For all intents and purposes, this is a national debate that has barely engaged with one of its key players and, without that perspective, a truly toxic environment around the Gender Recognition Act (GRA) has been allowed to flourish – and the responsibility lies squarely at the feet of anti-trans activists.
The word trans comes from the Latin “across” or “beyond” and is used as an umbrella term for a range of identities for people whose gender does not match what they were thought to be at birth. These include trans men who are men that were assigned female at birth, trans women who are women that were assigned male at birth, and non-binary people who do not identify as male or female, regardless of what they were assigned at birth.
Proposed changes to the GRA would allow trans people to self-declare their identity, skipping what is at the moment a lengthy and degrading process. It could also allow for the legal recognition of non-binary people like myself.
However you could be forgiven for thinking that the GRA was about trans women having access to women-only spaces. I’m going to let you in on the truth: they already do.
Trans men use male bathrooms. Trans women use women’s. Services such as Rape Crisis Scotland and Women’s Aid already provide access to self-declared trans women seeking refuge without incident.
Their right to do so is enshrined already in the Equality Act.
Anti-trans activists have used the GRA consultation as a springboard to discuss rolling back the rights that trans people already have, and in doing so have painted a one-sided picture that is more than reminiscent of Project Fear. The case of Ann Henderson this week is a prime example. The Edinburgh Uni rector was accused of transphobia after sharing links to a Westminster event that claimed it wanted to ask questions about the GRA. Supporters of Henderson say these accusations are simply a means to shut down debate, but the reality is more complicated.
The debate was supported by A Woman’s Place, Fair Play for Women and Transgender Trend.
Between them they have encouraged followers to smear bloody tampons on the walls of public bathrooms with the intention of scaring away trans women; they’ve had to delete years worth of tweets after they were exposed as transphobic online; they created school resource packs that were described as “deeply damaging” by Stonewall; and they have pushed to legitimise a pseudoscientific diagnosis called Rapid-Onset Gender Dysphoria, which has no peer-reviewed backing, and claims that children can essentially catch being transgender. Gay panic, is that you calling?