The Day After Groundhog Day: A Call to Action for the Scottish Government

It has been over a year since we challenged the Scottish Government to change its policies. We urged them to heed the issues outlined in the Cass Report. We stated: "It is clear that our health, education, and social services should remove gender affirming and social transition policies from all institutions with immediate effect. For the sake of the emotional wellbeing not only of all our children, but also of staff, the concept that any individual can change sex should be removed from all aspects of our public institutions."

Our Ongoing Struggle

We have submitted a petition, sought information that was not forthcoming, requested meetings with key politicians that never materialised, and sent numerous statements expressing our grave concerns over the handling of gender ideology in our key institutions. Unfortunately, none of our concerns were taken seriously. We now find ourselves, once again, back in Groundhog Day. We now ask:

• What will it take for the Scottish Government to change and to address the safeguarding requirements for children, their families, and all our public services?

• What will it take for the Scottish Government to follow the 2025 Supreme Court ruling and obey the law?

• To whose message will the Scottish Government actually listen?

• And what can we do collectively to bring about The Day After Groundhog Day?

  
  

Our Demands for Change

Here is what we have been demanding for the last three years:

The Scottish Government (SG) Report, Cass Implications for Scotland, was published on 5th July 2024. This was in response to the Cass Review’s (CR) recommendations, published on 10th April 2024. Both the CR and its Scottish response emphasise the need for a holistic approach to supporting gender-questioning children.

Understanding the Issue

Evidence from various countries indicates that the significant rise in gender-questioning children is linked to social contagion, media influence, and the "product placement" of the adult term ‘transgender’ in schools and other institutions. Based on robust international research and the evidence provided by Cass, who stated that "social transition is not a neutral act," it is clear that our health, education, and social services must remove gender affirming and social transition policies from all institutions immediately.

For the emotional wellbeing of our children and staff, the notion that any individual can change sex should be eliminated from all aspects of our public institutions. The Scottish Government and those responsible for our public institutions must recognise the embedded nature of gender ideology as a public health emergency. This ideology significantly affects the safeguarding of all children and families, a situation they have, to a large extent, helped to create.

Our Challenge to the Scottish Government

1. All guidance in public services endorsing gender ideology must be removed immediately.

2. Gender ideology messaging must be eliminated from all public institutions, including school curricula, health communications, and social work language.

3. Gender ideology must be excluded from educational materials and from all professionals’ social work, education, and health training courses.

4. Third sector organisations lacking the necessary knowledge, specific training, and professional skills to assess mental health conditions must not provide input to our schools or promote gender ideology in any public services.

5. Evidence-based, systemic reviews must be recognised as the sole basis for interventions in the provision of public services.

6. The concept of ‘trans’ must be acknowledged as using regressive stereotypes for identification and is arguably homophobic.

   
   

Moving Forward Together

The time for change is now. We must unite in our efforts to ensure that the Scottish Government takes our concerns seriously. We need to advocate for the wellbeing of our children and families. Together, we can work towards a future where safeguarding is prioritised, and the emotional health of our children is protected.

First published in July 2024

J Campbell, ScotPAG Administrator