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

Charlie - storming stuff you wrote there

As a fellow middle class white mum with similar roots I am equally annoyed!

@fascinated Funnily enough I started with neither of those points but a variation of d): I asked him to explain to me what makes Eddie Izzard a worthier woman than me.

I’m sure you got the message across very eloquently

I really think it is misguided and naive thinking rather than malice. A failure to see unintended consequences. So we need to point them out. I will fire off a few emails myself. I have already challenged the schools guidelines (blank looks in response).

@fascinated Well, it was a bit funny tbh. And you are right in what you're thinking.

Let’s just hope there is time still

Can I ask for a bit of wisdom from other Scottish MNetters? I've been researching my area MSP to try and gauge who I'm approaching & what their previous voting & committee involvement has been so I can pitch my letter/email appropriately. What's confusing me is the constituent MSP & then the regional MSP - do we write to both? If it's the regional MSP, how do you know which one is relevant to your area? One of mine is the MSP quoted as saying that legislation shouldn't benefit "middle class white women" so I am trying to find out if she's who I should be writing to, or if any on the MSPs for that region is appropriate 'target'.

I've also been reading up on lots of meetings/links to LGBT committees & there are a number of MSPs listed as having attended these committees so I'd advise others to have a look at those as well as it covers some of what's been discussed about the consultation and what's been said. The minutes for the one meeting published actually says that there is a "small minority of anti-trans Scottish feminists" who would likely object to the consultation proposals - so it's minuted in an LGBT committee meeting that Scottish feminists are not pro-women & girls but anti-trans.

Thanks

Could i have the template please?

Here here Charlie - why don’t these articles make the Daily Mail with such gusto?

Yes a template would be good.

PlectrumElectrum every day brings more indicators that Scotland is becoming authoritarian. I am actually wondering if I can complain to my MSP or not. I manage a small, new third sector organisation in the same constituency as I live. The only funding I have at the moment is from Scottish Government. And msp is SNP. I am really worried that if I raise my head above parapet this could have repercussions for work. I was part of a group who met Scot government civil servants about the consultation on GRA. I wonder if we are the group of anti trans feminists referred to. I really don’t like what this country is becoming. All lib/left spout mantras, don’t engage in critical thinking, shut down debate and erase women.

PlectrumElectrum
I find this confusing too. I decided to write to both. Please can you tell me how you found the minutes you mention ta

Link here to minutes of LGBT cross party meetings.

And this links to information published about the bill which has the amendment added which changes the working definition of women

It's a bit trick to navigate the Scottish Parliament website but there's lots more there I'm sure I've not yet come across.

Interestingly there is reference to the Tie campaign in schools & ive been reading up on that too. This links to their website

They've published their campaign information based on a survey they carried out & based a lot of their information on analysis of the stats from their small survey. It's not as transgender focussed as the LGBT Youth Scotland guidance that's been endorsed by just about every LA in Scotland. I found out they were in my DD's school recently, just after I read about them in the LGBT meeting minutes above so wanted to know more about what they were about/what they were saying. They do appear a lot more broad in terms of their focus & not 'evangelical'.

TIE does seem v white and male though.

Yes it is, and again that seems to be acceptable whenever we're talking about LGBT issues doesn't it? Reading their campaign stuff they do include a lot more L & G & Bi voices but you are right.

I think the “not speaking out due to fear of losing funding” angle could be fruitful

Could someone get a sympathetic journalist to look into this and do an investigative piece ?

Oh lordy just checked the voting and Ruthie voted for. WTF

Unless I am misreading it on a small mobile screen Ruth Davidson voted against as the other Conservatives did as they usually don't support promotion of quotas.

You're right lass - I misread the very small print.

@PlectrumElectrum

The normal advice is to only contact one of your MSPs if it's for assistance in dealing with a personal problem or a local matter as this prevents duplicate action being taken. But since we're talking about a legislative change in which each of your MSPs will have a vote in parliament you should be able to discuss it with all of them.

I know it's a lot of email writing but please contact your constituency MSP and all 7 of your regional MSPs.

It's also worth knowing that there is an 'official' feminist organisation in Scotland called Engender which is funded by the government and on the membership application you have to admit to being a self-identified woman. It should come as no surprise that they are all for the proposals to change the GRA.

Betsy, I wonder if there is scope for a challenge there too.

If there any Scottish lawyers on here, would you pm me? Wondering about a JR / charities commission challenge

Scottish equivalent of CC of course

@BetsyM00

Thanks, I'll be spending this w/e looking up each MSP to see what exposure they've had & hopefully tailor my emails accordingly.

I've also been reading engender's stuff on the GRA - there isn't anything about them seeking women's views anywhere so why are they the go-to point on women's perspectives on this? Unless I'm missing something? There's a consultation that was carried out prior to the EA2010 by the now disbanded WNC who did seek women's views see link here & it's says "99% of the respondents believe that it is important for a woman who has been sexually assaulted or has experienced any other form of violence to have the choice to access a women-only support service."

You have to ask how it's possible to go from 99% in favour of women having the choice to access women only services to it's all fine, nothing to see here.

You have to ask how it's possible to go from 99% in favour of women having the choice to access women only services to it's all fine, nothing to see here.

Wow. Is there a clearer sign that they couldn't care less how women actually feel?

Wow. Is there a clearer sign that they couldn't care less how women actually feel?

Who is they you speak of?

This legislation was drafted, prmoted and passed by the Scottish government, of which the SNP is the ruling party. Sturgeon is a woman and leader of the SNP. The distinguishing feature of the SNP, from all other parties, is its members "dae whit there telt"

Personally I think it is a ridiculous piece of legislation but that is from the same view point as the Conservatives who voted against it.

"dae whit they're telt"