During the Stage 1 oral evidence sessions on the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill, the definition of ‘transgender identity’ was discussed. This briefing traces how ‘cross-dressers’ came to be included within the definition of transgender identity in the…
Author: Kath Murray
Protecting Speech that Offends: Theory and Practice (December 2020)
This blog considers the implications of the Scottow judgement and other recent court cases in England for the Hate Crime Bill.
Sex and gender in the Forensic Medical Services Bill
The Stage 3 debate on the Forensic Medical Services (Victims of Sexual Offences) (Scotland) Bill will take place this Thursday, 10 December. The purpose of the bill is to improve access to healthcare services for victims of rape and sexual…
Read More Sex and gender in the Forensic Medical Services Bill
International evidence and the risks of reframing the sex question in the census
At the time of writing, the three UK census authorities (National Records of Scotland , Office for National Statistics, and the Northern Ireland Research and Statistics Authority) are planning to provide guidance to accompany the sex question in the next…
Read More International evidence and the risks of reframing the sex question in the census
Sex, gender identity, and the erosion of academic norms
On 20 November Scottish Affairs published an advance online copy of our new article, 'Losing Sight of Women's Rights (Again), in which we defend an earlier paper, published by the same journal in 2019. Our new article was written in response…
Read More Sex, gender identity, and the erosion of academic norms
Policy divergence in the UK census
Every ten years the census gives us a complete picture of the nation. It allows us to compare different groups of people across the United Kingdom because the same questions are asked, and the information is recorded, in the same…
Options for securing consensus on the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill (September 2020)
This blog may be downloaded as a briefing hereA more detailed briefing note on these proposals can be accessed here It has been hard to miss the reaction to the Scottish Government’s proposal in its hate crime bill to extend…
MBM response to the UK Government GRA announcement
Today’s statement by Liz Truss brings much needed clarity on the UK Government’s proposals to reform the Gender Recognition Act. We have previously argued that a shift to a system of self-declaration, without the requirement for a diagnosis of gender…
Read More MBM response to the UK Government GRA announcement
The limits of precedent and the special case of racial hatred (August 2020)
This blog is available as a briefing here In response to a recent parliamentary question by Labour MSP James Kelly on the proposed stirring up hatred offences in the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill, and whether these should…
Read More The limits of precedent and the special case of racial hatred (August 2020)
Should ‘Variations in Sex Characteristics’ be included in the Hate Crime and Public Order Bill? (August 2020)
This blog can be downloaded as a briefing paper here The Hate Crime and Public Order Bill provides for ‘Variations in Sex Characteristics’ (VSCs) as a standalone protected characteristic. This represents a change from the Offences (Aggravation by Prejudice) (Scotland)…