EHRC guidance deeply troubling
Commenting on the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s interim update on the practical implications of the UK Supreme Court judgment, Scottish Greens Co-Leader Patrick Harvie MSP said:
“This guidance is harsh, authoritarian and cruel. It is the polar opposite of what an equality and human rights body should be doing, and it’s deeply troubling to see the rights of some of the most marginalised people in our society being rolled back so easily.
“This guidance raises far more questions than answers, for trans people, for anyone who doesn’t fit with widespread gender norms, and for people who run businesses, social groups and workplaces.
“But the people most immediately frightened about how they can go about their lives today will be trans people and their loved ones, who have already endured an onslaught of prejudice.
“Trans people just want to be able to live their lives like anybody else, without the fear of prejudice, discrimination or violence.
“The EHRC appears to be going even further than the Supreme Court judgement did and is introducing new uncertainties rather than providing clarity.
“We must not allow the UK government or anyone else to take a wrecking ball to longstanding rights or to remove all protections from a community that is already under fire.
“The demonisation of trans people by politicians and large parts of the media echoes the homophobic rhetoric we heard in the 1980s and ‘90s.
“It is a very worrying time and a lot of people are scared. But I want to remind everyone that the forces of prejudice were defeated before, and they can be defeated again.
“The Scottish Greens will continue to stand up for trans and non-binary people’s rights today, tomorrow and always.”
