WPUK statement: For Women Scotland vs the Scottish Ministers

For Women Scotland vs the Scottish Ministers

We would like to express our solidarity with For Women Scotland. There can be no doubt that women and campaign groups across the breadth of the UK stand shoulder to shoulder with them in the face of this disappointing ruling.

Lady Haldane’s controversial judgement, states that sex is ‘not limited to biology’ and that a GRC for the purposes of the 2010 Equality Act, ‘is female, or male, according to the terms of their GRC’.

This highlights the issues at stake in next week’s vote on Scotland’s Gender Recognition Reform Bill. We urge MSP’s to press pause on GRR.

There are clear ramifications for the Gender Recognition Reform Bill currently before Parliament and we hope some time will be allowed for MSPs to digest the ruling and its consequences. It is now beyond doubt that the Bill is not a “simple administration change” but does have a wider impact on society.

For Women Scotland

From today, it must stop the absurd pretence that a GRC is only a bit of paper with no consequences for anyone else.  The court says that as things stand a GRC changes whether someone is a woman or a man for the law governing single sex services and anti-discrimination measures.

Murray Blackburn Mackenzie

As with FDJ vs MOJ, this ruling spotlights the clear need for the Equality Act 2010 to be reinforced to make single-sex spaces and services operable in practice.

For Women Scotland vs the Scottish Ministers serves to remind us that UK law does not work for women. By accident or design, there is a disregard for women’s rights, our safety, privacy and dignity. This is at odds with the clear intention of the Equality Act 2010. Consequently, we urge you to support and promote the Sex Matters petition to make the Equality Act clear.

WPUK will continue to campaign and promote the use of single-sex exceptions.  Solidarity with Sarah Surviving in her legal challenge to secure female only rape crisis therapy. Solidarity with Beira’s Place, Aurora New Dawn, Nia and every organisation prioritising women. We would also like to express our sincere thanks and gratitude to Marion, Trina and Susan and to everyone who worked and supported For Women Scotland vs the Scottish Ministers #WomenWontWheesht

Thank you to all of those who have sponsored a copy of Karen Ingala Smith’s Defending Women’s Spaces for their MSP/MP/MS. This week we are delivering a copy to every MSP ahead of next week’s GRR Bill vote. No MSP should vote until they have read it.

In the words of Lucy Hunter Blackburn from MBM Policy, ‘no MSP can say they were not warned of the impact of this bill’. They will have to answer for rewinding women’s rights.

Women face entrenched and endemic structural inequality. This is why sex is a protected characteristic in the Equality Act 2010. We will resist the weakening of this protection.

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Joan Smith: Sex not limited to biological sex, Scottish court rules Telegraph: Human sex is not limited to biology Scottish Daily Express: Ruling dubbed disastrous The Guardian: Trans women can take seats on public boards BBC: Gov wins legal case