I’m surprised to have had so many emails demanding that the UK Government desist from any inclination to deny Royal Assent to the new Scottish legislation on gender self-declaration.
I disagree.
What they do in Scotland is a matter for them, but we cannot allow them to make changes there that have such profound implications for the rest of the UK without our consent.
I’ve said in this column previously [ Can a Woman have a Penis? (desmondswaynemp.com) ] that I don’t care what people chose to describe themselves as, but physical attributes have consequences. It simply isn’t proper or safe for a bloke with a penis, even if he presents as a female, to have access to exclusively female facilities. And I don’t believe that there is a majority in favour of it in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The Scottish legislation entitles beneficiaries to a new birth certificate with their gender of choice. This would be indistinguishable from any other birth certificate if presented in in other parts of the UK, lawfully entitling them to gender exclusive facilities.
I know that Keir Starmer has indicated that he would implement the same law in England, but he isn’t Prime Minister…yet. I believe that we should veto the New Scots law until we vote for a UK Government in favour of it. After all, we just might not.
Sir Desmond Swayne TD
