A transcript of my recent speech in Edinburgh’s Full Council in relation to the recent Supreme Court decision and EHRC ‘guidance’.
Thank you, Lord Provost. I want to start off by saying, in case I don’t get the opportunity later on, that if your feminism hangs on biological determinism or your definition of gender hangs on what’s between my legs, I don’t think you’re a feminist.
And I really thought that second wave feminists had gone past the issue of women being more than their bodies and their ability to give birth or breastfeed or whatever.
I don’t have any trans experience, but I do know what it’s like to be a minority who’s been vilified, who’s been used as a scapegoat for other means by the government.
To have my identity and rights questioned for the sake of other’s safety or economic prosperity. And that’s why I metaphorically stand with trans people and anyone who just wants to live their true self. I mean, the horrible rhetoric we’re seeing is, I’m told, just like the homophobic vitriol that was seen in the 80s and 90s.
And I’m grateful to trans people because they’re the backbone of the LGBT rights movement. They’re the reason that I have a right to love my fiancee, to live with her, marry her in a couple of weeks, and have her on my will, or, God forbid, at my hospital bed. You know, if things were to go wrong. If you can celebrate that for me, then I can’t. I don’t see how you can’t celebrate a trans person loving their authentic self.
I know we get a ‘this isn’t a local authority issue’, but we are talking about our constituents. I just want you to imagine that we were having the same discussion over the identity of disabled constituents. What if the Supreme Court said, ‘well, these people are disabled and these other people aren’t really disabled?’ Or black constituents or gay and lesbian constituents? Please stop hiding behind this toilet argument and just admit if you don’t understand or don’t care to understand.
I’m here in solidarity with trans people, and I move my, our, motion.