Scotland's parliament voted to pass its Gender Recognition Reform bill in December. After months of debate and scrutiny, the bill was met warmly. That was until earlier this month, when the U.K. government vetoed the bill
cotland’s parliament voted to pass its Gender Recognition Reform bill in December, following in the footsteps of 18 other countries that have removed barriers for transgender people to legally change their gender.
In a statement, Nancy Kelley, the CEO of Stonewall, a U.K.-based organization which advocates for LGBTQ+ rights, said that the bill had “received more extensive scrutiny than any other legislation in the Scottish parliament’s history.” The bill was also met with controversy from critics who believed the bill would negatively impact women’s safety—most notably,Proponents of the bill have pushed back against these claims. Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said in October that the aim was to reform a process that was “degrading and traumatic for trans people.”The use of Section 35 has found the bill lodged into a much bigger debate over the U.K.’s power in Scotland, especially considering the veto came not long after the U.
“If, however, the U.K. government sees this as a tool that they have at their disposal, and are more willing to use it, then that could potentially erode perceptions of the authority of the Scottish parliament—particularly if they do on an issue that is more supported.” But lately, the U.K. government has been testing the limits of devolution more so than they have in the past, McEwen says, as seen with the Levelling Up Fund and the UK Internal Market Act.
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