The Scottish parliament's Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill was passed by Holyrood in December but the UK government has now blocked it from becoming law. Westminster claims it would have a 'significant impact' on equalities and others are concerned about the content.
But First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said the government's move to block the bill is an affront to democracy.
There is also a worry that people who change gender in Scotland would have a different legal gender when they are in the rest of the UK. Critics have raised concerns predatory men could obtain a GRC in Scotland in order to gain access to single-sex spaces and place women in jeopardy, and those spaces would have to adopt different policies.The UN's special rapporteur on violence against women and girls said the reforms could allow violent males to"abuse" the system.
When Scotland passed the bill in December, Scotland Secretary Alister Jack said:"We share the concerns that many people have regarding certain aspects of this bill, and in particular the safety issues for women and children."What have those in support of the bill been saying? Ms Sturgeon argued there was a need to remove an intrusive medical diagnosis and streamline the process for obtaining a GRC.
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