Fears over ‘rush’ to let Scots pick their gender

PLANS to allow people to self-declare their gender are to be put to the Scottish parliament before the end of this month.

The Gender Recognition Act will be considered by MSPs on June 25, it was revealed yesterday – despite growing splits within the SNP on the issue.

Several high-profile members and government ministers oppose the move.

The Act will allow people to self-declare their gender without a medical diagnosis or having undergone any treatment.

But politicians and campaigners say the plans could mean men are able to access single-sex spaces such as public toilets.

Ministers Kate Forbes, Ash Denham and Ivan McKee signed an open letter with 12 other MSPs, MPs and councillors, urging Nicola Sturgeon not to ‘rush’ ahead with the plans.

The First Minister was also branded ‘out of step’ on the issue – with three senior Nationalists expressing frustration at her claims that she does not see ‘the greater recognition of transgender rights as a threat to me as a woman or to my feminism’. It emerged online yesterday that

‘Retraumatised if plans were passed’

Miss Sturgeon would bring forward the Gender Recognition Act. Sources confirmed the plans last night and said MSPs had been spoken to about the move, and asked to speak directly to Social Security Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville about any concerns.

However, sources added that little had been done to alleviate fears and that MSPs were likely to vote against party lines.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘A consultation on reforming the 2004 UK wide Gender Recognition Act [was carried out] from November 9, 2017 to March 1, 2018. The consultation received over 15,500 responses and we have carefully considered the points raised.’

Glasgow Women’s Aid previously raised concerns that female abuse victims could be ‘retraumatised’ if plans to allow people to ‘self-identify’ their gender were passed.

They warned that women fleeing abuse have expressed ‘perfectly reasonable’ fears over being forced to stay in refuges or share communal spaces with males.

It was confirmed this week that Scots will be able to identify as transgender for the first time in an official census.