Tampons put in men’s loos at Government off ices for trans staff

TAMPONS and sanitary towels are being made freely available in male toilets in Scottish Government buildings in case they are needed by transgender civil servants.

The move to introduce the period products, already provided free of charge in women’s WCs, emerged in a submission document to LGBT rights group Stonewall.

Other policies brought in to assist transgender employees, as well as non-binary people who do not identify as male or female, include use of the title ‘Mx’ rather than Mr, Mrs or Ms on the staff directory.

It follows an SNP civil war over plans to allow people to legally change gender by self-declaration.

Last month, the row escalated further after it emerged the Scottish civil service had agreed to delete the word ‘mother’ from its maternity leave policy following pressure from Stonewall.

Trina Budge, director of campaign group For Women Scotland, said: ‘Once again, we note the Scottish Government is riding roughshod over existing legislation, this time the Health and Safety regulations that have existed since 1992 and state that separate rooms must be provided for men and women.

‘That our government is so determined to impose their unscientific policy of self-identification of sex on its own staff, rather than just designate some provision “gender neutral”, is deeply troubling.’

The 209-page submission, obtained via a freedom of information request, was made for the 2022 Stonewall Workplace Equality Index, which rates the top 500 employers on their progress towards LGBT ‘equality’.

In it the Government outlines that since July it has been ‘providing sanitary bins and products in gents’ lavatories in premises where gender neutral facilities do not exist’.

It states that female hygiene products have been placed in men’s toilets ‘close to meeting/conference rooms and/or main entrances to premises’.

But despite the Government giving Stonewall grants totalling £415,000 between 2017 and this year in ‘equality funding’, as well as paying the body thousands in membership fees, its ranking as an employer fell in the equality index from 72 in 2019 to 127 last year.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘Separate toilets are provided in all buildings.

‘We provide free period products in toilets, including all female and visitor toilets, and some male toilets so anyone can access the free products.’

• Home Office chiefs sparked anger by reminding staff by email to celebrate Transgender Parents Day on November 7, an event first marked in the US as an alternative to Mother’s Day or Father’s Day.

One employee, struggling with the challenge of parenting a teen who says they are transgender, criticised the ‘celebratory’ nature of the email as ‘inappropriate’.