‘Shame on you’ Sturgeon heckled by protester during speech
Nicola Sturgeon slammed by Scottish Conservatives
We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info
Nicola Sturgeon was interrupted by a protester this evening during a speech on tackling male violence against women. The First Minister was accused by the heckler of having “let down vulnerable women in Scotland”. The unidentified protester was subsequently ejected from the event, which was held to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the charity Zero Tolerance.
She told the First Minister: “You are allowing paedophiles, sex offenders and rapists to self-ID in Scotland and put women at risk.
“Women campaigning for women’s rights are not against trans people. Shame on you for letting down vulnerable women in Scotland, not allowed to have their own spaces away from any male.”
Ms Sturgeon apologised to attendees for the disruption, adding: “I do not seek to close down anybody’s freedom of speech. It is important that voices are heard.”
The First Minister has introduced legislation allowing Scots to self-identify their legal gender.
Critics of the policy have claimed male sexual predators would have a new means of gaining access to women’s spaces, such as changing rooms and refuges.
But defending her policy previously, Ms Surgeon said: “Men are the risk to women, not trans women.
“Any man who seeks to abuse any process to attack women, we should deal with that. We shouldn’t stigmatise further an already stigmatised group of people.”
She added: “The current process [of gender recognition] is stigmatising, it’s traumatic.
“It’s asking people to effectively prove that they’re mentally unwell. So a trans person who wants to [legally] change their gender, the process that’s set out in that bill is one that is less traumatic, and less stigmatising.
“If anyone seeks to misuse that process, tries to defraud it and wants to do that because they in some way want to abuse women, that would be a criminal offence that they would be committing.
“This is about changing an existing process. It doesn’t give trans people any more rights.”
DON’T MISS:
SNP deputy whinges Brexit means Scotland has lost control [INSIGHT]
Sturgeon may be sued for using taxpayer money to fund referendum plot [REVEAL]
Hunt facing Tory MP fury after telling households to cut energy usage [REACTION]
In her speech, the Scottish First Minister said she had a “determination to do whatever I can do to help build a Scotland where women and girls can and do feel safe.”
Ms Sturgeon pledged to continue working to achieve a “country free from violence against women and girls”.
The Scottish Government’s Gender Recognition Reform Bill would allow Scottish people aged 16 and over to self-identify their legal gender without a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria.
It would also cut the time in which someone must live in their “acquired gender” from two years to just six months.
The Bill would also lower the age for obtaining a gender recognition certificate from 18 to 16.
Scottish Tory gender reform spokeswoman Rachael Hamilton said: “Zero Tolerance have done excellent work in Scotland by pushing to tackle men’s violence against women and promoting gender equality. I wish them well on their 30th anniversary.
“However, the decision to prevent guests from discussing women’s safety with the First Minister is alarming. It raises serious questions about why this message to attendees occurred.”
Source: Read Full Article