The UK government has decided to block a Scottish bill designed to make it easier for people to change their legally recognized gender. The BBC makes it known.
“Westminster ministers are concerned that the bill will impact equality law across the UK,” it read. It will therefore be the first time a Section 35 order preventing a Scottish bill from becoming law has been used. The Scottish first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, had said such a move would be an “outrage” and the Scottish government was likely to respond with a legal battle.
The Position of Scotland
Currently, those seeking to change their legal gender in the UK must live in their acquired gender for two years and be diagnosed with gender dysphoria. Last month in Scotland it was decided to switch to a self-identification system: those who live in Scotland will therefore no longer need a medical diagnosis to change sex, and the times will also be reduced to a few months.
But the vote in Edinburgh did not close the question. The Scottish Government insists the bill does not affect any aspect of the Equality Act across the UK, saying the new system does not give any additional rights to anyone who obtains a gender recognition certificate they do not already have today.
Rishi Sunak, UK Prime Minister since 25 October 2022, told BBC Scotland on Friday that his main concern is the impact of the bill across the UK, saying it was “completely standard practice” to look into the effect that legislation passed in Holyrood, the Scottish parliament, could have.
This article is originally published on radiobullets.com
