Today, I attended the reading of the decision by the Supreme Court on the definition of the word ‘woman’. I was relieved that the Court decided that the word refers to biological sex. This is a massive victory for women’s rights and many people across Scotland will be relieved and excited.
This was a monumental decision and I was proud to attend this historic reading and stand in solidarity with campaigners, activists, and women and girls across the country.
Since first elected to the Scottish Parliament in 2021, I have been fighting for the women and girls across Scotland. First, through my opposition to the dangerous Gender Recognition Reform act, which I fought against from committee stage through to the Parliamentary Chamber.
More recently, I have been fighting for single-sex facilities. After harrowing stories of school girls being harassed in uni-sex toilets in schools, it is clear that toilets need to be single-sex to ensure the safety of our children. I have also supported Sandie Peggie in her case against NHS Fife around their ‘women’s’ changing room allowing biological men.
This decision by the UK Supreme Court will have significant impacts on the fight for women’s rights. It clarifies that men and women are recognised as two distinct groups under the 2010 Equality Act, reflecting the reality of biology. The Scottish Government must therefore now review their policies to ensure they are in line with the law. The same extends to employers, including those in the public sector.
I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks and congratulations to For Women Scotland for their hard work in pursuing this case against the Scottish Government. Their bravery and determination has now led to a massive and historic victory for women’s rights and everyone involved with this fight should be immensely proud.
However, unfortunately this fight is not yet over. We need to continue holding the Scottish and UK governments to account and ensure they appropriately apply this decision to their government policies. I will therefore continue to do everything I can in the Scottish Parliament to fight for the safety of women and girls.
