Scottish ministers to challenge UK government over gender bill block

Scottish ministers have said they will take the UK government to court over its block of controversial gender legislation earlier this year.

The Scottish Government will ask for a judicial review of a decision to block the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill in January.

The legislation seeks to allow people aged 16 and above in Scotland to self-declare their legal sex, dispensing with medical gate keeping.

Under current legislation - the Gender Recognition Act 2004 - a person may only change legal sex if they are diagnosed with "gender dysphoria".

Applicants are also required to live in their "acquired gender" for a period of two years and be interviewed by a panel of doctors.

The Scottish bill threatens safeguarding as it would allow men to easily gain legal recognition as women and seek access to women-only spaces.

CARE has raised concerns about the bill's impact on children. Speaking last year, Michael Veitch, Scottish Parliamentary Officer at CARE, said:

“We do not accept the narrative of proponents that this Bill is essentially a tidying-up exercise aimed at reducing the bureaucracy of acquiring a Gender Recognition Certificate.

"On the contrary, by removing medical requirements, and reducing the statutory time limit to a nominal three-month period, the Bill introduces a de-facto system of ‘self-identification’.

“If passed, the Bill would send a very clear message to children and young people that their biological sex is not a fixed reality but entirely a matter of personal choice.

"'Self-identification’ could encourage them to make potentially life-altering changes to their bodies. We also have concerns about the bill’s impact on sex-based rights and conventions, and freedom of expression.”