Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney has been criticised for not putting a stop to Government lawyers arguing that men can become pregnant.
The Supreme Court has been hearing an appeal against Scottish Government guidance allowing some men to take women-only positions on company boards. During the proceedings, Government lawyers claimed a gender recognition certificate (GRC) created the concept of a “pregnant man”.
But when asked by reporters if he also believed such a thing is possible, Swinney contradicted his own Government’s legal stance, replying: “No, I don’t.”
Absurd
Campaign group For Women Scotland called GRCs a “fantasy of legal fiction”, and said Swinney was allowing his Government “to argue for absurdities, ones which will harm women.”
Co-Director Susan Smith said: “Either a GRC is a far-reaching document which materially alters a person’s legal rights, meaning that men can now get pregnant, as argued by counsel for the Government in court, or it is a pure admin change which has a limited impact, as argued by the Government at the time of the passage of the Gender Recognition Reform Bill”.
Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay commented: “John Swinney initially appears to agree with the obvious truth that men cannot get pregnant. But when asked why expensive Scottish Government lawyers are arguing that they can, he suddenly starts to obfuscate”.
He added: “To squander taxpayers’ money on this madness shows that Swinney’s SNP are still in the grip of harmful and irrational gender self-ID zealotry.”
Virtue signalling
Meanwhile, Edinburgh City Council’s decision to fly a flag to mark ‘Transgender Day of Remembrance’ has also met with criticism.
The move has been seen by some as the Council commemorating convicted criminal Andrew Burn, who died earlier this year. He identified as female and was in prison for multiple acts of violence against women.
Marion Calder, Co-Director at For Women Scotland, described the move as “virtue signalling for one of the most dangerous prisoners that Scotland has ever had”.
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