Hansard

The Convener Lab

Item 2 is an evidence session on the Scottish Transgender Alliance’s equal recognition campaign. We will start the session with introductions. At the table, ...

Sandra White (Glasgow Kelvin) (SNP) SNP

Good morning, everyone. I am the MSP for Glasgow Kelvin and the deputy convener of the committee.

John Mason (Glasgow Shettleston) (SNP) SNP

I am the MSP for Glasgow Shettleston.

Christian Allard (North East Scotland) (SNP) SNP

Good morning. I am a North East Scotland MSP.

John Finnie (Highlands and Islands) (Ind) Ind

Madainn mhath. Good morning. I am a Highlands and Islands MSP.

Annabel Goldie (West Scotland) (Con) Con

Good morning. I am a West Scotland MSP.

Vic Valentine (Scottish Transgender Alliance)

Good morning. I am the policy officer at the Scottish Transgender Alliance. Just to let everyone know, I use the gender-neutral pronoun “they”.

James Morton (Scottish Transgender Alliance)

Hello. I am the manager of the Scottish Transgender Alliance.

Allison Ewing (Scottish Transgender Alliance)

I am the founder of a parent support group called transparentsees, which supports parents of trans children. We have a branch in Glasgow and one that has jus...

The Convener Lab

Would any of the witnesses like to make a brief opening statement?

James Morton

Thank you for inviting us to give evidence about the equal recognition campaign, which asks the Scottish Government to reform the Gender Recognition Act 2004...

The Convener Lab

Where are you with the current process for gender recognition?

James Morton

Since 2004, the act has provided a mechanism for transsexual people to change their gender on their birth certificates and therefore to change their legal ge...

John Mason SNP

You mentioned psychiatric diagnosis. I am not very knowledgeable about this area, so I ask you to assume that I do not know much. Will you explain what is in...

James Morton

In the World Health Organization’s international classification of diseases, the only thing that is required to receive a diagnosis of gender dysphoria—trans...

John Mason SNP

Is the United Kingdom unusual in how it deals with all this?

James Morton

The legislation in different countries very much reflects the year in which it was passed. Legislation passed back in the 1970s often required sterilisation ...

John Mason SNP

So you are basically arguing for self-declaration. There is no need for anything to replace the psychiatric diagnosis.

James Morton

We believe that the process should be similar to how people change their gender on other documents at the moment. People can get their name and gender marker...

Vic Valentine

In Europe, it is the Netherlands, Denmark, Malta, Ireland, Sweden, Norway and Belgium that use the self-declaration model. As James Morton said, most of that...

John Mason SNP

You said something earlier about six months. Is that relevant here? Does there have to be some kind of waiting period?

James Morton

The six months relates to access to medical interventions, because people need to be very confident that they are making the right decisions for irreversible...

John Mason SNP

Just to play devil’s advocate, I ask whether there any drawbacks or unintended consequences of self-declaration.

James Morton

There is sometimes concern that people might do that for some kind of nefarious purpose or as a joke. However, there is no evidence that people have been usi...

John Mason SNP

That is great—thank you.

Sandra White SNP

I would like to ask Allison a question. Is that okay, Allison?

Allison Ewing

Yes.

Sandra White SNP

I want to ask about the involvement of parents or guardians. James Morton mentioned that, in a psychiatric diagnosis, people are asked what toys they played ...

Allison Ewing

Parents are involved in the assessment process for children under 16. We see a psychiatrist and they ask about the child’s history; they encourage the child ...

Sandra White SNP

For children who do not have a parent or guardian, or a parent who is still living, it must be very difficult to get through that psychiatric diagnosis.