Not so great Britain.
For the first time, the UK government blocked a legislation approved by the Scottish Parliament to allow transgender people in Scotland to change their legal gender without a medical diagnosis.
Scotland has a democratically elected Scottish Parliament, and an overwhelming majority of Scottish lawmakers voted for the change, with the final tally 86 for, versus 39 against. But because of colonialism, the UK government can flex its colonizer muscle and actually stop Scottish bills from becoming laws.
In a tweet, Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s First Minister, called the UK government’s move “a full-frontal attack on our democratically elected Scottish Parliament and its ability to make its own decisions on devolved matters.”
This is a full-frontal attack on our democratically elected Scottish Parliament and it’s ability to make it’s own decisions on devolved matters. @scotgov will defend the legislation & stand up for Scotland’s Parliament. If this Westminster veto succeeds, it will be first of many https://t.co/3WXrjyivvC
— Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) January 16, 2023
Scotland passed this new law in December.
Under the current system, trans people can only change the gender marker in their documents after: having a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria, and proving that they’ve been living in their chosen gender for two years. They also have to be at least 18 years old.
The new rules would have: dropped the medical diagnosis requirement (there focusing on self-determination), cut the waiting time from two years to six months, and lowered the age limit to 16.
