Truth at stake, says Christian MSP in ongoing trans battle

'Truth is at stake' - according to an MSP speaking to en amid continuing controversy over Scotland's Gender Recognition Act.

John Mason MSP was one of nine MSPs who voted against the legislation.

The Bill was approved late last year to both cheers and shouts of ‘shame on you’ by onlookers in the public gallery, but was the subject of continuing controversy as en went to press.

Earlier attempts to amend the Bill to include safeguards failed, and the Bill was passed despite significant opposition. If the controversial reforms come into effect, it will easier and quicker for individuals to secure a gender recognition certificate.

Mason, a Christian MSP, told en he opposed it for several reasons: ‘Firstly is the question of truth. God made us clearly male and female, apart from a tiny number of people. That biological sex is discovered at birth and cannot be changed… If we could all agree that biological sex cannot be changed, that would be a good starting point.

‘Gender seems to be a more fluid term these days and can mean a variety of things to different people. Some would see sex and gender as the same thing while others see gender as more of a question of choice. So if gender were to be shown on a birth certificate in addition to biological sex, I would have little problem with that. But we do not change other information on a birth certificate such as the name of the mother, the place of birth, or the date of birth. So I do not understand why biological sex should be replaced by gender on a birth certificate.

‘Secondly it is about the impact on women. The obvious situation is where people born male can more easily enter spaces which are meant to be safe for women… But it is wider than that. Women have been rightly fighting for generations for equal pay, equal representation in Parliament and elsewhere, and generally for equality with men. All this is undermined if the distinction between men and women is blurred.’

At the time of writing, it was being reported that Rishi Sunak’s government was showing a willingness in principle to overrule the new law using its statutory powers. The government had 28 days from the passing of the Bill to trigger its power of veto under the Scotland Act.

The Christian Institute’s Scotland Officer Nigel Kenny said: ‘The majority of MSPs chose to ignore women’s and teenage girls’ safety and ploughed on regardless with what former Labour leader Johann Lamont has rightly described as ‘one of the most dangerous and misguided Bills in Holyrood’s history.

‘It seems likely now that, one way or another, this legislation will end up before the Supreme Court. It’s proving to be a depressingly regular thing.’