(London) British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak left the threat on Friday of a blockage by London of a reform adopted in Scotland which facilitates the recognition of gender change, at the center of heated debate.
Adopted Thursday by the local Scottish Parliament, the text allows a change of gender without medical diagnosis and reduces the minimum age from 18 to 16 years. It has drawn criticism from best-selling author J. K Rowling and the UN, with opponents fearing that men will have easier access to spaces reserved for women.
The British government has indicated that it could use a right of veto, the Prime Minister citing Friday the many “concerns” about the reform.
“It is entirely reasonable for the UK government to look (to the text) to understand the consequences for the safety of women and children in the rest of the UK and decide on the appropriate measures to take,” Rishi Sunak said. on the television.
Close to that adopted in Spain and adopted after months of heated controversy and three days of heated debates in the local Parliament, the text was defended by the Scottish independence executive, at loggerheads with the British Conservative government.
It reduces the period an applicant must live in their acquired gender from two years to three months, with an additional three-month reflection period.
The certificate can therefore be obtained after six months.
The local government assures that this new text will not affect a previous law, which allows trans people to be excluded from single-sex spaces such as changing rooms and emergency reception areas. It highlights the guarantees provided by law, which makes any false request an offence.
Scottish Social Justice Minister Shona Robison has warned that Edinburgh intends to “vigorously challenge” any blocking attempt by London: “The text falls completely within the legislative competence of (the Scottish Parliament) and was supported by an overwhelming majority with support of all parties,” she told the BBC.
