Scottish First Minister pledges protection for trans individuals under new misogyny laws

Scotland's First Minister, Humza Yousaf, has affirmed that transgender individuals will be protected under any new misogyny laws introduced by the Scottish government. In an interview with BBC's Good Morning Scotland, Yousaf insisted that "anyone affected" by misogyny would be covered, regardless of their biological sex, BBC reported.

The Scottish government plans to introduce a bill tackling misogyny before the end of the current parliamentary term in 2026, following a review by human rights lawyer Baroness Helena Kennedy KC. Women were not included in the recent Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021, a decision Yousaf said was made after discussions with various women's groups.

Yousaf explained that the bill would protect both women and trans women, as perpetrators of misogynistic abuse are often unaware of a woman's transgender status. "When a trans woman is walking down the street and a threat of rape is made against them, the man making the threat doesn't know if they are a trans woman or a cis woman," he said.

The First Minister also addressed the recent Cass Review into NHS England's gender identity services for under-18s, stating that the Scottish government would consider all aspects of the review. However, he emphasized that the prescription of treatments should be a decision made by clinicians rather than politicians.

"Every recommendation that Dr. Cass makes will be considered as part of that consideration of the entire report including the recommendations that she makes in relation to puberty blockers, and that is one element of the recommendations that Dr. Cass makes," said Yousaf. "There's a number of recommendations - all of them will be given consideration."

Dr. Cass stated last week that medical evidence for the safety of puberty blockers, adding that clinical trials for their use were expanded to a wider group of minors before any results became available.

"It is unusual for us to give a potentially life-changing treatment to young people and not know what happens to them in adulthood, and that's been a particular problem that we haven't had the follow-up into adulthood to know what the results of this are," she said.

Yousaf's remarks have drawn criticism from various quarters, with Scottish Conservative deputy leader Meghan Gallacher accusing him of "stalling for time and passing the buck to clinicians." Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling also slammed Yousaf on X (formerly Twitter), claiming that he has made his "absolute contempt for women and their rights clear."

Once again, @HumzaYousaf makes his absolute contempt for women and their rights clear. Women were excluded from his nonsensical hate crime law, now he introduces a 'misogyny law' designed to also protect men. 1/2https://t.co/ThZV1boNWm

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) April 16, 2024

Despite the controversy, Yousaf maintained that Scotland's Sandyford Clinic in Glasgow, which offers gender services, would not face the same fate as the recently closed Tavistock Clinic in London. He added that the Scottish government would look into the possibility of opening more regional hubs and would not take an "inordinate amount of time" to consider the findings of the Cass review.