SCOTTISH GRA REFORM ANNOUNCEMENT BROUGHT FORWARD

[Mbwashenzi]

It was going to be announced on the 25th - now moved forward to Thursday. Anyone going to join me in the public gallery at Holyrood??

twitter.com/wornoutmumhack/status/1140953953758261248?s=19

Formal complaints are the way to go.

I may be back for help.

I see Mhari Black has made a tit of themself (you just don’t know these days do you?).

On the list love.

Not had time to read the whole thread yet - but I'm cautiously hopeful. At least they're not bulldozing it through (yet).

But what an excellent twitter thread by Alice Timmons. Outstanding. "Maybe then people will accept we're afraid. Not hateful"

Absolutely, we are scared, and justifiably so. We already have the horrific news stories that are resulting from so many organisations, schools, NHS acting as though self ID is already law. And it's not on. Women say NO. Not all of them - but enough of them to justify a veto on self ID.

I would imagine ex Councillor Gregor Murray is most seriously displeased particularly as it appears that 'non-binary status' has been indefinitely put on hold.

Best outcome we could have hoped for. I’m so relived and delighted.
We are massively in debt to the handful of women who have secured a voice with no funding, staff etc., and at great personal cost and risk.
Delighted the LGBT youth guidance has been withdraw- it was an horrendous affront to the dignity of girls, but acknowledgement that this was the case is a huge step forward.

Clearly Ministers will be all over this now. There’s a lovely line in Joan McAlpine statement which gives a nod to Scotland usually loving to be at the front... whilst Ms Sturgeon is desperate to reiterate we are just following TRA policy in place else where, Joan says: The fight against this by women has just begun and Scotland is at the forefront.

Indeed.

Joan's statement has cheered me no end. What a brilliantly articulate presentation of the issues. She manages to cram all the pertinent points in and remains respectful. I'm in awe of her courage and dignified behaviour.

Fascinated when you sum it up in that succinct paragraph it's truly shocking how remiss government has been. This multiple system failure and breaching of government own law and policy and sheer laziness of practice needs exposing and challenging.

I wish we could all raise a glass together in person. Whoever we are. I don't know a single GC woman in real life. Which is why I'm glad of you lot.

I am so grateful.

This is democracy in action. It's flawed, it's got work to do, it's far from easy - but, this is a bunch of women exerting their right to protest and parliamentary process doing it's job, listening and reflecting.

We live in a country where women's voices are heard. Not enough, but, we're better than Canada and USA and many many others.

It is thrilling.

Transcript of all the questions and answers here, if anyone's broadband is as dodgy as mine this evening.

www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/report.aspx?r=12196

After reading it, I can now guess why I never received a reply from my MSP when I wrote to her a few months ago asking her to support Joan Mcalpine's position and expressing my concerns about erosion of single-sex provision for women.

I've just read Joan's statement. It's brilliant. It sums up everything. Hope.

RJnomore yes formal letters of complaint have to be the way forward. I wonder which org advises and trains your uni diversity people?

makemorenoisemanc.wixsite.com/mysite/mmnblog/penny-mourdant-and-the-lgbt-twelve

I think it's significant that the government have admitted the schools guidance was flawed.

James Morton wrote the school guidance but he also advised their prison policies when he worked at Scottish Transgender Alliance. From the above article.

The Scottish Transgender Alliance also submitted recommendations to the government which included the removal of sex markers on passports; full implementation of The Yogyakarta Principles definition of gender identity; and the removal of sex based exemptions in UK equality legislation

Now it would seem reasonable to assume that if government have admitted the schools guidance was flawed then they might look again at the prison guidance and the "advice" offered by Mr Mortons organisation more broadly.

James Morton is a nasty misogynist who is not nearly as clever as James Morton believes the professional transperson, James Morton is.

Would bloody love to see James Morton's advice critiqued by anyone other than James Morton.

Go Joan

I found this Q&A exchange worrying -

Pauline McNeill (who seems basically pro GRA changes) - First, in the move to a statutory declaration for gender recognition legislation, has any thought been given to how a false declaration could be established?

Shirley-Anne Somerville - The criminalisation of false declarations is, of course, an exceptionally important aspect of this, and it is the basis on which I hope that people can have faith and trust in the system.

On the question of false declaration, and on other questions, I do not come to the chamber with all the answers today.

Hope, faith, trust, 'we don't have all the answers'.

This is not good enough and Somerville must know that, having talked at such length about women's fears that these proposed changes will be abused.

I bet my gran and my cat that nobody is ever prosecuted for making a false declaration, because 'I believe I am a woman' is unfalsifiable.

People should be allowed to believe what they like but the law must be based on material reality.

Yes pencils exactly

I'm just tagging here to catch up - been cut off from things til I got in & I'm so pleased that the collective hard work from women has opened things up at last.

Massive 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 to women (and allies) everywhere tonight.

'we don't have all the answers' sounds to me like what you say before you have a full, frank investigation, discussion and examination of the issues.

Bring it.

I think Shirley-Anne seems on side. Hopefully.

👏👏👏👏👏👏👏 for all Scottish women organising against this. What a difference you’ve made! 🏆 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 💕

A good result. So glad this issue brought me back to rad fem activism!

Thank fuck. ✊

Scotsman write up of events:

www.scotsman.com/news/politics/gender-law-delayed-for-more-consultation-on-impact-on-women-1-4951316

Joan McAlpine for PM!
Seriously, imagine how different and much better the lives of women and girls in the UK would be if we had Parliaments full of other MPs with just a tiny fraction of Joan Mc’s intelligence, principles and bravery.

mobile.twitter.com/JoanMcAlpine/status/1141774459919044608

Most of the responses on that thread are great. I love how most posters sidestep the knockers and haters and just clamlybstate their point. I can’t believe the TRA who dismisses the response of the woman who does engage and says her partner tried to kill her, so she is justifiably fearful about mixed spaces. Well, I can believe it and, vile as it is, it neatly makes Joan’s point about the lack of consideration of women’s needs. Another own goal.