URGENTLY calling all Scottish gender critical Mumsnetters

[Badgerthebodger]

Apologies for the essay below:

We desperately need you to contact your MSP re the bill which was passed today. There is a great explanation of the situation here from Dr Nic Williams of Fair Play for Women

In a nutshell, the Scottish government have now redefined the legal meaning of the word "woman". It has now been expanded to include:
"A person who has the protected characteristic of gender reassignment...if, and only if, the person is living as a woman, and is proposing to undergo, is undergoing, or has undergone a process, or part of a process, for the purpose of becoming female

They have passed this bill in anticipation of changes to gender recognition law in Scotland. That's the law that hasn't been passed, indeed the law which has only just concluded it's consultation period.

We urgently need people to write to their MSPs, or better still meet them, to register your protest against this bill and the lack of consultation. Even the Equality and Human Rights Commission have raised questions about the bill - they have been ignored.

Why should the Scottish government get to redefine the word woman without so much as a by our leave? Why do they think we should accept men as part of our sex class? Why do they constantly conflate sex with gender, mixing them up so nothing is clear anymore? Just exactly what happened in Scottish government to make them think the beliefs of a tiny minority should influence policy?

Please, please please please, make your voice heard. Write to your MSP, tell your friends to do the same, meet your MSP and tell them that you do not accept this. I can help with letters if anyone needs any pointers but the strongest way to object is to write a personal letter telling your MSP exactly what you think.

TL, DR: Please write to your MSP re today's bill to register your protest

I will but have a busy couple of days at work so this will be a weekend job to give time to think about my wording

Can I have a PM please @Badgerthebodger ?

I've been reading about all of this on here with increasing horror but so far haven't done anything about it that would "out" me as gender critical (apart from the occasional rant at DH). This is getting ridiculous though. I have a Tory MSP. Does anyone know their official stance on this?

Apologies if it’s been answered/asked already, but does the text also refer to “becoming male” in the same way?

No because the alleged purpose of the bill is purely to increase the number of women on a board. Men and the definition of men are not mentioned once as far as I can see

www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/Bills/105197.aspx

Very bottom of the link

This is outrageous. I will join in any action required.

I'd like the PM badger, but I only have access to the app and don't know how to access PMs from there.

No because the alleged purpose of the bill is purely to increase the number of women on a board.

This is just crazy. Will the men on boards have to take turns in identifying as women to make up the numbers?

Can somebody clarify this for me?

This bill is
“Gender representation objective

(1)The “gender representation objective” for a public board is that it has 50% of non-executive members who are women.”

And

“”woman” includes a person who has the protected characteristic of gender reassignment (within the meaning of section 7 of the Equality Act 2010) if, and only if, the person is living as a woman and is proposing to undergo, is undergoing or has undergone a process (or part of a process) for the purpose of becoming female.”

Does this mean that this is already the definition of a woman under the Equality Act 2010?

I don't know the process for Holyrood to pass legislation, but if the bill has received Royal Assent (or equivalent?) and become an act then the horse has bolted, as amendments could only be made with a new bill....

I am writing to all my list and my constituency MSPs about this today. I have already written to my MP but had no response. This is getting ridiculous

So the women's 50% of public boards contains women and men who live as women BUT excludes TIFs (as they don't live as women).

And the men's 50% of public boards only contains men, as the definition of men has not been changed.

Isn't this transphobic? TIFs have been excluded altogether.

@Badgerthebodger
Thank you for PM thought I would ask this here to reduce duplication

Should we be sending different letters to our msps or one (unique to us) letter copied to all?

This was posted on the Scottish GRA thread

It seems that they have made a hierarchy of protected characteristics - if a man has another protected characteristic he might be given the position in preference to a woman. I think this means that both transwomen and transmen rank above actual women, since the transman would have the protected characteristic of gender reassignment.

From here: twitter.com/Scottish_Women/status/976215654012456960

may I have a pm too Badger
metaphorically rolling up sleeves

Different letters please Waddle the more personalised the better

It is a bit stable door after horse but it’s worth saying we don’t agree anyway. It’s specifically been passed ahead of changes to gender recognition law - that same one that they’ve only just finished consultation on and haven’t responded to yet. I find it infuriating they are treating that as a done deal

Could I have a template too, please?

Anyone want a meet up in Glasgow to discuss? PM me if interested

I have e-mailed Donald Cameron (Conservative - Highland list MSP) and the only one of my list MSPs who replied to an earlier communication on the topic. Also Katie Forbes (SNP - my constituency). I will now have to name change but have cut and pasted some stuff from here and added my own stuff.

Can I have a template letter
Please?

I have no hope of getting MSPs to listen as it’s all SNP, Labour & Green

If this is just at bill stage then lobbying is all we can do but if it passes we can request a judicial review and take the issue of definitions to court.

Rights that Colin Beattie, Jeremy Balfour, Miles Briggs, Kezia Dugdale, Neil Findlay, Alison Johnstone, Gordon Lindhurst and Andy Wightman all emailed

Teabag that's interesting what you say about a judicial review. How would we get that to happen?

Thanks all of you for doing this, we must make our voices heard

This is very scary. Improve representation of women by....???

Can I have a letter please.

Can I get template letter too?

Thanks.