John Swinney urged to apologise to women over gender reforms

Prime Minister John Swinney has been urged to apologize to women by the government plan to reform gender recognition laws.

The conservative leader Russell Findlay attacked Swinney on a bill approved by MSP in 2022 that would have made it easier for people to change their legally recognized sex.

That bill was blocked by the United Kingdom government and Findlay’s comments occurred after the Supreme Court was put on the side of the Holyrood ministers in a ruling on the definition of a woman.

The Secretary of Social Justice, Shirley-Anne Somerville, said the ministers were committed to protecting the protection of women’s rights and transgender.

The Supreme Court was put on the side of the campaign group for women Scotland in the ruling that the terms “woman” and “sex” in the 2010 Equality Law “refer to a biological woman and biological sex.”

The ruling means that people born men no longer have access to facilities and services only for women.

Swinney said he accepted the trial.

The Scottish Parliament approved the Gender Recognition Law (Reforma) bill in 2022, with MSP of all parties that support the proposals.

The measure was blocked by the United Kingdom government, and since then it has been removed by Scottish ministers.

The reforms proposed caused years of heated about the debate on women’s rights.

In a speech in Edinburgh, Findlay said: “To restore confidence in politics, John Swinney must be large enough to admit his mistakes and apologize for the bitter divisions that this has created.

“If it really is a chicken to unite people, you should start with women and girls who have lost faith in the political establishment of Scotland.”

The prime minister urged the Prime Minister to “formally finish the divisive policy of gender self -identification.”

Findlay said: “You must send a clear message that and its government completely respect women’s law and rights.”

Somerville reiterated that the Scottish government had no “intention” to return gender recognition reforms to Parliament or look for the United Kingdom government block on the bill.

She said that the Supreme Court Judgment, as well as the updated orientation of the Commission on Equality and Human Rights (EHRC), would provide clarity about access to public services.

The EHRC said it will publish an updated code of conduct for services, including NHS and prisons, in the summer.

Somerville said the Scottish ministers would meet with Body next week. The Government will also establish its next steps in a statement to Parliament in the next few days.

The president of EHRC, Baroness Kishwer Falkner, told today’s BBC program: “single -sex services such as costumes must be biological sex. If a male person is allowed to use, it is no longer a single -sex space.”

Somerville said the government “would expect the commission guide this summer and advance so that people are calm, both women and the trans community, (which) public services and other organizations are greedy and inclusive for all.”

She warned about “fear and apprehension” in the transgender community, but said the ministers would work to demonstrate that “they are valid and loved.”

The Scottish Labor leader, Anas Sarwar, welcomed the clarification of the Supreme Court.

He said there was a “urgent” need for the Scottish government to issue orientation to public bodies to defend the Equality Law.

He launched his MSP to vote for the draft gender recognition reform in Holyrood, which led two banks of the Labor Front to leave their positions.

Since then, Sarwar has become his support for the bill, and has also backed nurse Sandie Peggie in her employment court against NHS Figfe on having to share a female costume with a trans doctor.

The MSP said he had his leg open that his party made “mistakes” in the approval of gender reforms.

He told BBC Scotland News: “But through all that and since I believed in the protection of single -sex spaces based on biological sex.”

The spokeswoman for Scottish green equalities, Maggie Chapman, urged the Scottish Parliament to send the gender recognition reform bill for real assent.

He also said that the court ruling had undermined the United Kingdom government argument to block legislation.

Chapman told BBC Scotland News that the Supreme Court ruling could have a “chilling effect” on human rights.

“We know that when you begin to erode the rights of any group, the rights of other groups are also at stake,” he said.

The Green MSP warned that transgender people were “scared.”

She added: “If you prevent trans people from using public baths, use facilities like that, you are saying that they cannot leave, you are saying that they cannot be seen in society.”