Greens split over coalition talks with ‘bigoted’ SNP
●Party activists attack ‘transphobia’ in SNP ‘funded by US religious far right’
More than 150 members of the Scottish Greens have questioned their party’s decision to open talks with the SNP on a potential coalition, claiming the party is transphobic.
In an open letter to Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater, titled Trans Solidarity, 155 party members ask why their party should “entertain the idea of entering any sort of deal with a party that has little to no respect for trans people”.
The letter accuses those who have raised concerns about reform of the Gender Recognition Act of being “right-wing bigots” funded by the “American religious far right”, and says SNP representatives at every level have “stoked the fire of trans panic in Scotland”, demanding the SNP takes formal action against its own members.
The letter also demands the Scottish Government repeal the Prostitution Act of 2007, which criminalised
the sale of sex in public, because of an “over-prevalence of the trans community amongst people who sell sex, due to housing issues, lack of employment possibilities and social discrimination”.
Talks between First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and the Green co-leaders on a formal cooperation agreement are due to start over the parliamentary summer recess, but any pact will need to win the support of Green party members.
However, the hostility in the letter towards the SNP could, say party insiders, derail the talks before they even officially begin.
The letter – whose signatories include former SNP members as well as three Green Edinburgh councillors, Mary Campbell, Susan Rae and Claire Miller, and one Glasgow councillor, Kim Long – says that despite defections to the Alba party earlier this year,
“gender critical” people are in “every level” of the SNP.
It adds: “We ask why would we entertain the idea of enteringanysortofdealwithaparty that has little to no respect for trans people?”
The letter also claims the Scottish Government’s plans to change the law on prostitution – to criminalise those who buy sex, but not those who sell it – would “increase police violence against sex workers, decrease sex workers’ willingness to report violence to the police, and increase public hostility to sex workers”.
However, The Scotsman understands the letter contradicts internal polling in the Scottish Greens, which placed a green economic recovery, energy and a just transition, protecting Scotland’s environment, independence and fairer taxes as the key priorities for members in the talks.
The SNP declined to comment on the letter, but said talks “continue and will do so into and through the summer recess”.
Scottish Greens co-leader Lorna Slater said: “We have consulted our members on the aspects of our manifesto which should be prioritised in the co-operation talks.
“Equalities and trans rights were highlighted alongside many other areas, including economic recovery, tackling the climate emergency and restoring Scotland’s natural environment. We look forward to … reaching agreement on a programme which delivers a fairer, greener Scotland.”