Women’s organisations call on MSPs to reject proposal to reform the Gender Recognition Act

Women Speak Scotland, as part of a coalition of 14 Scottish grassroots feminist and women’s rights organisations, have called on the Scottish Parliament to reject the Scottish Government’s proposed reform of the Gender Recognition Act.

Our joint statement, sent to all 129 MSPs, sets out our principled objections to the proposed legislation in its current form.

The First Minister has offered an assurance that this new legislation will “not … remove any of the legal protections women currently have”.

We welcome this commitment to women’s sex-based rights.

However, we believe the central feature of the proposed Bill – the introduction of sex self-identification – is incompatible with retaining women’s existing rights and protections under the Equality Act.

We use the term sex self-ID rather than gender self-ID because the most significant aspect of obtaining a gender recognition certificate (GRC) is that it allows people to engage in the legal fiction that they have become a member of the opposite sex, despite the biological impossibility of such an action.

Sex self-ID contributes to widespread confusion that makes it increasingly difficult to name, identify or define women or to protect any single-sex spaces, including hospital wards, prisons, youth hostels and changing rooms, sports, awards and women-only shortlists.

We ask the Scottish Government to drop its plans to introduce sex self-ID and to ensure its commitment to women is kept by:

  • Ensuring women’s voices and experiences are heard and inform any legislative change;
  • Ensuring protections for women on the basis of our sex are strengthened and not weakened by any changes to legislation;
  • Maintaining single-sex spaces for the dignity, privacy, physical, emotional and psychological safety of women and girls;
  • Guaranteeing the human rights of women, including those to freedom of speech and assembly, are not adversely affected by legislative change.

We ask all MSPs to vote against the proposed Bill because of its hugely detrimental impact on women’s rights to safe single-sex spaces and freedom of speech.

Signatories
Frontline Feminists Scotland
Women Speak Scotland
Sole Sisters
Women Matter
Keep Prisons Single Sex
Liberal Voice for Women
Yes Women’s Pledge
Labour Women’s Declaration
Conservatives For Women
Independence for Scotland Party (ISP)
Brodie’s Trust
Audacious Women Festival
National Network of Scottish Feminists
Women’s Human Rights Campaign (Scotland)

For more information, please contact info@womenspeakscotland.com

Fuel supplies: DON’T PANIC!

The Business Secretary met with senior executives from the fuel industry last night following ‘supply chain issues’ at petrol forecourts.

During the meeting, attendees discussed issues caused by supply chain pressures and spikes in localised demand.

As a result, Businesses Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng agreed to implement a measure to temporarily exempt industry from the Competition Act 1998 for the purpose of sharing information and optimising supply.

Known as The Downstream Oil Protocol, this step will allow Government to work constructively with fuel producers, suppliers, hauliers and retailers to ensure that disruption is minimised as far as possible.

The measure will make it easier for industry to share information, so that they can more easily prioritise the delivery of fuel to the parts of the country and strategic locations that are most in need.

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said: We have  long-standing  contingency plans in place to work with industry so that fuel supplies can be maintained and deliveries can still be made in the event of a serious disruption.

“While there has always been and continues to be plenty of fuel at refineries and terminals, we are aware that there have been some issues with supply chains. This is why we will enact the Downstream Oil Protocol to ensure industry can share vital information and work together more effectively to ensure disruption is minimised.

“We thank HGV drivers and all forecourt staff for their tireless work during this period.”

The decision follows a package of measures announced over the weekend which will see the Government ease temporary supply chain pressures brought on by the pandemic and the global economy rebounding around the world.

These include an immediate increase in HGV testing, short term visas for HGV drivers and new skills bootcamps to train up to 3,000 more people to become HGV drivers.

In a joint statement, stakeholders* said: “We are in regular contact with Government ministers and policy officials and it was reassuring to meet with the Business Secretary again on Sunday evening and discuss further action.

We will continue to work closely in partnership over this period with local and national Government and want to reassure the public that the issues that have arisen are due to temporary spikes in customer demand, not a national shortage of fuel.

* Joint statement from:

  • Fuels Transport and Logistics (FTL)
  • Greenergy
  • Wincanton
  • Shell
  • Certas
  • XPO
  • UK Petroleum Industry Association (UKPIA)
  • Association of Convenience Stores
  • ExxonMobil