Six out of ten oppose plan to cut wait for recognition of trans status
ALMOST 60 per cent of those consulted over controversial gender reform proposals are opposed to them.
The reforms will see the timeframe by which transgender people are legally recognised in their preferred gender reduced.
Holyrood’s equalities, human rights and civil justice committee received more than 11,000 submissions when it asked for views on the Scottish Government’s plans.
After duplicate submissions were removed, analysis was carried out on 10,800 of these, with the results showing 59 per cent disagreed with the purpose of the proposals.
Meanwhile, fewer than two-fifths (38 per cent) of those who responded said they agreed with the Bill, while 3 per cent did not know. It comes as the committee scrutinises proposals from the Scottish Government, which set out to speed up the time it takes for someone to obtain a gender recognition certificate.
The Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill cuts the length of time a person has to live in their acquired gender before applying from two years to three months, though they would then have a mandatory three-month ‘reflection period’ before confirming if they will go ahead with their application.
If passed, it would also lower the age at which trans people can obtain the document, from 18 to 16.
Those opposed to the proposals highlighted concerns about the impact such changes could have on women’s sports, as well as on the loss of single-sex spaces, including in hospitals, prisons and women’s refuges as well as in toilets and changing rooms.
There was a fear that ‘predatory males’ could apply for a gender recognition certificate to allow them to ‘gain access’ to women’s spaces.
Opponents also raised concerns young people could make ‘life-altering’ decisions at too early an age.
Supporters of the legislation, meanwhile, noted that it made the process of obtaining a gender recognition certificate ‘more straightforward’ and less ‘intrusive’ for trans people.
They insisted it would not impact on women’s rights saying that, instead, the Bill seeks to bring the process of obtaining a certificate ‘in line with other legal documents’ such as ‘driving licences, passports and changes to bank accounts’.
When the legislation was published in March this year, Social Justice Secretary Shona Robison stressed: ‘This Bill does not introduce any new rights for trans people. It is about simplifying the process for a trans person to gain legal recognition, which has been a right for 18 years.’
‘Simplifying the process’