by Alex Massie, Sunday Times
John Swinney and his colleagues have made clear they believe the male need for validation is more important than women’s safety and dignity
I do not know why John Swinney and his government colleagues are so very keen to house male murderers in women’s prisons, but I do know this is a question the first minister should be asked every day until the Scottish parliamentary election on May 7. If it is asked often enough, perhaps an answer will finally be forthcoming.
Even if it is not, however, the absence of a credible and persuasive answer will also be revealing. Voters should know that if they vote for the SNP (or the Green Party), they really are voting for men convicted of some of the most heinous crimes to be housed in the female prison estate simply because these men have decided they are in fact women themselves.
As a political matter, this is obtuse; as policy it is repellent. But this is the reality of modern Scotland, a place where ministers can argue they are obeying the Supreme Court’s confirmation that sex is a question of biology while simultaneously doing all they can to avoid following the law.
No wonder For Women Scotland, that indefatigable campaign group, are back in court challenging the Scottish government’s belief that making some male prisoners serve their sentences in male prisons risks breaching their human rights. If the government wins this case, I strongly believe we can expect a surge in cases of post-conviction sudden-onset gender dysphoria.