Petition to the Scottish Government

This petition requests that the Scottish Government take the following actions

in the areas of health, education, and social work:

 

 

Health

 - Either that an independent (1) review of the Sandyford Clinic (Scotland's child and young people’s gender identity clinic), be undertaken on an urgent basis, or​ that recommendations made by Dr Hilary Cass in relation to the Tavistock Clinic be seriously considered by an independent professional panel for adoption, where relevant, in Scotland.

  

- That the proposed Conversion Therapy Bill ensures the right of professional therapists to conduct exploratory therapy as a routine part of the assessment and treatment of gender dysphoric individuals.

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Education

- That schools no longer rely on 3rd sector organisations to teach and advise about sex and gender; that educational materials reflect facts (2), research, and biology, without gender ideology.

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- That the Scottish Government’s Guidance Supporting Transgender Pupils in Schools be immediately withdrawn

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Social Work

- That social workers recognise that it is the parents of a gender dysphoric child who, in most circumstances, are best placed to help that child.  Therefore, parents should be kept informed by schools and social workers about transitioning behaviour of their child in settings outwith the family.

 

- That social workers should intervene only when there is risk of significant harm.

 

 

(1)    ‘Independent’ means a professional with a background in healthcare who is sufficiently distant from existing gender identity services so as to be able to provide an objective appraisal of their operation.

(2)    Facts would include the fact that sex in mammals is binary and immutable; the clear disambiguation of sex (which is a biological feature) and gender (which is a social construct attaching to sex that can change over time); the fact that the concept of ‘gender identity’ is highly contested; the fact that young people can be gender non-conforming or gay / lesbian, and that this does not imply that they are ‘trans’.