According to the seat of the Scottish Government, Holyrood, hate crimes against trans people has increased by 68 percent from 2020-2021 to 2021-2022. Green Party Equalities spokesperson Maggie Chapman told Herald Scotland, “This awful rise must also not be viewed out of context. It has been fueled by a cynical campaign of vicious lies and smears spread about our trans siblings. Much of it has been whipped up and encouraged by powerful voices, such as those with significant public platforms and those in the U.K. government who want to distract from their own failings.” After previously being tabled in 2016 by the Scottish National Party, the Gender Recognition Reform bill was passed in Holyrood at the end of last December with backing from all parties except the Conservatives. Under the new legislation, trans people no longer need to pass a psychological examination and diagnosis for gender dysphoria before obtaining a gender recognition certificate (GRC) to have their gender legally recognized.

This article is published in Xtra Magazine.