Trans rights revolution shouldn’t be too rapid – Helen Martin

THE most controversial topic (apart from coronavirus) is the Gender Recognition Act and reform.

Some people feel they are in a body of the wrong sex. Yes, once they were professionally assessed, they could decide to go through serious surgery, treatment and support to change their gender. Absolutely right.

Now decisions are being made earlier with parental approval to block their kids’ puberty. Not something we all agree with, but not really our business.

We need to learn more about transgender people to ensure their equality and respect. But instead what’s happened is the establishment of trans access to women’s toilets, or women’s toilets becoming trans-gender loos. This is nothing to do with campaigning for equality and social acceptance – it’s an invasion. It’s also a welcome access for sexual abusers if they dress as women!

With original genitalia, trans women need gents’ or separate loos. Perhaps once complete surgery has been carried out and they are totally assessed as women, fair enough. Why isn’t that understood by authorities?

Ordinary men and women, whether gay or straight, are now being dubbed as “cisgender”, “cis” coming from a Latin phrase meaning “on this side of”, indicating that they were born with the genitalia they still have, want and use.

Why? Because it’s a demand to give them a matching label to “transgender”, forcing the majority to conform with the minority. A legal quota of trans MPs and MSPs, advocates, whatever? Women’s shops compelled to supply men’s lingerie and size 12 stilettos?

Perhaps all these moves might happen somehow long term, if most people approve. But rapidly forcing any of this on society is not the way of evolving respect and equality.