Majority of responses oppose legal changes on gender recognition

Controversial plans to reform the process by which transgender people are legally recognised in their preferred gender are opposed by most of the people who responded to a Holyrood committee.

The equalities, human rights and civil justice committee got more than 11,000 submissions when it sought views on the Scottish Government plan.

After duplicates were removed, analysis of the remaining 10,800 showed 59% opposed the overall purpose of the proposals.

Meanwhile, 38% of responses backed the Bill, while 3% did not know.

It comes as the committee scrutinises the proposal to cut the time it takes to obtain a gender recognition certificate.

The Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill reduces the time a person must live in their acquired gender before applying from two years to three months, though they must go through a mandatory three-month “reflection period” before confirming if they want their application to go ahead.

It would also lower the age at which trans people can obtain the document from 18 to 16.

Those opposed highlighted worries about the impact on women’s sports, as well as the loss of single sex spaces, such as in hospitals, prisons and women’s refuges as well as in toilets and changing rooms.

Here it was feared “predatory males” could apply for a certificate so they could “gain access” to women’s spaces.

Opponents also raised concerns that young people may make “life-altering” decisions too early.

Supporters noted that it made the process of obtaining a certificate “more straight forward” and less “intrusive” for trans people.

They insisted it would not impact women’s rights saying that the Bill seeks to bring the process of obtaining a certificate “in line with other legal documents” like “driving licences, passports and changes to bank accounts”.

When the legislation was published in March this year, Social Justice Secretary Shona Robison stressed it did not introduce new rights but streamlined a process for trans people to gain legal recognition that has been a right for 18 years.