Scottish women! Please write to your MSPs!

[ArabellaScott]

Info and templates from For Women Scotland on the proposed introduction of self ID in Scotland:

forwomen.scot/08/10/2022/gender-recognition-reform-bill-stage-1-action/

To find your MSPs:

www.writetothem.com/

Please spread the word!

Cherry picking individual cases isn't going to prove whatever your point is.

Every group of people that's large enough will have undesirables/perps in it.

QUITE RIGHT HEN STOP CHERRYPICKNG AW THE RAPISTS

So enacting legislation which makes it easier for men to harm women is acceptable because they don't harm enough women to count. How many raped women would be too many Margarita?

Leaving aside your questionable use of "cherry picking" here, I'll remind you that we are discussing the safeguarding implications of self-id.

In safeguarding, individual cases are very much what one must look at because that one worst case is what safeguarding seeks to safeguard against by making rules that apply to every single member of a particular group indiscriminately in order to make sure that that one particular member of the group who will commit the wrong we are guarding against will definitely be constrained by the rule too.

This one most recent case is all we need to prove that our concerns about the safeguarding failures that come from adopting self-id policies in women's spaces and services are justified.

As we've gone several rounds before, you are very aware that safeguarding is concerned with precisely the bad apples and none else. Not because they prove that the entire barrel is rotten, but because they exist, they are indeed rotten and if you don't do anything about them, the whole barrel will get chucked in the end.

Safeguarding doesn't declare the whole barrel rotten. It means declaring that there may be rotten apples, so let's make sure we adopt measures to guard against them.

There are many safeguarding measures that affect all to guard against the few. Only the truly ignorant interpret this as a slight against all.

Having only received 2 replies , have just sent another email to the rest. Wonder, if they will reply this time?

Conservative:

Thank you for contacting me in relation to the SNP Government’s Gender Recognition Reform Bill.

This a significant piece of legislation, and my Scottish Conservative colleagues and I are following it closely as it progresses through Parliament.

Focusing strictly on the content of the Bill, I am generally supportive of the aim to improve the system of gender recognition for those who are trans. Changes to the law to ensure a more simplified, dignified way for a person to transition from one gender to another should be seriously considered by the Scottish Parliament. In this regard, I want to be clear I will constructively scrutinise all proposals the Scottish Government bring forward.

However, I should add that I am aware there have been concerns raised regarding safeguards for children and young people in the Gender Recognition Reform Bill. This is a very sensitive area, however the welfare of children and young people must come first. That means balancing the need to help those who are suffering from gender dysphoria with the need to protect vulnerable children and young people who are unsure of their identity and risk embarking on gender hormone treatment prematurely. We will not support any reforms that put the welfare of children and young people at risk

I am also aware, due to the nature of this polarising debate, this issue clearly arouses strong feelings across our communities and wider society. My personal view, focusing strictly on the Bill, is that I am supportive of the general principle of reforming the system of gender recognition in Scotland. I await the Scottish Government’s proposals as the Bill progresses through Parliament.

bumpette

It seems some SNP MSPs are asking for this to be a free vote:

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/fc9a7d7c-5219-11ed-bb65-87f2b7644902?shareToken=fcfc4759c5b664fc5a08cd1c2e772dd9

UPPITY MSPS NOTED

do write if you haven't already it might make a free vote more likely

Bumping , please write, they need to hear our voices & we want them to have a free vote on this.

Paul O'Kane

Thank you for taking the time to contact me regarding the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill.

I support reform of the Gender Recognition Act, as set out in the Scottish Labour manifesto which committed to de-medicalising the process and I will support the Bill at Stage 1.

I followed the Committee evidence and have read the Stage 1 Committee report in detail. The Committee concluded by majority, having heard detailed and varied evidence on both sides of the debate, the following:

"The majority of the Committee believes that the concerns raised, while recognising that such views are sincerely held, go beyond the scope of the provisions in the Bill, and is satisfied that the Bill itself will not change any of the protections or definitions set out in the Equality Act 2010, including the ability to exclude trans people from single-sex services where proportionate and appropriate. The majority is satisfied that the Bill will not change or remove women’s rights, make changes to how toilets and changing rooms operate, redefine what a man or a woman is, nor change or expand trans people’s rights."

I appreciate that you do not share this view but I agree with the Committee’s majority conclusion.

Along with my colleagues, we take seriously our role as legislators and our responsibility to ensure that at every stage we examine the detail of the Bill. Scottish Labour are committed to properly scrutinising the Government’s proposed legislation as it makes its way through Parliament and this includes at Stage 2 and 3 where the Bill may be amended.

I trust that you find this email informative as regards my position on the matter.

Your sincerely,

I heard that one of the reasons the SNP/ Greens in Scotland are pushing for a general election is, if Labour get in the GRA reform will be rolled out all over the UK using Scotland as the template.

WOMEN HASSLIN MSPS IS POINTLESS THEYLL DO AS THEYRE TELT

No hassling MSPs involved, just women speaking up about their rights, and those of their children.
I and many, many other women & men will continue to “ hassle” their representatives in the Scottish Parliament until the Parliament listens to those who pay the wages.

I've been meaning to do this for a while now... finally written and sent my message... better late than never!

Emma Roddick, SNP:

'I can hopefully provide you with some reassurance first off that the Equality Act is not being changed by the upcoming Bill.
The Scottish Government cannot change the Equality Act as it is specifically reserved to the UK Parliament.
GRCs do not act as a pass for single-sex services and the reasonable exclusion of trans people which the Equality Act allows for is unchanged by the Bill.'

An email from a Conservative MSP, but a footer said it was confidential, so just sharing one unattributed excerpt which I found interesting:

'The Scottish Conservatives have called for a public inquiry to be held into the increase in children being referred to the Sandyford Sexual Health Service for gender dysphoria. Almost 1,000 children are on the waiting list for their first appointment with this service, including 86 pre-pubescent children. In addition, child referrals to the service increased fifteen-fold from 2013 to 2019. It is essential that an inquiry is taken forward to ensure that the appropriate safeguards for vulnerable children are in place.'

Reply from Ariane Burgess. I emailed her on the 16th oct and got a reply today. Her words are almost identical to the reply posted by BetsyM00 on page 1 except for paragraphs 4 and 6 (my italics). Depressing to note in paragraph 6 Ariane says she hopes eventually to be able to legislate for GRCs for children under 16 (my italics, bold and underline).

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This proposed reform is one which I have long supported, and which my party promised to support in the 2021 Scottish Parliament election. The effect will be to make it easier for trans people to obtain a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC), and thereby making the major administrative milestones of life and death less difficult and painful for them and their loved ones to navigate. The current process, which is lengthy, intrusive, over-medicalised, often prohibitively expensive in practice and lacking in dignity or respect, has understandably been much criticised by trans people and their allies.

I am aware of objections which have been raised to the Bill, but I believe that many of these are based on misunderstandings. As evidenced in the Stage 1 Report of the Equality, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee (available here)

The Scottish Human Rights Commission, other expert bodies and the majority of the Committee agree that the Cass Report, being concerned with issues of healthcare in England, is not relevant to the question of gender recognition reform in Scotland.

The proposed Bill includes provisions to create a new criminal offence of making a false statutory declaration or application and also for persons with interest to apply for the revocation of a GRC. There are therefore multiple safeguards against any possible misuse of the legislation.

No reported evidence was provided to the committee of any negative impacts or unintended consequences of similar legislation in other jurisdictions.

In accordance with the evidence of the Children's Commissioner, the Scottish Human Rights Council and other expert bodies, the majority of the committee concluded that an age limit of 16 was appropriate, being in accordance with the Age of Legal Capacity (Scotland) Act 1991. It will also meet the specific challenges faced by students registering with educational institutions. I would personally wish to see a future process that would enable young people under 16 to apply for a GRC with appropriate safeguards

There are also valid and important concerns about the quality and accessibility of trans healthcare, and while this is not directly related to changes to the process for obtaining a GRC we are committed to improvement in these services. We have already, and we expect to bring waiting times in line with other NHS services as well as developing new delivery models. We also expect recommendations on the best ways to achieve equality for non-binary people.

These reforms are, in my view, long overdue. The delay in delivering them has been accompanied by a disturbing rise in transphobic sentiment in politics and in the media, as well as a rise in hate crime. I believe that the Scottish Government and all political parties have a responsibility to challenge transphobia, just as we must challenge homophobia, racism, misogyny, sectarianism and other forms of prejudice. Passing the legislation to reform the GRA is only one step, but an important one, and I look forward to voting for it.
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GRCs for children under 16

JFC

That's proper jumping the shark, even for the Scottish Greens.

I couldn't possible vote for the Scottish Greens. They are bonkers on this issue.

only one reply so far from Jeremy Balfour Conservative

Bumping for Tuesday. Debate on Thursday!

I have had a positive Conservative response and a less positive one from a local SNP.

I can't do the whole thing, but wondered if anyone had any response to.some of the below extracts which I think may be incorrect?

"Analysis from the published consultation suggested the majority of organisations broadly supported" changing to self ID"

No mention if the views of the thousands of individuals who responded. Am I right that the info for individuals was not published?

"The responses tended to argue with reducing the age".

Was there not a poll published recently showing that most of the public were against this? I would like to challenge her on the fact that people are mainly for these changes.

"Equality organisations have pointed out that the current legislative age of 18 for applications for a GRC can be detrimentally to the mental health of young adults who identify as trans".

I don't know where to start with that statement!

Then she wrote this :

"Finally, I make it clear that all people are human beings - regardless of race, religious views, sexual orientation or gender - and people should be treated as such"

I am speechless.