ScotGov Gender Reform Bill - tomorrow

[Hagiography]

Professor Sharon Cowan, Professor of Feminist and Queer Legal Studies, University of Edinburgh School of Law

Naomi Cunningham, Barrister, Outer Temple Chambers and Chair, Sex Matters

Karon Monaghan QC, Barrister, Matrix Chambers

David Parker, Lead Clinician, National Gender Identity Clinical Network for Scotland

www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/committees/current-and-previous-committees/session-6-equalities-human-rights-and-civil-justice-committee/meetings/2022/ehrcjs62218/agenda

Will be screened live.

💪

Evidence from Prof Cowan picked up in this Telegraph piece.

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/06/13/scots-should-allowed-change-gender-many-times-like/

👀

David Parker's a nurse, doesn't look like he (I think that's the correct pronoun for this person) has much clinical experience and has links to WPATH. Interesting that they aren't also hearing from clinicians who have publications and postgrads and broad experience with this group including, e.g., detransitioners.

I'm looking forward to learning that I am wrong, and in fact, that David Parker is a really safe pair of hands to be advising the scottish government on all matters transgender health. I'll be following on twitter.

Yes this is going to be an enlightening hearing...

More people are likely to change their mind on gender many times throughout their lives if you make changing gender easy peasy for anyone, not just people who are actually gender dysphoric.

What's going to stop someone IDing as trans before jail time for an easier time in prison, then changing when they are free?

Why has Scotland lost it's mind over this?!

Looks like a fascinating line up. Very sorry that I can't observe today.

www.scottishparliament.tv/meeting/equalities-human-rights-and-civil-justice-committee-june-14-2022

Naomi Cunningham raises issue of 'erotic cross-dressers' .

The person sitting behind Naomi Cunningham seems to find any risks she mentions quite funny!

'if we don't have a medical diagnosis, what do we mean by 'living as the opposite gender'?' Karen Monaghan

It is immensely good to see fact-free waffly slogans coming up against people with actual knowledge and expertise.

Missing great chunks because of work -

Several mentions of 'article 8' - is this the UNDHR?

'Respect for your private and family life'

Haven't heard all that much about intersection of DHR and GRA etc, interesting points

Ah, okay. I see:

'Goodwin & I v United Kingdom [2002]

This case heard in the European Court of Human Rights explored issues for transsexual people in relation to their rights to private life and to marry. The judgment was a landmark decision for the treatment of transsexual people, a group which had not been recognised in UK law as:

their acquired gender

able to hold a birth certificate showing their acquired gender, and

able to marry someone of the opposite gender.

The Court ruled that this treatment violated both the right to private life and the right to marry. The UK Government later introduced the Gender Recognition Act 2004, creating a mechanism to enable all these things.'

www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/human-rights-act/article-8-respect-your-private-and-family-life

'wait for the Cass Report?' question from Rachael Hamilton

Yes says Naomi

Academic says nah

Cass' remit specifically NHS England - convenor

Hmmm ...

Happening already...

/news/scottish-news/anger-trans-inmates-revert-males-25840252

(This was also reported in the Times but I don't have a share token)

The SPS are apparently currently looking at their self id policy but given how ensconced Scottish Trans Alliance are in the Scottish prison system, I'm not holding out any hope that there will be any change.

www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/scottish-news/anger-trans-inmates-revert-males-25840252

Previous link didn't work.

I can’t watch thanks for updates

Pam Duncan-Glancy on 'bad actors' - 'I agree there will be some people who want to harm women'

Halle-bloody-lujah. It is SO good to hear this possibility being acknowledged. Thank you.

Who is the convenor? 🤔 I missed the start. 😳

A smirk every time she says erotic cross dresser. I wonder why he (which is how I read the sex of the person in the blue dress) finds that funny.... it's a mystery to me.

That dude sniggering behind Naomi Cunningham 🙄

Repeated asking of 'what does it mean to 'live as a woman'?

Convenor, can't recall his name, same as has been at all other meetings so far

I'm coming back here later hoping for a bit of a sum up if that's okay?
I have a Dd, 14, with ASD (& selective mutism)
I recently had a quick call from a member of support staff which informed me 'he had disclosed he was trans & I didn't need to give consent as he had been assessed as competant to make these changes as his age had been checked against the guidance'. IF my child is trans I hope that there is better more informed support out there for her /him. It's quite frightening as a parent.