Scottish Government gender bill is “deeply homophobic” says LGB Alliance

UK’s only charity exclusively for LGB people takes out full-page ad in The Scotsman to protest proposed Gender Recognition Reform Bill

 

18th November 2022: The Scottish Government’s Gender Recognition Reform Bill will entrench homophobia and permanently damage the rights of same-sex attracted people, LGB Alliance has warned.

As the Scottish Parliament debates the Bill, LGB Alliance – the UK’s only charity that exclusively supports the rights of same-sex attracted people – has taken out a full-page ad in The Scotsman outlining the profound and inevitable damage this proposed legislation will have on LGB people.

Under the headline “Say No to gender self-ID” the ad details how the Bill would:

  • Hurt lesbians by banning them from organising women-only social events, dating apps and support groups
  • Reinforce damaging sexist stereotypes by encouraging the myth that gender non-conforming children – many of whom will grow up to be lesbian, gay or bisexual – are the opposite sex

  • Persuade young people who are distressed by their emerging sexual orientation – which many confuse with “gender identity” – that changing their legal sex is a better way to resolve their unhappiness than exploring their sexuality

“Homophobia has many faces, and the latest version comes cloaked in the language of progressivism,” said Malcolm Clark, LGB Alliance. “If passed, this bill will cause incalculable damage to gay and lesbian people – especially young people who are struggling with their emerging sexuality.

“Telling young, gender non-conforming people that they can achieve happiness by copying the opposite sex is regressive and wrong. LGB people in Scotland deserve better – and the fact this bill has sparked the biggest rebellion in the SNP’s history shows how many MSPs realize the Scottish Government is on the verge of an historic mistake.

“We urge everyone who cares about the wellbeing of gender non-conforming people and the rights of lesbians, gays and bisexuals to write to their MSP and keep up the pressure to ditch this deeply misguided and homophobic piece of legislation,” he concluded.

 

-ENDS-

This page was updated on 24th November 2022 to clarify that we are the only UK charity exclusively for LGB people.