Hard-hitting blog from ALBA’s Equalities Convener

SMALL TOWN GIRL

Born in Stirling, I spent my first years in caravans in Blairlogie and Crieff then moved to Alva where our home was a house. I live there still having had Uni years in Edinburgh and a couple of months working In Dundee. My education was such that there’s an ability to communicate on various levels; I use and understand big words as well as wee ones; not only am I not the biggest dunderheid to come out of my town, I am not the smartest either, nor the most courageous, kindest or most diplomatic. 

There’s a reason for this explanation – it’s that Scots, despite our numerous flaws, are mainly pretty astute people regardless of economic, domestic, educational, employment or ethnic background. We recognise the smell of shite. 

And this week, perhaps amongst the most significant of weeks in my political adventure,  I smell shite. And so do you.

if you chapped any door in my home town of Alva or in my old home on that caravan site in Crieff and asked about whether it is or should be possible for a person to change sex … you would be at best questioned and at worst chased

Eva Comrie

We’ve got today two competing strands in Scotland’s politics when it comes to success, efforts and publicity – one is the dream of independence, which is by far the greatest most important and transformational aim; and the other the issue about whether and if so to what extent and for what purposes it might be possible to alter one’s sex.  We know, for this is scientific fact, not opinion or belief, that sex is immutable. There’s a debate about whether legal sex can and does change. And if so why and for what purpose. Who gains from such? And why?

And I promise you this – if you chapped any door in my home town of Alva or in my old home on that caravan site in Crieff and asked about whether it is or should be possible for a person to change sex and use the single sex spaces of other than their birth sex, you would be at best questioned and at worst chased. 

What you would also find is genuine understanding and empathy for transgender people who need or desire to live as the opposite from their birth sex; there is also understanding of intersex and related difficulties; when I was a wee girl my Gran told me of an intersex child in my home town; the entire population cared and protected that bairn and family. Genuine need is respected; fabricated performance is not. And in case you want to accuse me of other phobias, I will confirm that Alva was home and gave solace to many homosexual friends long before such was deemed legal; I know for several were good friends of mine. 

That is being manipulated as a tool to divide the Independence movement. It is in danger of succeeding

Eva Comrie

This gender or sex changing argument is nothing but an unwelcome distraction from the political problems Scotland faces. It’s not a dispute because of a need to oppress those who consider themselves different from their sex identified at birth; all are welcome to live as they wish. The only dilemma arises from the need of one sex to invade the single sex spaces of others. And that is being manipulated as a tool to divide the Independence movement. It is in danger of succeeding.

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