The UK government has intervened to stop Scotland’s GRR bill from becoming law. This is the successful culmination of a huge amount of work behind the scenes. Fair Play For Women campaigned from 2018 onwards to stop self-ID from becoming UK law. Together with other women’s groups, we succeeded. With that experience, we have been working closely for over a year with the Scottish women’s groups to protect them from the potential harms of self-ID being introduced in Scotland. We are pleased and relieved that the UK government has learned from its own consultation on self-ID and is now prepared to take action to protect the sex-based rights of women and girls.
People with gender dysphoria already have the right to change the sex recorded on their birth certificate under the Gender Recognition Act 2004. This is a unique right granted to them alone based on a recognised medical need. The Scottish government wants to give that right to everyone aged 16 or over, on demand. We believe that is unnecessary, naïve and reckless, because it is so clearly open to abuse. It is not supported by the Scottish public either. Numerous amendments to reduce the risk of abuse were rejected by Holyrood before the bill was passed. These included one to stop convicted sex offenders from getting a GRC, and another to pause the application for a GRC of someone awaiting trial for violent or sexual offences.
Four years ago the UK government was proposing self-ID for the whole of the UK. Now they have intervened to stop it. This is an important milestone in our fight to defend women and girls. Stopping self-ID is essential if we are to maintain the definitions of male and female in law so that we can define and protect sex-based rights. A powerful coalition of women across the UK has made this happen. We are proud to be part of it.
January 2023