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.

Oh my word no! That's shocking. Funnily enough I was thinking someone should have a T shirt on with 'Ask the NHS about Eunuchs' ...

What time were you all kicked out, Rhannion? Are there specific rules about what clothing women are allowed to wear in public now? Or is it just in the Scottish Parliament women's clothing is policed?

Those t shirts were absolutely brilliant.

Well done.

I'd have had some with Shona Robison's name on there too, of course.

There is a bit at around 10.15 where all goes quiet and cameras cut to the ceiling lights. I am presuming a curtain has been drawn.

I have been tweeting hard all day! Couldn't make the Parliament but well done the brilliant women with the t-shirts. There's a video where a woman takes off her jumper to reveal the t-shirt and is immediately told to leave, despite members of the Committee having worn rainbow lanyards throughout the proceedings.

#sturgeondestroyerofwomensrights

#womenwontwheesht

#myconcernshaventbeendebunked

Just started to listen... looking forward to seeing the T shirts, or did they get disappeared into the suspension of recording at 10.15?

Right at the start Shona Robison makes some thought-provoking points about numbers. She says there are 6000 people with GRCs in the UK and estimates of half a million trans people altogether. I figure, if every trans person applied for one under self-id that would be 830 times as many GRCs. Not everyone would want one but still good to have a ceiling estimate on numbers.

But based on international experience she's only expecting an increase of 5 or 6 times as many applications per year under this self-id proposal. Not 830 times.
So how does this change to self-id benefit many trans people, if the vast majority don't want a GRC anyway?

And why are there so many "trans people" who don't want a GRC? Do they not want to live as their "acquired gender" after all and if so what does it mean to say they are "trans"? Is she talking about completely different groups of people who all call themselves "trans"?

www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/politics/campaigner-who-called-nicola-sturgeon-27347217

So some t-shirt slogans are more equal than others - who'd have thought it...

Just before the break - this is the first time I've seen the political knives out.

Pam Gosal sounds quite pissed off.
Karen Adam (rainbow lanyard party) says concerns about the bill have been "debunked". And would no-one mention that transwomen are biologically male because there are a lot of transpeople present and that's a "transphobic dogwhistle" (the chair was unimpressed with that).
Pam Duncan Glancey "Can you set out what the government can do to sort this ..... mess?"

Oops I got my sums wrong by 10x. It's 83 times more not 830. Still a lot more people who wouldn't want a GRC, but not quite so huge.

Loved the t-shirts, seems to have got some attention on Twitter which is a good thing!

No one is allowed to wear any clothing or items with any writing on them, hence women were told to get out

But there was a person with writing on their Tshirt who wasn't ejected ....

however the trans persons who were in the room were wearing items with writing on plus both Karen Adam & Maggie Chapman have been wearing rainbow lanyards at every hearing

Yes, I wonder why that was...

That person, with the Not Seditious Writing On A T Shirt also identifies (according to thier social media) as a size 14... If I could heave myself up I'd do a spinny spinny in solidarity

More of a 18-20 having seen that person up close...

Hm I could certainly see some very obvious writing on a T shirt. If the rule is "no writing" rather than "no cheeky messages about the Scottish leader" then it wasn't being followed.

Pam Gosel definitely got much better at asking questions as the weeks went on and it is appreciated. She needs to keep at it in any further debates as she has a voice for women of faith, she needs to use it.

Pam DG also seemed to realize what a mess this is, but what she will do about it is another story, she is a member of Scottish Labour...

Scottish Labour were fantastic in the 'six words' debate. Johann Lamont and others stood up and spoke very bravely on behalf of women.

Scottish Labour are not UK Labour ... I like Pam DG, I think she's asked some good questions over these sessions, and hope she will speak up for women.