Section 22: A missing jigsaw piece in the Gender Recognition Reform Bill

Section 22 of Gender Recognition Act 2004 (GRA) provides stringent privacy protections for Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC) holders, aimed at protecting the privacy of those whose transition would otherwise not be immediately obvious. The 2004 Act creates criminal offences for…

Scotland 2022 census: Office for Statistics Regulation assessment

Earlier this year, the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) carried out an assessment of Scotland's 2022 census, which will allow the regulator to recommend whether the Census outputs should be designated as National Statistics when first released. As part of…

MBM response to evidence from the Cabinet Secretary on the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill

Our response to the evidence from Shona Robison, Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Housing and Local Government on the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill. The evidence from the Cabinet Secretary demonstrated that the Scottish Government still does not understand the…

Gender recognition reform in an international context

This week the Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee will take evidence from a number of witnesses who are likely to assert that international developments mean Scotland should move to a system of self-declaration for changing legal status.  This…

Joint statement by MBM, Keep Prisons Single Sex, LGB Alliance and For Women Scotland

Gender reconition reform: evidence to the Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee, 31st May 2022 We were pleased to have the opportunity to give evidence to the EHRCJ Committee this morning and are grateful that they saw fit to…

Lucy Hunter Blackburn: Oral evidence to the Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee, 31st May 2022

"Think of it this way. If a GRC is a sort of key, and you are going to hand out lots more copies, to a more diverse group,  the first job of legislators is to be really clear about what…

Joint note on Scottish Government handling of gender recognition reform

The note below was sent to Joe Fitzpatrick MSP, Convener of the Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee. The note highlights the Scottish Government’s inadequate policy processes, its failure to engender an atmosphere conducive to a civilised public debate…