A watchdog has cautioned that Nicola Sturgeon’s proposal to let individuals self-identify their gender may result in “confusion” regarding their status in other areas of the UK.
The UK and Scottish governments received a list of issues with the plan from the Equality and Human Rights Commission, including access to services.
If the Equality Act is approved by Holyrood, the watchdog warned that “practical problems or uncertainty are likely to occur in cross-border scenarios.”
People who altered their gender in Scotland but in another region of the UK, according to the letter, would have issues with their “legal standing and rights.”
Regardless of whether the UK government recognized Gender Recognition Certificates (GRC) issued in Scotland, officials cautioned that problems would still occur.
According to The Telegraph, it would be difficult for both services and employers to identify a person’s legal gender without resorting to “intrusive or insulting” procedures like requesting to see a birth certificate or GRC.
Before the law is passed, the watchdog asked both governments to “work constructively together” to resolve the concerns it outlined.
The age requirement to alter one’s gender from 16 to 18 would be lowered from two years to six months, and people would be permitted to do so without a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria. On October 27, there will be a discussion on the Equality Act.
According to the Christian Institute, if the Scottish government implemented its proposal, “trans tourism” would be at danger.
In order to go ahead with such legislation, EHRC chairperson Baroness Kishwer Falkner advised Westminster and Holyrood that there needed to be “more clarity.”
It is anticipated that more trans persons from the rest of the UK will migrate to Scotland, she said.
The proposed regulation, according to Baroness Falkner, would also influence sex discrimination laws, such as those governing equal pay, the gender pay gap, and the challenges women experience in measuring up.