Know the Facts

• Self-ID IS NOT A RISK

  Reform to the GRA affects legal documents relating to the individual, the use of gendered spaces is covered by the equality act and trans people continue to use these every day without incident. Across the world, for example, in Ireland, Malta and Pakistan, gender self-identification laws have been implemented without legal issues or any increase in sexual violence. It is simply untrue that trans people, who are vastly more likely to be victims of sexual violence than its perpetrators, present any more danger than anyone else.

• TRANS HEALTHCARE SAVES LIVES

  Whilst some people do decide to detransition the rate of regret for gender-affirmation surgery has one of the lowest regret rates of any medical procedure at less than 0.4% and research demonstrates gender affirming surgeries have a positive impact on mental and physical health.

• SCOTTISH GRR WAS NOT RUSHED OR DANGEROUS

  Consultation on the GRR bill began in November 2017 until March 2018 and took place again in November 2019 until March 2020 which both returned majority support and showed no danger posed by the legislation. The idea the bill was rushed through is an outright wrong.

• BEING TRANS IS NOT NEW

  People who transgress gender boundaries and have identities more complex than "male" or "female" have always existed and have done so across the history of the world and many different cultures. For instance, in 2014 the Supreme Court of India recognised the historical "third gender" status of many hijra, a gender identity that has been recognised in traditional Indian culture since the Middle Ages. In London three hundred years ago gay and transgender "mollies" thronged in underground bars. Suggesting that transgender identities are something new is pure ignorance.

• WE ALL USE PRONOUNS

  Everyone has pronouns that they respond to, perhaps without even realising it. Using "they" to mean a person of indeterminate gender has been a commonplace in the English language since Shakespeare. Sharing your personal pronouns can create a welcoming environment for people who feel they may need to clarify what theirs are.

• CIS IS NOT A SLUR

  Cisgender refers to someone whose gender identity matches their sex assigned at birth. Cis is the opposite prefix to trans. Neither transgender nor cisgender are in any way derogatory.