Trans activist makes glaringly obvious point about Scottish gender bill and single-sex spaces
Trans campaigner, Heather Herbert (R) thinks Scotland will win the case for gender reform. (Sky News)
Heather Herbert, a long-time trans campaigner, left a Sky News anchor struggling for words after she summed up the ridiculousness of blocking Scotland’s gender reform bill with one simple statement.
The 47-year-old campaigner who lives in Aberdeen held her ground perfectly when questioned by journalist Anna Botting about the UK government blocking Scottish reforms to the Gender Recognition Act (GRA).
Several months after an 86-39 vote win to make obtaining a certificate easier for trans people and lower the age it was available to 16, the UK government announced on Monday (16 January) that it would block the Gender Recognition Reform (GRR) bill from passing.
During the interview, Herbert asked: “When was the last time you needed to show your birth certificate when you went to the toilet?”
“Never,” Botting replied, after a long pause.
“Nobody asks you for your birth certificate, or gender recognition certificate or any other kind of documentation when you go to the loo, or when you go to single-sex changing rooms,” Herbert added.
People online quickly rushed to praise Herbert’s comments surrounding the gender recognition reform, with one person saying: “This is the perfect response. Gender recognition reform has no implications for single-sex spaces.”
Herbert tells PinkNews her appearance on Sky News underlined the problem of trans voices being “lost” within conversations surrounding the reforms, and says discussions are being taken over by gender-critical people.
“The problem is that the voice of trans people has been lost,” Herbert explained.
“The discussion around the GRR/GRA has been driven by gender-critical people.
“The GRR/GRA adds no new rights, it just brings the process in line with international best practices. However anti-LGBT people have highjacked it to attack trans people and the wider LGBT+ community in general.”
While the Scottish parliament has said it will refuse to work with the UK government “fundamentally” on a revised gender bill, Herbert added the Tories have enacted the block due to being “behind in the polls”.
“Nicola Sturgeon has already said the Scottish government will fight this. I believe this will go our way [and] we will win the case, the Scottish government was very careful to ensure the bill didn’t exceed the limits of devolution, and so the UK government don’t have a case,” Herbert tells PinkNews.
“Personally, I feel the Tories have done this because they are so far behind in the polls, due to the events last year that they feel they need to shore up their base, and attacking LGBTQ+ people and Scottish Devolution does exactly that.”
