For Women Scotland respond to Sturgeon's plans to reform the Gender Recognition Act

Campaign group describe move as one of the "most sexist" policies introduced in a Programme for Government

For Women Scotland is a grassroots organisation that campaigns to protect and strengthen women’s sex-based rights. Yesterday, following Nicola Sturgeon’s announcement that she was going to reform the Gender Recognition Act within the next twelve months, FWS tweeted their immediate response in an awesome Twitter thread. Here it is, all 21 tweets.

For Women Scotland @ForwomenScot

1. Today the First Minister committed to GRA reform in the first year of Parl. She has failed to answer any of the concerns of her critics and instead committed to one of the most sexist policies ever to be introduced in a programme for government. #BinTheBill #WomenWontWheesht

Today (7 September) the First Minister committed to GRA reform in the first year of Parl. She has failed to answer any of the concerns of her critics and instead committed to one of the most sexist policies ever to be introduced in a programme for government. #BinTheBill #WomenWontWheesht

She claimed to want reassure those concerned about the policy, but unless and until @NicolaSturgeon engages properly with her critics, the well-founded opposition to reform will not go away. If she believes she has a case, she should meet us openly and make it.

Once again, she presumes that those opposed to reform operate from a place from misapprehension or ignorance. It is insulting to the intelligence of the women who have worked on this & an indication that she doesn't really trust her own arguments enough to test them publicly.

Ms Sturgeon says “ It will make the existing process of gender recognition less degrading, intrusive and traumatic. In other words, it will make life easier for one of the most stigmatized minorities in our society.” #BinTheBill #WomenWontWheesht

First of all, @ScotGovFM must excuse us if we think some of the most marginalised and vulnerable in our society are women in prison or shelters and if we are more concerned for their safety than the feelings of men. If we put women's dignity ahead of men's validation.

What @NicolaSturgeon proposes will allow anyone and everyone to change a legal document - the record of their birth- without oversight or any medical diagnosis. No one can change sex. #SexNotGender #BinTheBill

Birth certificates are not a record of gender but of sex. It appears that, after all, @NicolaSturgeon doesn’t believe her own hype when she says that sex and gender are different, that sex is immutable and biological. #WomenWontWheesht

What is the purpose served by allowing this legal falsehood? We have equal marriage & this government are obsessively wedded to allowing the legally non- defined gender to override sex. This is essentially the erosion of sex in law & with it the ability to legislate for women.

If GRCs are really is needed in extremis of a medical condition, why bin the process? Why not assess the mental health needs of people who have such a torrid relationship with their body? But if they are happy with their male anatomy what possible benefit does this bring?

The @ScotGovFM is a fool not to understand that this will be used to abuse women and commit fraud. #BinTheBill #WomenWontWheesht

Yet, she claims,“What it will not do is remove any of the legal protections that women currently have.” This is abject nonsense. In law, you need definitions. A person’s legal sex is changed by a GRC.

Ms Sturgeon may be admitting that as self ID has been allowed, covertly, to undermine women’s protections, already weakened systems will not be affected. But wrecking women’s legal protection because you failed to protect their services isn’t really the work of a “feminist”.

 “We should never forget that the biggest threats to women’s safety come...from abusive and predatory men”. We hesitate to believe that anyone can be so naive as to think these abusive and predatory men will not push on an open door. Or, indeed, dance over the welcome mat.

Indeed, many in prison already have. Ms Sturgeon has no plan to prevent these dangerous people using her law - we have ample evidence, from California, Ireland, Argentina, and elsewhere that they will take full advantage.

For Women Scotland @ForwomenScot

15. Ms Sturgeon pays lip service to "deep seated sexism". We would say it the height of sexism to assume that women are a feeling in a man's head, that gendered ideas are real and sex is not (and if sex is not real, sexism isn't either).

Ms Sturgeon pays lip service to "deep seated sexism". We would say it the height of sexism to assume that women are a feeling in a man's head, that gendered ideas are real and sex is not (and if sex is not real, sexism isn't either).

And what does Ms Sturgeon offer? What is the price of our safety, of our very name in law? “We will invest £100 million to tackle domestic abuse and violence against women”. How dare she conflate these two measures? Is this to be the bribe, the price of women’s compliance?

She promises to “take account of the recommendations of the Working Group on Misogyny” and implement the Women’s Health Plan. We note that none of these measures have the urgency of the GRA proposal.

Women are dying and continue to die while we wait.

If the Gov can't define women in law, how can we have any faith in a health plan or in the misogyny group? We know that women's lives have been put at risk by health campaigns which erase the word "woman". Will the women’s health plan be derailed by arguments over gender?

After all, how can you talk about heart attacks presenting differently in women if we now have to accept that any man can legally be a woman?

While working groups and gov tinker with definitions, they erase the very reason this plan is needed.

If they cared about the misogynistic abuse of women, they could have legislated in Hate Crime as suggested by Lord Bracadale rather than pushing this off looking for elusive gaps in law.

And why? because despite claiming to care about sex protection Ms Sturgeon and her government have proved resistant to actually legislating in any real way for women on basis of sex.

We saw this in Hate Crime Bill & in the Forensic Medical Bill when the government did all they could to stop women being protected. So no, Ms Sturgeon, we do not trust you or your government.

And if you really wanted us to believe you would have the courage of your convictions and talk.

One last comment. What on earth was the point of the consultation @NicolaSturgeon? Is there to be any attempt to address the evidence presented in the responses or did you always intend to ignore them?

We know the detailed replies of many individuals are being overlooked.

For Women Scotland @ForwomenScot

23. One last comment. What on earth was the point of the consultation @NicolaSturgeon? Is there to be any attempt to address the evidence presented in the responses or did you always intend to ignore them? We know the detailed replies of many individuals are being overlooked.