SNP rejects calls to cut ties with Stonewall after Supreme Court trans ruling

The Scottish National Party (SNP) has said it doesn’t plan to cut ties with Stonewall following the UK Supreme Court’s recent trans ruling.

The political party reaffirmed its commitment to working with Stonewall to improve the rights of LGBTQ+ people after accusations from the Scottish conservatives that the charity had spread “misinformation” over a ruling on the Equality Act’s definition of women and sex.

In a unanimous judgement, Supreme Court judges ruled on 16 April that the 2010 Equality Act’s definitions of women and sex pertain to “biological women” and “biological sex.”

Responding to the ruling, Stonewall CEO, Simon Blake, told PinkNews that the organisation shares “deep concern” over the implications of the ruling, adding it is “incredibly worrying for the trans community and all of us who support them.”

But the Scottish Conservative Party accused the LGBTQ+ charity of spreading “misinformation” over the ruling after it wrote in a 1 May post that the ruling is “not law as yet.”

While the ruling sets a legal precedent for the future implementation of the 2010 Equality Act, it is not a legally enforceable ruling, nor does it propose any legally enforceable actions. It can, and has, however, been used to dictate guidance or future legislation.

Scottish Conservatives urge SNP to cut ties with Stonewall

Despite this, the SNP was urged by the Scottish Conservatives to cut ties with the LGBTQ+ charity over the purported misinformation, with the party’s equalities spokesperson, Tess White, saying to The Scotsman that any continued association with Stonewall would prove how “out of touch SNP ministers remain on these issues.”

The right-wing Scottish party specifically urged the SNP to distance itself from the charity’s workplace equality index, which ranks public and private organisations based on their treatment of LGBTQ+ workers.

The Party later said it wouldn’t be cutting ties with Stonewall, with a spokesperson saying that, while First Minister John Swinney “has been clear that the Scottish government accepts the judgement,” it would not change the party’s support of LGBTQ+ people.

“We are committed to supporting LGBTQI+ people, including through funding for Stonewall, to advance equality for this group,” the spokesperson added. “This is particularly important at a time when we are seeing a rise in attacks against the LGBTQI+ community.”

Responding, White said the refusal was “shocking” and accused SNP ministers of remaining “in thrall” to Stonewall.

“Various organisations have shown common sense and withdrawn from this programme in recent years, including the Scottish Parliament itself, as well as the BBC and the [Equality and Human Rights Commission] EHRC,” she added.

A Stonewall spokesperson, meanwhile, said that its workplace equality index was more important than ever following the Supreme Court ruling, adding that the EHRC’s recent interim guidelines on single-sex spaces, which argues that all trans people should be banned from gendered public toilets, could have far-reaching implications for workspaces.

“Now that the ruling has been made by the Supreme Court we, along with many others, are highlighting the importance of considering its wide-ranging implications,” a spokesperson said.

“The EHRC has announced a consultation and there will then be a subsequent parliamentary process before any updated statutory guidance is published.”