LGBTQ+ groups in Wales have criticised the decision of the UK government to block Scottish parliament's Gender Recognition Reform Bill. Labelling the move as "crass and offensive", the charity Pride Cymru joined other LGBTQ+ groups in Wales to voice concern after the UK government said it would use its power to block the bill from becoming law.
Pride Cymru has criticised the UK government as using trans people as a "pawn" in an "obscure constitutional argument" and described the decision to block the bill as offensive to the thousands of people in Scotland that would benefit from it. The UK Government has confirmed it will use a section 35 order to block this law and claims the bill would have "adverse effects" on the operation of the Equality Act 2010- impacting single-sex clubs, associations and schools and protections such as equal pay.
In a response by Pride Cymru, a spokesperson wrote: "The LGBTQ+ community feels let down and betrayed by this callous decision. So much scrutiny has gone into this Bill, it even clarifies that the 2010 Equality Act is not affected."
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Pride Cymru hope the Scottish Government vigorously contests the Section 35 order. The statement added: "The UK Government's naked attempt to undermine devolution and score political points, by whipping up hatred and fear against trans people must fail."
In a statement from Swansea Pride, the Section 35 order was slammed as an attempt to marginalise trans people for political purposes. "Swansea Pride is appalled at the latest attempt to use trans rights as a political point score by the UK Government," read the statement. "The legislation that has taken six years to progress through the Scottish Parliament, has been consulted on and debated thoroughly."
"We stand in solidarity with our trans community," the spokesperson added.
The proposed bill would change the process for applying for legal gender recognition in Scotland, reducing the minimum age a person can apply for a Gender Recognition Certificate from 18 to 16 and making it simpler for trans people to update the gender marker on their birth certificates.
Young people in Scotland would also no longer need a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria under the bill- a term used to describe the discomfort or distress that can come with having a gender identity that does not match up to the gender you were assigned at birth.
It is the first time in 25 years that the UK government has used its power to block a parliamentary bill in Scotland from becoming law. The decision has also been criticised by Plaid Cymru's Westminster leader as a calculated attack on devolution, democracy and trans rights and one Welsh Government minister said anyone who believes in devolution should be "genuinely concerned". You can read more about that here.
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