She referred to Ireland, which has a similar population to Scotland and has had fewer than 900 applications for a gender recognition certificate since it introduced “self-identification” in 2015.Įarlier, Lucy Hunter Blackburn, of policy analysts Murray Blackburn Mackenzie, raised concerns that the bill would open the application process to a “larger, more diverse group”, including – by removing the requirement for a medical diagnosis – those who were not gender-dysphoric, warning that the previous 2004 act was “being repurposed to do a different job”. Naomi McAuliffe, Amnesty’s Scotland programme director, said she did not see in evidence from other countries that had introduced similar systems that it would result in a significant increase in the pool of people applying.
Sandy Brindley, the chief executive of Rape Crisis Scotland, told members of the Scottish parliament’s equalities, human rights and civil justice committee that the service had been trans inclusive for 15 years and that “in all this time there has not been a single incident of trans people abusing this”.
