Gender Recognition Reform Bill – Survey: Q6 comments

Question 6: What other amendments do you think there should be to the GRA?

Use a similar process to the Children’s panel to support people, especially children dealing with confusion about their gender and seeking medical interventions. Ensure they are given the full range of help and not channelled down a transitioning route.

All applicants should be screened by a psychiatrist or psychologist to get help with underlying conditions. Anyone who is transitioning due to AGP should be barred from a GRC.

Only people who have gone through sex reassignment surgery can be classed as Trans Gender.

It is insulting to womanhood for any man to just utter the words ’I am a woman’ and expect to be treated as a woman in every possible way. I have no issue with a man wearing any specific clothing, it is the rights and protections specific to females ( single sex spaces, sports, health and justice services etc) that must be protected for natal females only. Children must also be protected from the influence of gender ideology from any source (parental, social, media and educational) and allowed to be children in the fullest sense up to the age of 18.

Disallow sex education staff advising infants and young children who may have any issues of dysphoria to keep it a secret from their parents, instructed by teachers.

No one should be able to change the details on their birth certificate.

Child protection issues to be paramount, mental health services to be improved, women’s rights to be respected.

Sex must be defined as the biological sex at birth and gender, whatever that means defined.

Gender is identity, sex is biology and not transmutable, since when does someone’s individual lifestyle choices and fear by and largely from their own sex become a great light for men to make the world an even more dangerous place for women (& the lack of appreciation of this just confirms that they don’t have a clue what it is to be a woman) I have no idea why we are pandering to any of this: surely we should be addressing things like hate crime and educating people – I’m happy for anyone to live as they please and will defend that and if they pass they pass but no-one has the right to come in and try and steal my small rights. this is about people stamping their feet and demanding to get an invitation to the party and we are pandering to the worst excesses of me me me here, “I demand for others to see me as I want to be seen”. This should just be about legal protection to be free from harm. it’s more things like intersex etc that needs to be addressed so that no-one is overlooked, or wrongly excluded or pigeon holed – what do they need to be acknowledged and celebrated as clearly as the male female binary and gender identity needs to be put back where it belongs – by and large a mostly flawed social construct that mostly denigrates and reduces all of us.

There should be psychological support for people who are genuinely distressed by feeling they are ‘born the wrong sex’. This support should not encourage transition but explore the social reasons underlying those feelings.

Prevent autogynephiles from masquerading as trans and prohibit trans persons from working for single-sex groups such as scouting and guiding, unless they register their birth sex.

I’ve ticked the closest to what I believe, but to be honest I don’t see the need for or purpose of GRCs now that same sex marriage is legal. Their purpose was to create a legal fiction re sex, which is no longer required. By contrast there is no situation in which one currently needs to provide documentary evidence of one’s ‘gender’. The whole thing is a total mess, lacking definitions (because there is no definition of gender, or of living in an acquired gender, bar regressive stereotypes). It should be repealed.

Acknowledgement should be made that this legislation was born from homophobia and misogyny, as a way of avoiding overt gay marriage, entirely at women’s expense. If not repealed, the words LEGAL FICTION should be stamped on every page.

Consequences of hormone treatments and surgery should be fully explained before asking for consent. Psychological assessments should always be required and treatments be available.

Protect sex segregated sports.

All psychiatric/psychological costs for an individual (of any age) with gender dysphoria should be covered by the NHS, however all costs associated with physical change should be paid by the person wishing to take the hormones/surgery, and they should be over 18 years old to do so.

Open discussion on Media. Only GB News talk about it. Public still largely unaware. Draw attention to the AGPs and the creepy/insidious acceptance of Drag Queens, as if it’s Normal to intro to chn in libraries/schools. Highlight the genuine dysphoric ppl., who WANT diagnosis as opposed to the fetishes/AGP ETC who don’t want medical intervention but quick Self ID.

Only people who have gone through sex reassignment surgery can be classed as Trans Gender.

Trans women in women’s sport should be disallowed.

Disallow sex education staff advising infants and young children who may have any issues of dysphoria to keep it a secret from their parents, instructed by teachers.

Mammogram and smear to be done by women.

Acquired gender should not entitle entry to single sex competitive sport. Perhaps that has to be handled by treating any such attempt by the sports body concerned being prima facie sex discrimination.

Consequences of hormone treatments and surgery should be fully explained before asking for consent. Psychological assessments should always be required and treatments be available.

Legal right for a spouse to divorce before a GRC is issued if that is what they want provide quality support for partners and their children as a right.

Birth certificates should not be amended as it is impossible to change sex.

Delete the wording of Clarify and replace with STATE CATEGORICALLY , that a GRC does not change biological sex. Delete the wording of Clarify and replace with STATE CATEGORICALLY , that a GRC does not mean a person is entitled to the single-sex spaces of the opposite sex.
The minimum length of residency in Scotland should be 12 years before any application can be made.
A statutory recall of successful applicants should be made every 3 years to verify applicants are living within their REQUESTED gender.
Introduce a statutory LAW that ANY consultation on ANY PROPOSAL to undermine or reconfigure the rights of Scottish women and girls by ANY Scottish government MUST ONLY be applicable and available to Scots in Scotland and the results MUST be publicly available by LAW.
I make these proposals as a 71 year old proud male with a wife , a daughter and 2 granddaughters who is disgusted and outraged by the politicians in HR and elsewhere pursuing this REVILED legislation to curry favour with a group of deviant perverts who are fixated on the sex lives of our children and whose computers should be rigorously investigated.

Consideration must be given to staff who have to enforce the GRA. Particularly in frontline services.

It should be ‘amended’ to be repealed.

While I do not think the GRA should be repealed per se, I am of the view that the proposed reform bill should be paused. This would be for the purposes of allowing a fully inclusive consultation to be undertaken, one that involves all stakeholder organisations, ensuring the issues such as those raised in the above statements are addressed fully.

Other persons should not be expected to change their own language for those who receive a GRC. They cannot expect others (especially children) to partake in wrongly sexing people. Pronouns, biology ect. My autistic brother cannot, no matter how many times teacher try and “explain” it to him, he can’t lie.

Single Spaces for Women need to be retained as such to provide private and safe places for girls and women to feel confident to use services / facilities in all public/ private / businesses sectors – otherwise many women/ girls esp. of different ethnicities / religions will find themselves unable to participate/ their life chances reduced which will have a negative / detrimental impact on families/ communities who are already suffering from exclusion in living a full life in this country due to racism, misogyny etc.

Insist that equality monitoring data is disaggregated by sex not gender Prevent people acquiring a GRC whilst in gaol Create trans/non binary as a specific category for data purposes to be used when gender does not align with sex.

Protect the hard fought for rights of women achieved by women of the past.

Police Scotland should not be forced to record sex offences as committed by “a woman” if the perpetrator self declares as a woman.

Protection for trans widows and their children and ability to describe history without discrimination and having to rewrite their reality.

Should not be possible to change sex on birth certificate.

Increase age. To 25. New sentencing guidelines identified the age of cognitive maturity as 25, ie under that age people are less able to fully comprehend risk and consequences of actions. Social transition can be as life-changing – and difficult to reverse – as medical transition. Therefore, age 25 would provide appropriate, consistent safeguards. Even getting a tattoo has an aged limit of over 18.

Define the rôle and extent of CAMHS in all matters relating to gender dysphoria. This will require additional resources as the current level of mental health provision for children and adolescents is lamentable. Remove obligations on schools to be proactive in this area while ensuring tolerance. Acknowledging that children can change their minds and ensuring that they feel free to do this. Telling them that they are free to do so.

Given the nature of psychiatric diagnoses – see http://cepuk.org/unrecognised-facts/diagnostic-system-lacks-validity/ the whole idea of `gender dysphoria` needs a serious re-think.

Children should not be told that they may be in in the wrong body or that they can change sex.

I support genuine trans people who want to get on with their lives but self ID enables those who cause harm/discomfort to women and girls. There needs to be discussion/debate around concerns and re transwomen competing with natal women in sport.

Stop ‘gender neutral’ toilets in the NHS and keep men out of women’s wards no matter how they ‘identify’. Changing rooms and school and college toilets and all public places which were and still should be women only.

Sex offenders should not be allowed to use GRC to conceal their identity from the public. Or to hide offending past for any job, which does not require Disclosure check (employers should have access to any info re: change of name or gender). GRC should be removed from anyone convicted of this. I’ve ticked “Yes” re: Q7 but would have ticked “Don’t know” if option available. I think GRA is poorly worded &, partly, why orgs have been given misinfo by Lobbyists-so that they didn’t feel confident upholding Single Sex Spaces, except on “case by case” basis (in case sued). But I don’t think it was as problematic as giving GRCs out to a broader cohort so that single sex spaces/workers will be even more difficult to uphold.

Get this present government to sort the country out instead of accommodating their “unhealthy obsession” with matters like this, and “LEAVE” children to their parents, make Joe Soap Public aware how much they are spending on their “projects” for that’s more important, that would put a different view from JSP.

Don’t allow it at all. Sex is immutable and cannot be changed. Fantasy should have no legal recognition.

Biological sex should be recorded in case of crime.

Protect womens sports and prisons for females only. Schools to enforce single sex spaces for females, regardless of whether age of GRC is lowered to 16 years.

Trans women should not compete in sport with biological women.

No offender once convicted should be allowed to go through GRC process. It is clear this will be used to gain access to female prison estate

Waiting times for treatment/assessment reduced – I suspect that self ID is being proposed by the government in part to disguise their failures to provide access to healthcare for trans people that would be timely and appropriate. Rather than radically reducing the ‘reflection period’, they should focus on reducing their own waiting times.

Provide protection in law for women’s sports happening in Scotland. Strengthen safeguarding in schools. Acknowledge that a refusal to recognise gender is protected.

Guidance to schools by the Scottish Government should be changed to reflect the needs of girls to have single-sex changing rooms and toilets.

All businesses and places of work (both private and public) should adhere to the legal definitions and not pre empt the law by allowing practices that are both illegal and discriminatory against females AS THE LAW STANDS NOW. The trans lobby simply rides roughshod over existing laws, pretending to the gullible and fearful that the law already allows them access to single-sex spaces, jobs, positions, prizes, sports and so on.
Also, practices that are illegal now if practised in the public square should be treated as the illegal practices they are and dealt with as any other male would be dealt with, otherwise, our consent laws mean nothing and even children may be subjected to sexual practices that are illegal, and without their consent.
The hideous surgery and other treatments given to young people and children should cease forthwith – until they are 18 years of age. Sweden has changed the law recently to take the vulnerable into account.
The 2004 GRA has been superseded by other legislation (same sex marriage, etc.) and should no longer be used as the springboard to more and more incursions into female spaces and rights. The latest Gender Reform (Scotland) Bill has been predicated on that 2004 GRA, and it is very obvious that, while there might well be good reasons for speeding up the process for some (based on proper medical scrutiny) it will almost certainly be paraphilic males who will take advantage of legislation that was never intended for them. This whole thing has to be fought on female human rights which are being cast aside. It is a gross breach of the human rights legislation as it applies to women and to the UN’s own female rights legislation. We must fight everything now. Acquiescence to be kind is no longer an option. These people do not understand empathy.

Compulsory psychiatric care before anything is granted. Patient to accept that ‘living as’ does NOT mean *is*. No surgery under 21 and only with complete psych evaluation over a period of time, realistic measures to show *actual* outcomes instead of fantasy outcomes and compulsory human biology lessons for at least 6 month – many appear not to understand the basic workings of the bodies of either sex.
Prosecution of medical staff who encourage / celebrate this kind of Mengele surgery. 10 years ago, is was pro ana – we didn’t starve those who suffered and lock the larder to prevent them changing their minds. How is pandering to a mental illness ever a cure?

Children in primary schools should not be exposed to trans ideology and children in this age group who express a wish to transition should be supported to explore their feelings without being affirmed.

Ensure differential diagnosis to rule out e.g. neurodiversity, ACEs, issues pertaining to sexuality or paraphilia. Everyone to have comprehensive psychological analysis preceding transition and only then can they apply for a GRC.

We should not be changing birth certificates at all. There should be other mechanisms built in so that birth records remain unchanged.

18 should be the minimum age for any action which irrevocably puts people on a path to transitioning. Transitioning must be medically and legally defined and approved: self-identification is a dangerous nonsense.

The GRA should be repealed altogether. I have yet to hear a decent argument as to why it is needed.

I really don’t understand why this is necessary. We can all tell the difference between a male and a female so lying on your birth certificate isn’t going to help your birth sex go undetected. It makes me wonder who wants this and why. We should not be encouraging this misappropriation. Let’s put the money into mental health and sort out the route cause. REPEAL THE GRA.

Stop those who have changed gender competing in women’s sports. Make it clear they are not real women.

Refer to Galileo’s moment of freedom when he stamped his foot ad muttered ‘ e pur si muove’ – and yet it moves. He said this after he was tortured into recanting his belief that the Earth moved around the Sun. The Earth is not flat; biological sex cannot be changed; a man cannot become a woman and vice versa – we are not living in the Middle Ages… We are not in Russia fed lies – yet!

Clarify that single-sex services are exactly that and do not have to decide case-by-case. If they do this, they must not call themselves single-sex.

Previous (so called ‘dead’) names should be on all ID documents.

Crimes to be recorded by biological sex. GRC to be removed if a sexual offence/violent crime is committed even if it’s the first time.

Research possible tightening of conditions for getting a GRC. Consult SEGM for data. Ensure that a certificate is granted specifically to accommodate/alleviate a medical mental health condition, not as a human right. Replace the current Gender Recognition Act.

Birth certificate change should always allow a reference back to original name. This avoids sex offenders, criminals or ithers using the change of name and sex marker for nefarious reasons or to avoid background checks and references.

A GRC should be the requirement for anyone wishing to access women’s rights, spaces and services. This should only be issued after full SRS, as polling has shown women only accept males in our spaces when they no longer have their penis. What women consent to should be paramount here.

We need to recognise that this debate is being made toxic by those who believe their opinions override biological facts. That cannot be tolerated. It is also necessary that the authorities make it clear that those with concerns are NOT transphobic but are entitled to express a view without being labelled in a negative way. (It is unfortunate that the First Minister herself chose to label our views transphobic along with her Education Minister.) Attempting to use such damaging labels as a means of closing down debate is utterly disgusting and highly dangerous. Similarly, it is not acceptable for any First Minister of Scotland to dismiss views as “not valid”.

GRA is not fit for purpose and the reasons for it passing (eg concept of gay marriage) are no longer relevant. Reading the debates recorded in Hansard show that every case of ‘that will never happen’ has, indeed, happened – multiple times.

Protect children at all costs.

A clear definition in law of: man, woman, transgender.

Only to be given if severe dysphoria diaganosed by psycharitrist – only to be give OVER the age of 24/5. Cost to be increased to same as cost of citizenship.

Just using this space to answer Q7 – in the longer term I think the GRA should be repealed (bad law passed for bad reasons) but strategically I think it would be a mistake to campaign for that at the moment.