Okay
So
I’m a non-binary transgender person in Scotland.
If you don’t know what I’m about to talk about, let me tell you.
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The SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT passed a law that let’s 16 year olds self identify their gender.
The law would have gender dysphoria not be something that you need to be diagnosed by a Doctor.
A transgender person would only have to wait 3 months and *not* 2 years to have lived as their preferred gender.
This law has not been put in place yet.
And it might never.
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BECAUSE LONDON’S GOVERNMENT DECIDED TO NOT ALLOW THE BILL.
Their ‘reasons’ for this include:
• They do not believe 16 years old have the capability to understand what they want to do with their bodies
• They believe people could use the identity of being a Transgender Woman to harm Women in public places/single sex places
• They believe that Immigrants could come to the United Kingdom and harm Women in public places/single sex places
• This law could conflict with the laws of the United Kingdom
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Now my REASONS for being angry, for thinking this argument is completely foolish, is as follows:
• Within the United Kingdom, 16 year olds are trusted with their bodies when it comes to; Being a soldier, having sex and having children
• If this argument of “these group of people could harm our women” doesn’t sound familiar, then look into any part of history that involve people being discriminated against, it isn’t that hard to find
• If the London Government worry so much for people of the female sex, THEN GET BETTER SECURITY. DO NOT BLAME THE CRIMES OF CRUEL PERVERTS WHO WANT POWER OVER SOMEONE, ON ENTIRE GROUPS OF PEOPLE
• “This law could conflict with the laws of the United Kingdom” Dude. WE, AS IN THE SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT, **VOTED DEMOCRATICALLY** TO HAVE THIS LAW PASS **IN SCOTLAND!!!** NOT ANYWHERE ELSE! Y’all can handle your own laws, just keep your hands off ours
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They are fools.
Simply because they have demonstrated many things that is more telling of themselves than anyone else:
• They will use whatever *excuses* they want to have things go their way (not surprising in government but also yes it surprised me)
• The London Government abused it’s apparent ‘equal power with Scotland’ to tell us that they can and will, in fact, take away the laws we pass for their liking
• They have shown to be Transphobic, Racist and Sexist (towards people born Male and Female)
• This is not democracy
• This is OR SHOULD BE illegal, they did not vote on this, they just said “no”
• And the thing the London/England Government fear the most; this will *definitely*, if they do not undo this or ‘at least’ come to an agreement; DEFINITELY make us Scots want to be *independent* from them
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Thank you for reading this far.
I’ve never done such a long post about such a serious topic before.
To all the Scots, the English and Trans people reading this who are also angry, upset or even scared of this situation; know this, have faith and fight for this law. I am fighting for the law we pass to be returned. I hope it does, so that it can be a domino affect and get this bill talked about for the rest of the United Kingdom, where it could be treated with Democracy instead of all this bullshit.
Anyone who is outside of the United Kingdom, thank you again for taking the time to read this.
All of you have my internet hugs x
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If you agree that this bill should not have been passed, if you agree with the reasons the London Government gave
LOL Leave my tumblr and never come back.
I’ve seen some coverage on this that noted that the exact mechanism the UK government used to block the bill, Section 35 of the Scotland Act, which is the law establishing (or re-establishing, depending on how pro-independence you are) the Scottish Parliament, has not once been triggered prior to this. The law came into effect in 1998, so that’s 25 years of Westminster more or less letting Scotland get on with it. But the Tories decided after careful consideration that this is the matter that they are going to overrule the devolved Scottish government on.
I cannot overstate how monstrously transphobic this is. How supremely undemocratic. Scotland’s gender recognition bill has been in discussion and debate for something like eight years up to this point. It was passed with an overwhelming majority. But transphobia is a culture war issue in England, and it’s been clear where the Tories stand for ages. They can’t let Scotland go its own way. They can’t let trans people exist without medicalization and mountains of red tape.
I’m not a UK citizen. I’m an American. But transphobes in the UK and transphobes in the US frequently compare notes, and they definitely sit at the same table. Every transphobic law that we can defeat on either side of the pond is a win for equality, and if we can punish a transphobic politician, government, or public figure through protest, through voting, or through direct action, we have a responsibility to do so.
