Thread by @Fact_Fem

Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill #GRRScotland
Stage 3 Debate on Amendments and Final Vote

Group 7: Statutory declarations: formalities and supporting evidence

Paul O'Kane (Lab) speaking on Group 7 and Am. 100.
"shared objective of seeking greater clarity on the process of obtaining a GRC... of satutory declaration."
The process of SD is not widely known
#GRRScotland

Declarative forms expected to differ across the country.
PO seeks to standardise forms via Secretary General for consistency, otherwise will be different forms across Scotland.

Further evidence of a badly thought out & rushed bill... Why was this not considered? #GRRScotland

PO also sought definition of what "living as acquired gender" would mean. Having your name on various documents is proof of this, apparently 🤨 #GRRScotland

Graham Simpson (Con):
"trying to tease out what exactly is meant by living in the acquired gender because it troubles me that if this bill goes through, someone can just say they've changed gender without needing to prove that anything in their life has changed." #GRRScotland

GS: "I explained at Stage 2 that I could find no explanation for what living in the acquired gender means. I still don't know. But it surely has to mean something? If I'm to say that I'm a woman then common sense dictates that something might've changed in my life." #GRRScotland

GS really trying to push the point: "So I've tried at Stage 2, that the Gov should set out in legislation what changes would be considered evidence that a new gender had been acquired, but the Cab.Sec was having none of it."
Goes on to quote SR... #GRRScotland

Showing the absurdities of the bill...
"To say that someone is living in the acquired gender means that they are living their daily life in a gender that is different from that which was recorded at birth." 🤪
#GRRScotland

"...that is the gender they are living in when they make the application. Applicants will have to make a SD that they have lived in their acquired gender for 3m before applying & that they intend to do so for the rest of their lives."
GS says hes still no clearer😂
#GRRScotland

"She continued, as I indicated earlier the requirement is not about looking or dressing in a certain way, but about the way a person might demonstrate their lived gender to others."
GS looks perplexed. Pointing out the gaping holes & ridiculousness of the bill🤡
#GRRScotland

GS: "How might you do that then?"

SR interjects to say the guidance is the same as existing GRA 2004.

GS agrees & goes on to quote her further: "the bill does not change the position in the 2004 act in which examples of evidence incl. updating official documents."
#GRRScotland

GS says asked her to expand: "Guidance to 2004 act uses examples that incl. consistently using titles/pronouns, updating official gender markers, utility bills, describing themselves & being described by others, & using a name [all] associated with acquired gender" #GRRScotland

This is ridiculous. GS knows it & he doesn't have to do much more than read Robison's words back to the chamber 😂

McNeill: Points out that 2004 requires this as evidence, but the 2022 bill DOES NOT require the documentation, so the guidance is pointless #GRRScotland

GS points out that Am. 3 "Evidence of Living in the Acquired Gender" is a carbon copy of what Robison read out at Stage 2, with the opportunity to change these requirements through regulations.

GS tabling various amendments that require evidence of "acquired gender" #GRRScotland

GS is enjoying playing the game and I'm enjoying witnessing his enjoyment 😂
He is very clearly highlighting the ridiculousness of this bill, its definitions etc.
"Helpful steer at Stage 2 by the Cabinet Secretary herself." #GRRScotland

Michael Marra (Lab) raises issue of protections again:
"There is almost nothing in this bill that provides safeguarding against bad faith actors. The statutory declaration, ill defined in my view and transactional, is insufficient in this regard." #GRRScotland

MM: "Last night [Alsalem] gave compelling testimony saying that 'violent males who can take advantage of any loopholes will do so in order to get into women's spaces and have access to women'. Those words should weight heavily on all of us." 🔥 #GRRScotland

McNeill presses the point she made earlier - guidance is redundant if no evidence is required to obtain a GRC. So how can they know if a person is "living in the acquired gender".

SR: outlined that it's about guidance, not legislation.
#GRRScotland

I'm struggling guys. I'm 6 hours in now.
They're talking about technical stuff related to who a "person of good-standing" is for purposes of counter-signing an application. It's bland and not worth tweeting 😂

Group 8 (of 16) now... 🤪

So far, the bill is shaping up to be the ridiculous anti-safeguarding, women hating nonsense that we thought it would be.

https://twitter.com/Fact_Fem/status/1605324217154961408