Proposed amendments to the Hate Crime Bill leave transgender and non-binary people vulnerable to abuse, hate speech and even conversion therapy according to experts.
The proposed amendments are as follows:
Experts and activists have taken to social media to voice concerns about the amendments.
We spoke to Drew McCusker, President of The Glass Network about what this means for the LGBT+ community, in particular LGBT+ lawyers, in Scotland.
He said:
In private practice and now, in public politics, LGBT+ people have to persuade others of their value and their worth. It is not a case of where our dignity and our equality is accepted, we still have to work to be accepted, and we have to work to be even more diplomatic to be respected. The provisions that have been inserted regrading the hate crime have brought this into clear perspective. It is not the case that, as per Yousaf’s assertion that these are simple freedom of expression qualifying clauses – and it does not explain the absence of such clauses when it comes to race or gender which are also protected characteristics.
Again, this shows the vulnerability of LGBT+ communities across Scotland. We need to have more LGBT+ lawyers making laws that apply to our community. The more open in the debate on LGBT+ identity, in particular transgender identity and any criticism thereof, only further ostracises a vulnerable and valuable community. Its up to lawyers to be critical allies in the continued fight for equality across Scotland.