The British government decided today to block a bill recently passed by the Scottish Parliament aimed at making it easier for transgender people to transition , increasing tension between London and Edinburgh.
The bill removed the requirement that there be a medical and psychiatric diagnosis when a person applies for a document certifying their gender . It also reduced the length of time a person would have to live with their chosen gender from two years to three months.
Subsequently, he gave a leeway of another three months to think and revoke, if he wished, his decision. Finally, the age from which the certificate could be issued was reduced from 18 to 16 years.
The minister responsible for Scotland, Alistair Jack, argued that the bill passed by the Scottish Parliament on December 22, “would have a negative impact” on gender equality issues across the UK .
Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon spoke on Twitter of a “frontal attack on the democratically elected Scottish Parliament and its ability to make its own decisions” . She announced that her government would “defend this law”, denouncing the “Westminster veto”.
The Sunak government’s decision is expected to spark a bitter legal battle between Edinburgh and London, in the wake of the High Court’s ruling not to allow a new Scottish independence referendum.
