Posted on by Women Speak Scotland · 1 Comment

Scottish women’s groups warn Anas Sarwar that he “cannot hide any longer” and will be held to account on Gender Recognition Reform Bill

DECEMBER 2022

Grassroots organisations in Scotland have written a powerful plea to Anas Sarwar, the leader of Scottish Labour, on Monday 12 December urging him follow his conscience ahead of the Scottish parliamentary vote on the Gender Recognition Reform Bill on 21 December.
The letter was also sent to all Labour MSPs.

Dear Anas,

We are writing as representatives of grassroots organisations focused on the interests of women and children in Scotland, with thousands of members between us.

We urge you, Anas, to dig deep and have the courage to follow your conscience and vote against the Gender Recognition Reform Bill when it comes before the Scottish Parliament later this month. It is not too late to speak out against this Bill and to do what we hope you personally know is right.

We have seen the way you have been treating gender identity ideology: as a sticky political issue to manage your way through while employing tactics to manoeuvre as if it were Brexit or Indy.

We see your strategy to try to lie low until this all blows over, taking the middle ground on this ‘divisive issue with strong opinions on both sides’, rather than understanding this as part of a well-coordinated global effort to erode women’s rights, by annihilating biological sex as having any meaning in law or policy – an aim we find terrifying. If you have not understood this, you have not really listened. At least, you have not listened to us. You have listened only to those who want this law.

We see you and other senior party figures not taking seriously the most significant bill on the safety of women and children in Scotland’s devolved history by delegating the issue to a relatively inexperienced MSP who seems to be struggling with or unwilling to hold the Scottish Government to account.

We see without actually witnessing the smug smirks of relief and high-fives behind closed doors when you and your senior colleagues ‘do well’ in answering a valid question in public or through the media.

We also saw that you ignored an important opportunity to hold the Scottish Government to account following the United Nations Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls’ critical statement on this issue. Ignore her advice at your peril.

You cannot hide any longer. We women see you, we are angry, and we won’t wheesht. Women’s hard-won rights are not a political game.

The GRR Bill is about violent male offenders locked in women’s prisons, like HMP Cornton Vale, with some of the most vulnerable women in our society.

It is the biggest medical scandal of our time, with lifelong implications for children and young people who have been sterilised and their healthy body parts sacrificed by the NHS.

Lesbian women are being thrown to the wolves and will be forced to open lesbian events and spaces to heterosexual men in possession of a Gender Recognition Certificate, in violation of their right to freedom of association.

Critically, the undermining of sex-based rights in the Equality Act – Labour’s flagship legislation – is at stake. Redefining ‘woman’ to mean a subset of our own sex category is undeniably a misogynistic attack. This is what the Scottish Government is trying to make sure happens, right now, in court. Making being a woman under equalities law depend on little more than saying a few words shows contempt for women’s real lives, real struggles, real fears.

The assumption that this will blow over and that Scottish Labour will have a relatively smooth ride to the next election is wrong. Any vote in favour of the GRR Bill will not end the controversy. The Scottish public has an increasing grasp on the implications of the GRR Bill and grows more furious as time goes on.

We will not let voters forget that you personally, as party leader, were knowingly and wilfully complicit in ignoring all the warnings, including from women in the Labour Party. All those who vote in favour of the GRR Bill will be held responsible for all its negative outcomes. Self-id of sex was brought in by stealth in other countries, with limited public and media scrutiny, but you must be aware of the growing resistance movements in these countries now that the impact is becoming reality.

We number in our thousands and we have a strong voice that we will continue to use. Many of us are politically homeless having previously been lifelong Labour supporters. Many others are reevaluating their previously steadfast pro-Indy stance given the significance of the Equality Act (2010) to this Bill. We value the strong leadership and determination of the Scottish Conservatives, who are unlikely political allies for many of us, in challenging this Bill. Yet, it is deeply disappointing that Scottish Labour have done little so far to scrutinise and hold the Scottish Government to account on this issue. There are thousands of potential Labour supporters amongst us, but never in our lifetime will we support a party that is so cavalier with the lives of women and children.

Today we make a deeply personal plea for you to remember what inspired you to enter politics and to apply those values in your decision-making on the GRR Bill. During your leadership campaign, you shared that your mother has been your greatest political inspiration based on her bravery and courage in times of crisis, and we urge you to genuinely consider what she would do in your position.

If you do not take a principled stance as leader of the Labour Party in Scotland, we will hold you accountable for the suffering of women and children in the years to come.

We look forward to seeing you oppose the manoeuvring to rush this Bill through Parliament before Christmas. At the very least, call for its postponement while more serious deliberations take place on its far-reaching implications for the safety of women and girls in Scotland. This pause will also give time for clarifications, through relevant pending court judgements, on the implications of obtaining a Gender Recognition Certificate in relation to the single-sex exceptions in the Equality Act.

As ever, any one of our organisations would be delighted to meet with you to discuss further.

We look forward to hearing from you.

LAST UPDATED: 13 MARCH 2023
TO SIGN THE LETTER AS A GROUP OR AN INDIVIDUAL, PLEASE MESSAGE US
If you wish to add a comment, Please scroll to the bottom of the webpage.
Note: All comments are moderated and require approval before being published.

Groups

Women Speak ScotlandScottish Feminist Network
Women’s Declaration International ScotlandWomen’s Rights Network Scotland
Audacious Women FestivalConcerned Adults Talking Openly About Gender Identity Ideology
Women Voting With Our FeetSafeguarding Our Schools Scotland

Individuals

Jean MarshallLisa Randall
Sally MillarMagi Gibson
Caroline MeagherKate Graham
Jeremy WickinsLucy Powls
Donna MuirChristine Lowden
Leanne YoungJennie Stones
Cath AllenLinda Killen
Dawn SusanSally Richardson
Vee ColvinMary Howden
Lucy A.Georgina Cosby
Geraldine HamiltonShelagh Tooley
Cheryl Chapman
PRIVACY POLICY
Posted on by Women Speak Scotland

Writing Letters

Samples and templates to help you write your own letters.

Email your MSP and stand up for women’s rights
For Women Scotland

Parents – Write to the EHRC
Safe Schools Alliance UK – 23/10/2021

Templates available at Fair Play For Women for:

  • General concerns
  • Single sex sports
  • Women’s prisons
  • NHS and mixed sex wards
  • Single sex toilets and changing rooms
  • The erosion of the word WOMAN
  • Women’s free speech and freedom of expression
  • Planned GRA change to self-id in Scotland

Use this general letter to express your concerns to your MP or other elected representative
Fair Play For Women – 10/08/2021

Prisons – Write to your MP
Templates for Women in Prison and Single-Sex Provision and Women in Prison and Same Sex Searching by Keep Prisons Single Sex

Prisons – Write to your MSP
Template by Keep Prisons Single Sex for considering Women in Prison and Single-Sex Provision as part of the Scottish Prison Service Policy Review

PRIVACY POLICY
Posted on by Women Speak Scotland

Women’s organisations call on MSPs to reject Scottish Government’s proposal to reform the Gender Recognition Act

September 2021

A joint statement by Scottish women’s organisations on women’s sex-based rights and the Scottish Government’s proposal to reform the Gender Recognition Act

Introduction

This statement has been issued by 14 Scottish grassroots feminist and women’s rights organisations in response to the Scottish Government’s announcement that it intends to reform the Gender Recognition Act (GRA)[1]. The First Minister offered an assurance that this new legislation will “not… remove any of the legal protections women currently have”. We welcome that commitment to women’s sex-based rights. However a central feature of the proposed Bill is the introduction of sex self-ID and we do not believe that this can be compatible with the retention of existing women’s rights and protections under the Equality Act 2010. We use the term sex self-id instead of gender self-id because the most significant aspect of obtaining a gender recognition certificate (GRC) is that it allows people to engage in the legal fiction that they have become a member of the opposite sex, despite the biological impossibility of such an action. This contributes to widespread confusion, which makes it increasingly difficult to name, define or identify women, or to protect our single-sex spaces. We therefore call on all MSPs to reject this Bill in its entirety.

We would like to take this opportunity to make clear what the Scottish Government would need to do to ensure this commitment to women[2] is kept.

We demand that women’s voices and experiences are heard and inform any legislative change.

To date the Scottish Government has predominantly engaged with a small selection of publicly funded trans-rights and women’s sector organisations, none of which consult with or claim to represent women’s views. Any legislative change must include meaningful engagement with a wide range of grassroots women’s rights organisations and take fully into account the needs of women.

Any changes to legislation must ensure that protections for women on the basis of our sex are strengthened, rather than weakened.

We oppose sex self-ID as it is detrimental to the overall interests and the sex-based rights of women. It would fundamentally transform our legal, political, social and cultural landscape with no objective assessment or analysis of the consequences for women and girls (or boys).

Removing any medical requirement from the process of obtaining a gender recognition certificate (GRC) would open up the process to abuse[3]. It would be at best naïve and at worst criminally negligent to deny that predatory men will take advantage of any opportunity to gain access to women and girls when they are at their most vulnerable.

Additionally, removing medical diagnosis would remove protections and essential support to individuals considering transition but for whom this may not be the right course of action to deal with the distress they are experiencing.

In recent years, the Scottish Government and many other public organisations, including Police Scotland, the Scottish Prison Service[4] and the NHS[5], have operated an informal process of sex self-identification, effectively turning single-sex spaces such as hospital wards, prisons, youth hostels and changing rooms, sports, awards and women-only shortlists into mixed-sex provision. These decisions were undertaken with little or no consideration for the effect on women, especially in prisons. The Equality and Human Rights Impact Assessments in these cases are usually not fit for purpose.

Increasing amounts of official data, which ought to record the protected characteristic of sex, are now being collected on the basis of someone’s self-declared gender identity (for example, Police Scotland recording male rapists and sex offenders as ‘female’[6]). This seriously compromises the integrity of the data and makes it even more difficult to develop policies to overcome the disadvantage, oppression and discrimination faced by women.

This self-ID by stealth ignores and undermines the protections offered to women by the Equality Act, the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, CEDAW and elsewhere.

We believe everyone should be able to live their lives in safety, free from discrimination or harassment. However, we oppose the introduction of any measures increasing the rights of males who identify as women or other genders to access women’s spaces, services and occupational roles on the basis of such professed identity as this is incompatible with the sex-based rights of women.

The Scottish Government must maintain single-sex spaces for the dignity, privacy, physical, emotional and psychological safety of women and girls.

There has long been a widespread recognition of the need for women-only spaces and facilities. Excluding the entire sex class of males from such provisions for women has, until recently, been entirely uncontroversial, despite the fact that not all males are predatory, violent or present a danger to women. It is a proportionate way to protect women and girls from the minority of males who do present a threat. Furthermore, the exclusion of all males as part of helping traumatised women is a proven feminist approach within the MVAWG (Male Violence Against Women and Girls) sector.

Some males who say they are not men now wish to be given an exemption from this general exclusion. Yet male patterns of offending behaviour do not vary according to gender identity[7] and trans-identified males also retain male physical and social advantages. We believe this is neither fair nor safe for women, and therefore there is no case for allowing them privileged access to women’s spaces and facilities.

The Scottish Government must therefore:

  • ensure single-sex spaces, facilities and other provisions are fully protected;
  • strengthen the rights of women to create and access them through clear guidance;
  • ensure in-depth and thorough Equality and Human Rights Impact Assessments are carried out, especially in sectors and services where sex self-ID has been introduced by stealth ahead of legislation, so that public bodies in Scotland are not potentially in breach of their Public Sector Equality Duty.

The Scottish Government must guarantee that the human rights of women, including those to freedom of speech and assembly, are not adversely affected by legislative change.

We believe all people should be free to define themselves in whatever way they choose. But we reject the demeaning implication, outlined for example in the Gender Representation of Public Boards (Scotland) Act 2018, that being a woman can be reduced to a series of pronouns, the name on a utility bill, a haircut or a dress.

Whatever label an individual chooses, the law must acknowledge that men cannot literally become women and women cannot literally become men. Women should not be compelled to act as though this is so, whether in our personal, professional, social or sexual lives.

Conclusion

We call on the Scottish Government to drop its plans to introduce sex self-ID and ask all MSPs to vote against such a Bill as it would have a hugely detrimental impact on women’s rights to safe single-sex spaces and freedom of speech.

[1] https://www.holyrood.com/news/view,gender-reform-bill-to-progress-after-review-of-consultation-is-2

[2] For the avoidance of doubt, in this document the word ‘women’ always refers to females unless the context makes clear otherwise.

[3] https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/letting-criminals-self-identify-gender-putting-women-at-risk-8560wzkqt

[4] https://forwomen.scot/03/08/2021/the-status-of-women-in-scotland-prisons/

[5] https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/nhs-greater-glasgow-and-clyde-withdraws-trans-advice-for-female-only-wards-5xmgxndd6

[6] https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/rape-suspects-can-choose-to-self-identify-as-female-vfl678tg6

[7] https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/18973/pdf/

Last Updated: 24 JANUARY 2022
To sign the statement as a group or an individual, Please message us

Signatories

Frontline Feminists ScotlandWomen Speak Scotland
Sole SistersWomen Matter
Keep Prisons Single SexLiberal Voice for Women
Yes Women’s PledgeLabour Women’s Declaration
Conservatives For WomenIndependence for Scotland Party (ISP)
Brodie’s TrustAudacious Women Festival
National Network of Scottish FeministsWomen’s Human Rights Campaign (Scotland)

Aberdeen (City and Shire) FeministsArgyll Feminists
Ayrshire FeministsBorders Feminists
Clackmannanshire FeministsDundee and Angus Feminists
Dumbarton and Helensburgh FeministsDumfries and Galloway Feminists
Edinburgh and Lothians FeministsFalkirk Feminists
Fife FeministsGlasgow Feminists
Highlands and Islands FeministsInverclyde Feminists
Lanarkshire North FeministsLanarkshire South Feminists
Moray FeministsPerth Feminists
Renfrewshire FeministsStirling Feminists
Not for Sale in ScotlandALBA Women
Women’s Rights Network

Supporters

GC Men Scotland

Individuals

Lisa RandallJillian Nicol
Victoria RichardsMiriam Berlow-Jackson
Marjory SmithFiona Martin
Nina GriffithRosemary Griffin
Fiona MacdonaldGordon Dangerfield
(Scottish Solicitor Advocate)
Angela JukesLiz Panton
Stefanie MosesEileen Gilpin
Pauline CurwenLiz Elkind
Donald DickieLinda Hamilton
Tracey HynanJoanna Young
Mary MacCallum SullivanEurig Scandrett
Margaret Lynn HamiltonMaureen Beaton
Claire GowerDeborah Dudley
Jeannie MackenzieCarrie Jarvis
Ian MillerMairi MacIver
Margaret ParisAnn Hall
Catherine GillespieAnne Trevorrow
Denise FindlayLeanne Young
Cathryn ReillyLinda Craig
Jennifer GorrodJulia Lamb Tod
Rosemary Whyte

In the MEdia

North Edinburgh News

Comments

“I fully support this statement and commend all the organisations for working closely to send this strong statement. I hope Scottish Government takes note.”

“I wholeheartedly support these women’s organisations in asking the Scottish Government to look again at the SelfID proposed under a review of the GRA. 51% of the electorate in Scotland are women – adult human females and I absolutely object to the definition of my sex category to behind redefined to include men who insist on being called women, even though there is no biological evidence to prove this . Dressing up as a woman will never make them women but they want access to women and girls spaces, Women/females absolutely object to this. If you were so certain that the women of Scotland will agree to this then why don’t you do a consultation with adult female women who live in Scotland, not organisations and individuals with vested interests. Women are not giving up on this and your party will be very foolish to pursue a policy that WILL put women at risk.”

“I will be proud to sign this declaration calling on our elected representatives to scrap the GRA review. I believe the introduction of ‘self-id’ is dangerous in many respects. I expressed this in my response to the consultation exercise on the GRA reform.
It does nothing to help people with gender dysphoria who need specialist mental health care and not immediate affirmation. Autogynephilia among men is a condition that needs to be more widely recognised and treated. The fact that the cult of trans ideology seeks to stymie any discussion should be enough of a red flag to our government to halt the Bill and take much more time to explore the potential consequences. There are plenty of cases in Canada and America to be examined. Cases of men self-identifying their way into women’s prisons and shelters where they go on to assault and rape female inmates.”

Privacy Policy
Posted on by Women Speak Scotland

Manifesto for Women’s Rights in Scotland to be launched

Women Speak Scotland is publishing a ‘Manifesto for Women’s Rights in Scotland’ on International Women’s Day (8 March) ahead of the Holyrood election on 6 May. The Manifesto demands the protection and implementation of women’s human and legal rights. WSS will invite all parliamentary candidates to support it.

The Manifesto affirms women’s sex-based human rights, which are enshrined in international treaties and national legislation. It includes rights related to:

  • Safety and Privacy
  • Health and Bodily Autonomy
  • Freedom of Speech and Association
  • Fairness in Sport
  • Accurate Data
  • Freedom from Male Violence and Exploitation
  • Young Women and Girls

WSS says the Scottish Government must make a commitment to uphold women’s rights, regardless of which party/parties form the next administration. WSS believes the Manifesto is necessary because recent years have seen the gradual erosion of women’s rights. A spokeswoman for the group said “Women have been fighting for our rights for over 100 years but now we are facing a serious backlash. We are seeing the advances we’ve made being watered down or removed one by one. Public bodies and organisations too often dismiss women’s concerns. Many organisations now routinely confuse ‘sex’ and ‘gender’ which has the effect of reducing or removing women’s rights.

“The Scottish Government appears to be mounting an attack on women’s rights. For example, it has recently redefined the term ‘women’ to include men in relation to the Gender Representation on Public Boards Act. The Act was intended to address the historical under-representation of women on these boards, but is seriously undermined by allowing males to take places designated for women.

“The Hate Crime Bill proposed by the Scottish Government is in its final stage and will be debated at Holyrood on Wednesday. WSS is very concerned that the Government is refusing to offer protection to female victims who are attacked because of their sex despite widespread support for this measure. As it stands, the Bill will criminalise women advocating for our sex-based rights, including the maintenance of existing legal rights. So the WSS Manifesto demand for the protection of the right to freedom of speech is essential.

“We seem to be on a slippery slope which risks making women invisible both to the law and in national statistics. For example, there is a suggestion that the next Census in Scotland will not record the population according to our sex, even though this is crucial for planning many services, or identifying inequalities such as the sex pay gap. WSS is determined to reverse this trend and make sure the voices of the majority of women in Scotland are heard.

“Scottish Parliamentary candidates should be aware that women’s votes count – we are nearly 52% of the electorate – and we intend to make sure that women’s rights and concerns are not ignored during this election, nor by the incoming government.

“We also hope the Manifesto will empower those women who aren’t yet confident being involved in politics or activism, to feel able to engage in conversation with candidates in their constituencies, by providing information about some of the most important issues facing us at present.”

Copies of the Manifesto can be downloaded from the WSS website from 8 March onwards.

In the Media

Women’s manifesto aims to put pressure on Scottish parties to ‘reaffirm sex-based rights’
Scotsman (Gina Davidson) – Sunday, 7 March 2021

Nicola Sturgeon says she was first told of allegations about Alex Salmond in 2017. I heard the rumours in 2010
Scotsman (Susan Dalgety) – Saturday, 6 March 2021

PRIVACY POLICY
Posted on by Women Speak Scotland

There’s been an outbreak of slates…

Image of a large piece of rock and a grey slate placed on it with the dictionary definition of the word woman, that is, an adult human female.

Wonderful messages written on slates have been appearing all over Scotland, thanks to some adventurous women. Do you think you can spot some of the slates for yourselves? If you do, share your pictures on Twitter with the hashtag #WomenWontWheest.

The Edinburgh Reporter ran a brief article on the campaign – National campaign arrives in Edinburgh (22 November 2020)

You can view all the pictures on our Flickr photostream and we have also grouped many of them into albums by areas around Scotland. WSS takes no credit for the Slate Women campaign. We are simply collecting together images of the efforts of women taking action by themselves and with others.

Flickr Photostream

FLICKR ALBUMS (SLATES BY AREAS)

You can join the campaign too! Scotland is never short of slates. Find a few pieces, give them a good clean and then write messages on them using paint. It can be about women’s rights, freedom of speech, quotes from books, or your thoughts and concerns in your own words. Place the slates in locations where you think other people might come across them. If you are able to, you can drill some holes around the edges of the slates so they can be secured with plastic ties to help them stay in place.

Take pictures of your artistic accomplishment (make sure you zoom in so the written message is easy to read) and send them to us at info@womenspeakscotland.com with a rough idea of the location. We will add it to the rest of the online collection.

Privacy Policy

Posted on by Women Speak Scotland

Email John Swinney about content of RSHP material

There is a template available at the For Women Scotland website to help parents write their own emails to John Swinney, Cabinet Secretary for Education, about several concerning aspects of the Relationship, Sexual Health and Parenthood (RSHP) material.

It would be great if as many parents as possible were to do this. The example letter does a great job of outlining the main issues – and they are pretty worrying.

Privacy Policy
Posted on by Women Speak Scotland

Make the Census make sense

To those in Scotland – please email your MSPs as a matter of urgency.

MurrayBlackburnMackenzie have summarised the current state of issues around the upcoming census in March 2021 for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and March 2022 for Scotland.

To quote from their blog post:

All three census authorities have committed to the longstanding, compulsory sex question, which will continue to enable respondents to answer either ‘female’ or ‘male’. In addition, the census in England, Wales and Scotland will carry a new, voluntary question on gender identity.

The three census authorities also intend to include accompanying guidance which advises respondents to answer the sex question based on their self-declared gender identity, not their sex.

The sex question guidance in England, Wales and Northern Ireland has not yet been finalised, and is currently subject to further testing by ONS. But, whilst the census has been delayed in Scotland, the National Records of Scotland (NRS) appear to be treating the guidance as a done deal. Whether the recent assessment by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) will prompt NRS to reopen discussion on the guidance remains to be seen. There is still also the possibility of ONS either altering or dropping its guidance as a result of further testing, which NRS will need to factor into its decision-making.

WE NEED TO EMAIL OUR MSPS

Lisa Mackenzie (from MBM) emphasised we have a very tiny window available in Scotland as the guidance was meant to be completed by the “end of the summer”, but she hasn’t seen anything yet. So, it is worth us emailing our MSPs now as a highest priority. It is possible we may just have weeks to comment on the guidance and get it changed (apparently it is not covered by legislation so should be “easier” to influence if our interpretation is correct).

Woman’s Place UK have a template to help guide people to write to their MPs, the ONS and the UK Minister for Women and Equalities about the proposed guidance to accompany the sex question in the census. You can use it as a starting point to email your MSPs.

Some further points that you could include and expand in your own words:

It is vital that all census data should be accurate and consistent across the UK. We should know that sex in England and Wales and Northern Ireland means the same thing in Scotland, otherwise provision of services, funding, health initiatives, etc in one nation cannot be compared to the others in the union. The data gathered will be meaningless if we all mean different things, and trying to combine data from all nations into UK wide statistics will be a pointless exercise.

A census is an exercise in accurate data collections and knowing what you are measuring is vital. Any confusion or ambiguity helps no-one – robust data will help trans people too as it will give policy makers and researchers a better understanding of the demographics involved and where there might be gaps in the provision of services.

It is said that some trans people, or at least those that claim to be speaking for them, do not want to admit they are trans, so filling in their sex accurately is associated with the unpleasant emotions it provokes. The ONS and NRS have responded by changing the guidance so you can basically declare whatever sex you want.
However, if a census is a data collection exercise and a group of people don’t want to be measured then we shouldn’t be measuring them if the consequence is ruining the accuracy of the data.

The state should not be actively guiding people to answer sex as gender identity – we need robust, high quality data for men and women to address any discrimination and disadvantage experienced on the basis of sex. As seen with COVID-19, men may be dying at higher rates as a result of the virus, while women may suffer as result of policy consequences due to the pandemic. Sex is a significant measurement of disadvantages and discrimination. It is unethical to collect inaccurate data – we need to be able to understand differences of outcomes in people’s lives, we need to be able to monitor trends between sexes, to design evidence-based policies and determine if such implemented polices are successful.

You can use the WriteToThem website to email your MSPs.

Privacy Policy