Campaign and petition email responses

Treat trans people with respect

The Scottish Parliament overwhelmingly passed the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill at the end of last year with broad cross-party support. A Bill that I also support.

I completely oppose any attempts by the UK Government to block the Bill - such attempts would be wholly unacceptable.

All rights of trans people must be protected.

Indeed, trans people continue to suffer poorer outcomes and this needs to change.

Hate crimes with a transgender aggravator recorded by Police Scotland have increased every year since 2014/15, while total hate crimes have generally fallen.

My SNP Westminster colleague John Nicolson MP has recently pressed the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on this, saying: “An atmosphere of hate has been fanned by too many newspapers and, sadly, politicians. Does the Secretary of State agree that the now Prime Minister was wrong to weaponise anti-trans rhetoric during the Tory leadership campaign?”

Beyond the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill, the Scottish Government’s current work to improve the lives of LGBTI people includes:

• Providing funding of over £3m to organisations promoting LGBTI equality in Scotland over 2021-2024 through the Equality and Human Rights Fund.
• Supporting Gender Identity Service improvements.
• Taking forward the Scottish Government’s commitment to end conversion practices, introducing legislation by the end of 2023.
• A programme of action to promote equality and wellbeing for non-binary people, informed by the Non-Binary Working Group.
• Continuing to develop a new Human Rights Bill, which will, as far as possible within devolved competence, include provision to ensure equal access for everyone to the substantive rights contained in the Bill, including LGBTI people.

It is important that trans people, or anyone exploring their gender identity, have access to the right support, at the right time for them. That is why last year the Scottish Government published a Strategic Action Framework for NHS gender identity service improvement, which sets out how the Scottish Government are working to improve access to, and delivery of, these clinical services.

Rest assured I will always stand up for trans rights and vehemently oppose any attempts of Westminster sabotage to these rights.