I spotted this in a newsletter from Engender...
As the Parliamentary term comes to an end, there are always lots of announcements as the Government and MSPs rush to squeeze things in before recess. One of these came in the form of a Parliamentary statement on the next steps for reform of the Gender Recognition Act, with the Cabinet Secretary for Equalities Shirley-Anne Somerville announcing plans to bring forward a consultation on a draft Gender Recognition (Scotland) Bill by the end of the year. We believe that women's rights and trans rights are not in conflict, and we were pleased to hear that view expressed by the Cabinet Secretary and most of the MSPs who spoke in the chamber on this subject.
Once the consultation on the draft bill is launched, we’ll be engaging with it in a number of ways. We’re planning on holding some round table meetings with groups who are generally in favour of the reforms, and with those who have been generally against the proposals. Our broad support for reform of the current unwieldy (and sexist) GRC process will not change. But this next stage of consultation is an opportunity to dig into the particular areas of interest for Engender including the gathering and using of data about women and girls’ lived experience, public bodies' understanding of measures to protect and advance women’s equality under the Equality Act, and the safety and privacy of women and girls in Scotland.
If you are part of a women’s group and would like to be invited to one of these meetings, you can contact Alys on [email protected]