Transgender sex offenders in Scotland can breathe a sigh of relief. In the unlikely event that police find time between investigating hate crimes to question suspects, officers will ensure that their preferred pronouns and gender feelings are respected.
Yesterday, The Herald broke the news that Police Scotland had told a Holyrood committee that individuals charged or convicted of rape or attempted rape would be allowed to “self-declare” their sex. This was apparently to “foster a sense of belonging” because Scotland’s rapists deserve the warm and fuzzy glow of being members of a community too.
The report comes after a three-year campaign by policy analysts Murray Blackburn Mackenzie (MBM) calling for clarity on the recording of offenders’ sex.
A petition drafted by MBM in 2021 and signed by 13,000 people outlined their concerns. It explained that sex must be recorded “for data accuracy and trust in official statistics, public policy, media reporting, research, and for trust in public bodies”. But after being pushed for a response by Holyrood’s Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee, Police Scotland overruled the petitioners’ concerns and stood by the policy of gender self-identification, arguing that it is in accordance with the force’s “values of respect, integrity, fairness and human rights”. Somewhat ironically, the force is currently asking for feedback on social media for how to help shape community policing.
Police Scotland’s adherence to an obviously flawed and unpopular policy is not only tone-deaf: it is reputational suicide. It was the debate over self-identification which helped to dislodge former first minister Nicola Sturgeon. Her successor Humza Yousaf didn’t fare much better, presiding over a catastrophic split with the Scottish Green Party over the issue.
Women’s groups have been calling for a return to sex-based sanity for at least five years. Meanwhile, the Scottish justice system has been thrown into disarray by multiple cases of trans-identified male offenders who have demanded to be treated as women.
Join the discussion
Join like minded readers that support our journalism by becoming a paid subscriber
To join the discussion in the comments, become a paid subscriber.
Join like minded readers that support our journalism, read unlimited articles and enjoy other subscriber-only benefits.
Subscribe