KEVIN McKenna writes (March 3) that the SNP is engaging in “gesture politics” within “a middle class bubble” in its policies on “gender-fluidity”, amongst others.
The Scottish Government has committed to legislate to remove barriers faced by transgender people in obtaining legal recognition of their gender, and that commitment is shared across the political parties.
This may seem no more than a gesture to Mr McKenna but it is much more for trans people face some of the highest levels of discrimination and prejudice of any group.The policy may seem middle class to your columnist but most trans people, like most of Scotland, are not middle class.
Trans people face the same issues of poverty and deprivation as their neighbours, compounded by the discrimination they face. No-one suggests that reform of gender recognition law should be the government’s top priority.
But the suggestion that work to address discrimination should be abandoned in favour of a focus on anti-poverty work is misguided. The two are not incompatible; they go hand in hand and reinforce one another.
Tim Hopkins,
Equality Network,
30 Bernard Street, Edinburgh.
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