Funding for women's sector in Scotland - LBTI inclusion plan

[SuperLoudPoppingAction]

www.gov.scot/publications/delivering-equally-safe-fund-2020-to-2023-process-for-applicants/

It's a word doc linked from here.

'All applicants to the Delivering Equally Safe Fund must ensure that the service is inclusive to lesbian, bisexual, trans and intersex (LBTI) women. An inclusion plan for LBTI women should be submitted along with your application. This plan does not impact on the ability of organisations to utilise the single sex exceptions in the Equality Act where that is a proportionate approach to achieving a legitimate aim.

A list of good practice and resources to assist you with the completion of the LBTI Inclusion Plan is as follows:

www.lgbtyouth.org.uk/resources/?topic=Domestic

Link to the video of a group of trans people being interviewed about their identities:

Link to the video of a group of young intersex people talking about what being intersex means:

Link to the video about a group of trans people’s experiences in Scotland:

I'm on the train and can't work out which youtube channel is being linked to, but the resource I can see is from a lobby group rather than eg the Scottish Government or NHS or similar.

I'm not in a position where I can cause a stink about this, but I'm wondering if there's scope to question it.

The wording is basically 'you must include trans women' - I wouldn't mind as much if it said 'trans people' as for eg a trans man might wish to access a women's service - lots of trans men spend time in eg lesbian social circles for a long time after transition, for example.

But it's very clear it's males who must be included, unless we 'utilise the single sex exceptions in the Equality Act where that is a proportionate approach to achieving a legitimate aim' so you design your service to be, presumably, transwoman inclusive, then you have to put resources into risk assessment, ad hoc alteration to services etc on a case by case basis.

Am I reading that right?

This fund is the backbone for all the women's sector organisations I can think of.
We've always had to submit some kind of trans inclusion plan but I don't remember links to any brainwashing videos or lobby groups - I could be wrong, of course.

I'm not sure what I'm asking beyond handwringing really...

I don't believe membership nor service users of women's organisations have been adequately consulted about this in a meaningful way.

OK here's an actual question - do we think that potential beneficiaries of funding should be consulted about fund design as well as fund awards?

If so, how would that look? Focus groups? If so, based on the above, I don't trust our government to actually think about asking the right questions eg 'what would a trauma informed service look like for you?'

Whereas at a local level, gender-aware services are very much about women-only spaces and creating more of them.
At a national level the policy capture is quite startling. I mean, we know this is happening. The GRA reforms have been handled very badly. But if we weren't already cynical, this would be startling.

°This plan does not impact on the ability of organisations to utilise the single sex exceptions in the Equality Act where that is a proportionate approach to achieving a legitimate aim.^

On the bright side this is new I think. I think funding used to require LGBT inclusiveness and it did not specifically state that exemptions could apply?

Maybe someone who was aware of the law read it.

Yes that bit it, indeed, new from what I remember

*is

Unfortunately, as the Times reports today that England has just abandoned the GRA changes (hooray!), the super woke anti English SNP will no doubt want to double down on their pro trans agenda purely to accentuate their “different to England” crap. So I’m bracing for things to get worse up here.

Joanna Cherry wants to be selected to run as SNP candidate for Ruth Davidsons seat at the next Holyrood Election she has just said today ( press release to come tomorrow)

And if Nicola gets dumped shortly, Joanna could well aim for First Minister.

It's not over yet. ( But I thought Brexit wouldn't happen, so what do I know.)