Nicola Sturgeon Refuses to Apologise to Women Over Self-ID Gender Policy, Saying “Trans Lives Could Become Unliveable”
A defiant Nicola Sturgeon has refused to apologise to women for her self-ID gender policy after the Supreme Court ruled trans women are not women, saying “trans lives could become unliveable”. The Telegraph has more.
The former First Minister said she did not need to say sorry to women for legislation tabled by her government that would have allowed biological men to change legal gender by simply signing a declaration.
In her first substantive comments on the April 16th ruling, Ms Sturgeon said feminists who took the Scottish Government to court did not represent “every woman in the country”.
She claimed women with concerns about self-ID were outnumbered two-to-one by those who “have a different view” about the policy.
Although she said she accepted the court’s ruling, she warned the manner in which it will be “translated into practice” could make “the lives of trans people almost unliveable”.
She said she would be “very concerned” if interim advice issued by the Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) that only biological women can use female-only safe spaces “became the final guidance”.
But Joanna Cherry KC, a former SNP MP who opposed self-ID, accused Ms Sturgeon of branding women who opposed self-ID as “bigots” and said her behaviour had been “a disgrace”.
Ms Sturgeon’s intervention came during her first appearance at the Scottish Parliament since the ruling. The Glasgow Southside MSP has been accused of going into hiding and “moral cowardice” for failing to respond to the judgment.
Ms Sturgeon’s only previous comments on the landmark ruling have been that that “my views are well known”, after she was tracked down at an SNP event in Glasgow.
Her government’s controversial Gender Recognition Reform (GRR) Bill introducing gender self-ID was passed at Holyrood but vetoed by the UK Government over concerns it undermined women’s safe spaces.
But it has emerged that swathes of Scotland’s public sector adopted self-ID all the same, allowing trans people access to female toilets and changing rooms.
Experts have warned these practices will have to be scrapped following the Supreme Court’s ruling that the definition of a woman is based on biological sex, and does not include trans women.
Ms Sturgeon has previously claimed some opponents of the GRR Bill were transphobic. In January 2023, the month before she stepped down as First Minister, she said: “You’ll also find that they’re deeply misogynist, often homophobic, possibly some of them racist as well.”
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She’s made a quantifiable claim. She should justify it. ‘hav[ing] a different view’ from those ‘with concerns’ is presumably a round-about way of claiming that two thirds of the women of Scotland are without concerns about the policy. Where is the data to back this up? Also, what does she mean by ‘women’ in this context?
This illustrates very well the way things work in our house, if I’m honest. Which reminds me, we need a bigger swear jar;
https://x.com/TheFigen_/status/1919710583345074453
I’m not psychologically trained but there is something weird about this woman.
I don’t know what it is.
Admittedly most politicians are somewhere on the pathological spectrum, mostly psychopaths, control freaks or simply totally spineless careerists without any discernible talent for anything useful in life.
But this woman, whilst simultaneously possessing all the above attributes, is outside any of these categories. If anyone knows what is it, please come forward.
She is in denial over something.
She’s in denial about a lot of things e.g. campervans, ferries, rapists in women’s prisons and how many people in Scotland want independence.
Ah yes, the ‘handmaidens’. The enablers. The traitors. The apathetic cowards. Plenty of these sort around, but where are all the ballsy ladies? Those annoying ones that just won’t back down and submit, who insist on constantly sharing their troublesome and dangerous opinions, no matter how many wish to throw a strop because they have no meaningful, well-reasoned counter-argument to proffer? Well, here’s one such ‘woman who wouldn’t wheesht’; ”I can’t stand the idea that women are just kind, empathetic little creatures who simply want to be liked and to fit in. That’s the myth we’ve all been sold — and too many of us are still buying. But let’s be honest: that performance of sweetness, of inclusion, of emotional intelligence? It’s a con. A very thin layer of social varnish covering up something much more calculating. It’s not real. It’s a game. It’s currency. Because being ‘nice’ is how some women climb the ladder. It’s how they gain approval, gain power, gain control. The whole thing is a pantomime. They aren’t being kind — they’re performing it. What looks like empathy is often just social capital. What looks like inclusion is often just obedience with a smile. It’s not about… Read more »
Pass me the world’s smallest violin…
Assuming that women with concerns about about self-ID are indeed outnumbered two-to-one, this would mean ⅓ of the women in Scotland are opposed to this policy. That’s a pretty large minority. Why is it ok to ride roughshot over it?
Because it’s complete bollocks anywayno way that 2/3 of women are OK with having their spaces invaded and in some cases their sporting ambitions and so on eroded because of a tiny minority of mentally ill blokes and one gobby, corrupt dwarf trying to weasel votes for her losing political programme.
I’m assuming you’re right about that. But even when taking Sturgeon at face value, her claim is that it’s somehow ok for men to use sex-segregated facilites for woman because ‘only ⅓’ of the women don’t want that. But ⅓ of all woman is one woman of three. That’s huge number of women and why is it ok to ignore what they want, considering that it should serve the remainig ⅔ fine as well, regardless of what they think about Sturgeons trans-policies?
The point I was trying to make is that her argument really isn’t one, especially not when it’s about protecting minorities, as there’s a large minority here which apparently doesn’t deserve protection.
You’re absolutely right of course like most lefty arguments even on their own terms they’re horseshit.
” could make “the lives of trans people almost unliveable”.
In what way? As far as I am aware the UK has very few laws and rules about what you can and should wear or how you should appear. Indeed this aspect of the trans business has had me puzzled from the start. If a burly guy decides to wear a wig and a dress and call himself Delores, he is perfectly legally permitted to do so and so what is the problem? If someone looking like Sophia Loren waltzes into the Gents while i am using it, well it is not of the slightest concern to me.
The change seems to be that a few years ago you were pretty safe assuming someone’s Gender from they way they dressed…………… now you are not. And so, however you dress and appear, if you have XY chromosomes you take part in men’s sport, if you have XX chromosomes you take part in Women’s sport. Much ado about nothing as far as I am concerned.
I am beginning to think Nicola Sturgeon is, in actual fact, a man.
A very weird man, admittedly, but a man.
I keep wondering what happened to the other half of The Krankies.
From her Wiki entry, talking about her childhood:
She developed a passion for books and reading which continued into adult life. She has described herself as being an “austere” teen whose style tended towards goth, adding that “if you see pictures of me back then, you would struggle to know whether I was a boy or a girl
What has changed, in that regard?
Ooooooh, interesting. I can’t see her as a Goth at all though.
Stupid and ignorant person. A full on communist. This is a clear example of where low IQ people should not be allowed into any position of power. She’s from Glasgae. She’s the worst kind of Scot from a workshy, communist city that destroyed Scotland with its laziness and feckless behaviours.
She’s not from Glasgow. She was born in Irvine in Ayrshire. I take it you’re not a fan of Glasgow. How exactly did Glasgow itself destroy Scotland anyway?
Why should the majority of women suffer because of Sturgeon’s opininion that men who want to act, dress and call themselves women, are women. They are not. How they behave up to a point is up to them, but women they ain’t and actual women need to be able to retain every right they should have. Trans people may need to establish their own specific places and rights, by ageement with the rest of the community.
So is it first past the post as far as women are concerned. I do not know any woman in favour of Self ID, not one, so her plea that 2/3 of us are ok with it is another downright lie and is feeding the cult of DEI which appears to make up the majority of Holyrood.