Meeting of the Parliament 22 December 2022
I echo the words of the cabinet secretary and put on the record my thanks to all parliamentary staff, including the very hard-working bill team.
It is with regret that I believe that the bill has shown the Parliament at its worst. The debate on the bill has been sorely missing compromise by the Government for women across Scotland. The Government has not sought to achieve consensus, nor has it made a serious attempt to bring people together. Women have real fears about the consequences of the bill, but they have been ignored. The First Minister has dismissed justified and legitimate concerns as “not valid”.
I want to begin by taking the opposite approach and focusing initially on where we can mostly agree. I can endorse much of what the Government and MSPs across the chamber say when it comes to improving the process for trans people. I believe in the principle that nobody in society should suffer because of who they are, and that everyone should be free to go about their lives as they please, within the scope of the law.
The administrative process of changing gender should be simple for trans people. It should not be overly intrusive, burdensome or in any way demeaning. I am sure that the majority of the Scottish public would agree on those points, but they do not agree with the reforms in the bill. The public are not on side with these changes. A clear majority is against the legislation, as has been shown in recent polls. Nicola Sturgeon has not brought the people of Scotland with her.
In the rush to make the process a little easier for trans people, the Government is making it easier for criminal men to attack women. That is the problem here.