Rishi Sunak’s government is threatening to block a new law that would make Scotland the first part of the UK to introduce a self-identification system for people who want to change gender.
In a significant escalation that brings tensions around transgender rights into the constitutional arena, Westminster made clear it would consider a “nuclear option” of blocking the bill from going for royal assent, a move that would enrage supporters of the changes and nationalists.
The Scottish government pledged to “vigorously contest” any such intervention.
The first minister and SNP leader, Nicola Sturgeon, called Sunak and his cabinet “democracy deniers” after the supreme court ruled in October that Holyrood could not legally hold another independence referendum without Westminster’s approval. The ruling has resulted in a polling boost for independence over the last month.
The Scottish government hailed what it called “a historic day for equality” after a vote on Thursday afternoon in which MSPs overwhelmingly backed plans to make it easier and less intrusive for individuals to legally change their gender, and to extend the streamlined system for obtaining a gender recognition certificate (GRC) to 16- and 17-year-olds. » | Libby Brooks and Peter Walker | Thursday, December 22, 2022
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My goodness! Don’t we live in interesting times! If Westminster denies the Scots the right to choose their own destiny, then maybe the time has come to cut the umbilical cord. Surely, the Scots will not be able to tolerate Westminster determining their future for them. Surely to do so would be deplorable. – © Mark Alexander
ÜBER DIESE GESCHICHTE AUF DEUTSCH LESEN:
Schottland führt einfache Änderung des Geschlechtseintrags ein: Transmenschen sollen ohne medizinisches Gutachten ihr Geschlecht ändern können. Trotz Protesten unter anderem von J.K. Rowling nahm das schottische Parlament ein entsprechendes Gesetz mit großer Mehrheit an. »
