Thread by @Scot_Feminists

Today we watched the 1st day's proceedings today of @ForWomenScot taking @scotgov to court. The topic is really very niche but will impact us all if the Judge rules for @scotgov (we won't know the outcome for at least a month or 2) so let's share what we learned 1/

Let's say you are male, called John, & you feel uncomfortable in your body for some reason. You acquire a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC) that allows you to change the sex on your birth certificate to female. We'll call this John's "certificated sex" 2/

Scottish Gov says that this GRC makes John female in ALL respects. So you ask for a female Doctor to do your smear & John turns up to do it because his certificated sex is now female. You attend a rape counselling session (job description was for females only) & John runs it 3/

So all the provisions in the Equality Act that create single-sex spaces for females, for safety or privacy or dignity can now include John. Tomorrow we hear how @scotgov are going to justify this. This is going to be good 4/

Conversely, say you are female & called Alice and you acquire a GRC so your certificated sex is now male. Scotgov says you are now male in all respects. As was pointed out today, Alice would lose any protection in law under the Abortion Act because it specifically mentions 5/

Women (and it means females) because only females can get pregnant or need an abortion and ScotGov says Alice is now male. Should Alice get pregnant (because a Scottish GRC requires no change of body, dress or behaviour to change your certificated sex so of course male Alice 6/

can get pregnant) the legislation that protects from discrimination during pregnancy, or while breast feeding, refers specifically to women, females. So sorry Alice, no legal protection. Should Alice be paid less in her job because everyone knows Alice is really female & 7/

treats her as such, despite being a certificated male, then Alice has no recourse in law because she's now male. Should Alice want IVF to get pregnant, she can't have it. Should Alice want to be a surrogate mother, to provide a baby to John perhaps, she can do what the 8/

hell she wants because the surrogacy legislation refers to women, females. Alice doesn't fall in the scope because her certificated sex is now male.
If Alice needs treatment for a gynaecological issue (as she has kept her female reproductive organs) she can be excluded from 9/

the female-only gynae ward (if such a thing exists on Scotland in 2022) but John would be allowed on that ward. Mind blown yet?
What was of particular interest was that the body created to look after the implementation of the Equality Act, @EHRC are supporting Scotgov's 10/

legal defence in court. Yes, that's right, the body given the job to uphold the law covering 9 protected characteristics believes that a GRC grants the holder a certificated sex in ALL respects. John becomes female and Alice becomes male & everyone else has to 11/

live with the consequences & women will bear the brunt. From the age of 16 Scotgov wants any male to be able to acquire a GRC, no medical diagnosis, no gatekeeping, no safeguarding & get a certificated sex of female. So young girls & women will have to accept John as female 12/

at all times, even when giving us internal examinations, or mammograms, serving time in a female prison, on our hospital ward, whereas the Alices of the world will be forced to be male in ALL aspects. Alice will be placed in male prisons, in male hospital wards, have males 13/

examine her.
We can't wait to hear tomorrow how @scotgov & EHRC justify this absolutely madness, imposed on the whole of the UK (oh yes, this shit will not just be in Scotland, sorry!). The impact of this little judicial review is HUGE @EHRCChair 14/

To get a tweet by tweet account of the equality horror show, please follow @tribunaltweets. You really do need to know what may be coming our way, whether you are John, Alice, or just the rest of us. Fingers crossed Lady Haldene rules for @ForWomenScot
#DeedsNotWords