Scot Govt’s gender self-ID Bill passes first stage despite SNP’s ‘biggest rebellion’

The Scottish Government’s Bill to allow people as young as 16 to choose their own legal sex has passed its stage one debate in Holyrood, despite party dissent.

Prior to the debate, SNP Minister Ash Regan resigned as Minister for Community Safety so she would not have to vote for the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill against her conscience. This is the first time that an SNP minister has resigned over Government policy.

Although the proposals proceeded to the second stage by 88 to 33 votes, seven SNP MSPs voted against the Bill and two abstained, the party’s largest dissent during its 15 years in power.

Biological sex

The proposed legislation makes it much easier to change legal sex by removing the need for medical evidence and reducing the two-year waiting period to three months. It even extends ‘sex swaps’ to 16-year-olds.

MSP John Mason, one of the SNP politicians who voted against the Bill, told Holyrood that “biological sex cannot be changed” and he feared the legislation sends “out the message that the distinctions between male and female are not really relevant”.

A Daily Telegraph editorial highlighted that in view of “the biggest rebellion” the SNP has experienced, Nicola Sturgeon should reconsider her “bad law”.

‘Vulnerable’

Scottish Labour’s Deputy Party Leader Jackie Baillie told MSPs that while her party backs the aims of the Bill, “the Government must understand that it needs to address the concerns that have been outlined in the debate”.

Baillie highlighted the legislation’s impact on single-sex spaces and reported concerns over allowing 16-year-olds to change their legal sex.

Rachael Hamilton, of the Scottish Conservatives, said we “need to protect vulnerable young girls and the hard-won rights of women and girls”, but “I believe that those legitimate concerns have been ignored by the Government”.

‘Safeguarding’

Earlier this month, JK Rowling slammed the Scottish Government for pushing ahead with the Bill  as new polling confirmed the scale of public opposition.

Of the 1,018 voters in Scotland surveyed by Panelbase, 62 per cent opposed decreasing the minimum age to 16, with only 19 per cent in favour. Only a quarter supported the reduced waiting period.

Writing for The Sunday Times Scotland, JK Rowling warned: “If any woman or girl suffers voyeurism, sexual harassment, assault or rape in consequence of the Scottish government’s lax new rules, the blame will rest squarely with those at Holyrood who ignored safeguarding experts and women’s campaigners.”