerns.

And yes, Rainbowshit. I'm actually hopeful about some of the things Labour suggested - namely, upholding and giving the single sex exemptions 'primacy' over gender.

If they follow through on that it could change everything.

I'm horrified by the fact this has passed the first stage because of support from Labour and the Lib Dems, but pleasantly surprised that so many SNP MSPs rebelled, choosing to vote against or not support it. So many in fact that Nicola dare not kick them out as she'd lose her majority, which should embolden even more in subsequent rounds.

I didn't watch the debate - what amendments were proposed by labour (or anyone else)? As an absolute bare minimum we need the Sex/gender conflation clarified and single sex spaces and sports categories etc. protected. I see Rishi Sunak is promising to do just this. Is there any suggestion that this act could be amended to make clear that gender is not sex, and thus females MUST be allowed to retain spaces free from males?

Maybe I've just been beaten down by it all, but if we must 'compromise' (and it seems that we'll be forced to, because no one in the SG seems to give a shit about women's voices and I'll never forgive them for that) then safety is where my line is. I do find it offensive when some transpeople claim that clothes/makeup and all the other stereotypes I've spent my adult life trying to escape define them as 'women', but if the difference between sex and gender is understood in law and respected then at least I can have a bit more confidence that we'll be safer going forward.

If you are Edinburgh tomorrow Scottish Labour Party have a stall at Raeburn Place, Stockbridge from 11-1 o’clock. Go & tell them how

You feel about Labour’s attitude towards women, children & safeguarding

The response from the Labour list msp was that they wanted to make the process easier but that they would be asking for amendments to the bill and final decision on voting would depend on whether or not amendments/safeguards were added.

I think the vote yesterday is the start of the process so it ahs some way to go and the rebellion is significant.

The response (finally) from the constituency msp ( SNP) was actually less stridently toeing the party line than previous communications from her so perhaps the volume and tone of emails etc is beginning to have an effect.

I do think the best thing is to email all msps and express concerns and point to polling which indicates the general public are not in favour of this legislation.

I have used the templates provided by ForWomenScotland

they would be asking for amendments to the bill and final decision on voting would depend on whether or not amendments/safeguards were added

Well. We will all be watching very fucking closely to see how those amendments shape up.

Can I suggest that if you are writing/emailing to the MSPs please use your own words, use the templates as guidance.
I spoke to one of the labour crowd today & she said that it tends to be easier for politicians to ignore if all the letters & emails are the same.,
Write to the Labour leader in Scotland directly, same with Starmer they must hear what women have to say about this.

I made the point to them that if this goes to court, women will have to crowd fund again, if the Scottish government loses as they have before, then they will have to pay costs, the tax payers will have to foot the bill so women will be paying twice!!! Hardly a good use of money & bad governance

Ask your MSPs, especially Labour, how they plan to protect women's spaces. They voted it through and said they would propose amendments to ensure the legislation does not impact on the Equality Act. Yet Pam Duncan Glancy said she believed a GRC would change sex for all legal purposes, including the Equality Act.

If Pam is right then that is the end of women only spaces. Regardless of the Equality Act.

Also ask them if they plan to still vote for the Bill at the next stage even if amendments such as preserving powers of the Equality Act or increasing the minimum age to 18 are not made.

Iain McWhirter:

iainmacwhirter.substack.com/p/does-nicola-sturgeon-believe-transwomen

'the First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, has decided to make transgender self-identification - a kind of auto-enrolment for people who want to change sex - the defining moral crusade of her late career.'
...
'but the trans activists loudly celebrating the bill are surely being sold a pup. Ms Sturgeon is a trained lawyer; she knows that she is not implementing the gospel according to Stonewall. When she says transwomen are women she is being disingenuous because she accepts that legally they aren't.'

Barrhead Boy:

www.barrheadboy.com/a-moment-in-time/

'The new English Home Secretary, Suella Braverman is already on record as saying she will strike down the GRR by means of the Internal Market Bill. She rightly believes the Scottish GRR goes against the Equality Act UK 2010 and therefore is detrimental to the rest of the Union. She has the powers to act, and it seems she will.

This could result in years of protracted legal wrangling between the two jurisdictions. The costs will be massive, and the outcome is likely to favour the imperial power in London. This was all so avoidable and has been a disaster from the moment Ms Sturgeon decided this was her latest bandwagon. In times of such austerity and financial pain, it is also a terrible waste of finances that could be used elsewhere to alleviate a lot of suffering by Scottish voters.'

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/out-of-touch-first-minister-blindsided-by-the-rebel-msps-t63bqtp60

MSPs have only 10 days to propose amendments to this Bill - really important to contact your MSPs as soon as you can. Do they understand what they're voting for here? Will it make workable law? How will they protect single sex spaces?

Bumping this thread, please take action by emailing/ writing to your MSPs & MPs.

Thanks for keeping highlighting here and the other place, will get writing and maybe this time I will get a response and as advised will use the FirWonebScotland template as a starter on the key points I wish to raise.

Was feeling quite despondent but it’s not over yet!

I've written to all my MSPs and will see who if anyone responds. I'm beyond hope that it can be stopped at this point which is really depressing, but have tried to make arguments for amendments that will at least safeguard women and children a little more if adopted. I'm hoping that the negative publicity and the fact that SNP backbenchers are willing to defy the whip on this (clearly a surprise to herself too!) we might see some movement away from extreme trans ideology and towards common sense. If nothing else I've added my voice to those who are unhappy making it harder to pretend that everyone supports this.

There's a UK government petition here asking that the UK government make clear that 'Sex' in the Equality act refers to biological sex and not sex as modified by a GRC. Confusion on the definition of 'Sex' is a significant cause of the conflicts over trans-rights, with a disturbing number of people who probably should know better genuinely believing that it is possible for a person to change sex. Clarifying that a person with a GRC still doesn't qualify as the opposite sex under the act solves a lot of the safety concerns in terms of women-only spaces. Rishi Sunak has already indicated that he's prepared to do this, but getting the petition to 100k signatures means the Government will have to respond to this relatively quickly. As the Equality Act is (I think) a reserved matter and supersedes any Scottish legislation in conflict with it, this could well be the only means by which Scottish women get protection if the SNP get their way and allow anyone to identify their way into women's spaces.

Signed and shared the petition

Signed & shared the petition.
Rachael Hamilton spoke up again today in Parliament about the amendments. It’s on her Twitter. She is excellent on this, as is Tess White & Pam Gosal

Done ✔️

Petitions' being linked over on AIBU now too

Thank you! Please retweet it if you can , we need to get as many people as possible to sign this.

Well so much for the amendments...empty assurances from Labour, lies from SNP/Greens, a farce & travesty.
Just remember who sold the rights of women and children in Scotland to Stonewall & Mermaids when it comes to the ballot box.