Nicola Sturgeon’s trans zealotry is an affront to democracy

The Scottish government’s determination to push through its Gender Recognition Reform Bill, in spite of widespread opposition, makes for a disturbing spectacle. Public concern, political scrutiny, not to mention democracy, are being trampled under foot, as Sturgeon and pals march on with their plan to impose extreme trans ideology on Scotland.

This bill, if enacted, would effectively allow people aged 16 and over to demand that Scottish society recognises their chosen gender. Unlike the rest of the UK, those seeking to change gender in Scotland would no longer require a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria, be 18 or over, or have lived in their ‘acquired’ gender for two years (just three months will do). Scottish citizens hoping to transition will simply have to make a declaration to Scotland’s registrar general, which will then grant a ‘gender-recognition certificate’ confirming the individual in his or her new gender. This marks a profound legislative and societal shift. It will turn one’s objective identity as a man or a woman into a subjective choice – a matter of mere ‘gender self-identification’.

Make no mistake: there is huge pushback against this bill. During stage one of its passage through the Scottish parliament, it was met with the largest backbench revolt in the SNP’s 15 years in power. One SNP minister, Ash Regan, even resigned in protest at the bill, stating that her conscience ‘would not allow [her] to vote with the government’. Six other SNP MSPs defied the party whip and two more abstained. The bill still passed this initial stage, such is the SNP’s dominance of what often seems like a one-party state. But given the wee one’s intolerance of dissent, the fact that members of Sturgeon’s own party were still prepared to break rank spoke volumes.

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