Writing in this week's Redditch Standard (February 10th), Rachel said:
Nicola Sturgeon has never been one of my favourite people with her grievance driven separation agenda.
She persists in trying to tear apart our United Kingdom.
But now she’s really gone to absurd lengths to drive a wedge between the Scottish and UK Governments by attempting to pass reality-denying gender recognition laws in Scotland.
There’s no doubt she thought this would rally the Scottish people behind her and force Westminster to cave in on basic safeguards for women and girls, thereby strengthening her independence agenda. How wrong she was.
Watching her defend placing a double rapist in a women’s prison this week, and refusing to say whether she thought this person was a man or a woman, it’s pretty obvious she has badly misjudged the mood of Scotland, and made a mockery of her own legislation.
Everyone could see Isla Bryson is a man who tried to get better conditions in jail by pretending to be a woman (before being moved to a male jail). Everyone, that is, except Nicola Sturgeon.
It’s quite shameful how so many politicians, in their desire not to upset anyone, have refused to accept the facts in front of their eyes.
I’m glad to say I’m not one of them, and have robustly defended the decision of the UK Government to block this dangerous and mad Bill from becoming part of UK law.
When the Scottish Parliament passed the Bill it claimed there were safeguards built into it to prevent situations like the Isla Bryson case from ever happening. This was a complete fabrication as events have demonstrated.
I believe women and girls have a right to the protections of single sex spaces, in rape and domestic abuse shelters, hospital wards and prisons.
Women have fought for decades to have the right to equal treatment and I’m not going to stand by and see these vital and life-saving protections eroded.
I support equal rights and protections for trans people, but I believe a life-changing decision like changing gender should not and cannot be made in three months without any kind of professional help such as the Scottish legislation proposes. That’s why the UK Government was right to block the legislation that had been rushed thoughtlessly through the Scottish Parliament.
Please let’s not forget a woman is an adult human female.
I will never be deterred from fighting for a recognition of biological, scientific reality, and for fighting for the rights of women and girls to live safely and comfortably.
