• Contact
  • About
  • Authors
DONATE
NEWSLETTER SIGN UP
  • Login
Bylines Scotland
  • Home
  • News
    • All
    • Bylines Scotland Breaking News
    • Europe
    • King Charles III
    • Queen Elizabeth II
    • Scotland
    • War in Ukraine
    • World
    A woman walking in a field with a jerrycan of water on her back, spraying water on the vegetation

    The Ethiopia Medical Project (EMP)

    A thistle flowerr

    Is it time tae think again about Flower of Scotland?

    Eu flag on the left, UK flag on the right. Both are windblown. A large lightening bolt inbetween them.

    Glasgow Loves EU campaigners brave wind and rain to keep a light on for Scotland

    blue background, A younf woman holding a large black sign that says VOTE ! in white letters

    Scottish elections: young people more likely to vote if they started at 16 – new study

    Healthcare word seen in a scrabble

    “Leave no one behind” – the Health Foundation’s report into health inequalities in Scotland 2023.

    Sign saying NHS Greater Galsgow & Clyde in front of a hospital building

    Concern over patients waiting in corridors for free beds at Glasgow Superhospital

    A row of tall houses on the left, with parked cars in front on the side of the street

    Saving Scotland’s tenements

    Ben Nevis. Forground has green shrubbery, then background a mountain with two tops. Blue sky with a few streaky clouds

    Exploring the Highest Mountain in the British Isles: A Guide to Ben Nevis

    Image via Steller Systems, a potential candidate.

    Cancelling future frigates could be final nail in the coffin for the UK

    Trending Tags

    • Democracy
    • Devolution
    • Brexit
    • Ukraine
  • Politics
    • All
    • Council Areas
    • Europe
    • Holyrood
    • Liz Truss
    • Rest of UK
    • Tories
    • United Kingdom
    • Westminster
    • World
    blue background, A younf woman holding a large black sign that says VOTE ! in white letters

    Scottish elections: young people more likely to vote if they started at 16 – new study

    A scene of people demonstrating, holding Scotland flags. One man wears a tartan cap and holds a blue flag with both the Scottish cross and the EU stars on it.

    Is Alister Jack sane?

    Image Malcom Laverty

    The Brown plan

    The climate change impacts of Russia’s war with Ukraine

    Britain wastes £1bn on drones to monitor English Channel

    The Autumn Statement – time to take a closer look

    Photo Mtaylor848, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

    Christmas cheer for Tesco if grim reading for the political classes

    Scottish independence isn’t going away

    Russia as a low-tech nation

    Trending Tags

    • Crime
    • Equality
    • Johnson
    • Scottish National Party
  • Business
    • All
    • Agriculture
    • Aviation
    • Corporations
    • Energy
    • Fishing
    • Natural Resources
    • Shipbuilding
    • Trade
    • Transport
    • Workers
    A row of tall houses on the left, with parked cars in front on the side of the street

    Saving Scotland’s tenements

    A large red researcgh vessel in the sea with ice sheets all around it on the water.

    Rosyth shipyard attracts UK Government contract to maintain fleet of scientific research vessels

    large posts saying 'Glasgow Airport Business Park' on the left and right of a road leading away from the main road in the front. . On that road leading away building with walls almost entirely existing of windows.

    Why doing business in Scotland may be better for your corporate wellbeing

    A mountain of spools forming a tree on the left, a sandy area to the right and a row of houses at the back. mountains in the distance on the right

    The Ullapool Giving Tree

    Electric off-roader heralds return of vehicle mass-production in Scotland after 40 years

    Photo Mtaylor848, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

    Christmas cheer for Tesco if grim reading for the political classes

    Ferguson Marine will weather the storm

    Order placed for remaining five Type 26 Frigates on the Clyde

    Police Scotland not investigating Scottish government over ferry contract criminality

    Trending Tags

    • Health
      • All
      • Assisted dying
      • Covid
      • Influenza
      • Polio virus
      • Respiratory
      • Scientific Research
      A woman walking in a field with a jerrycan of water on her back, spraying water on the vegetation

      The Ethiopia Medical Project (EMP)

      Healthcare word seen in a scrabble

      “Leave no one behind” – the Health Foundation’s report into health inequalities in Scotland 2023.

      Sign saying NHS Greater Galsgow & Clyde in front of a hospital building

      Concern over patients waiting in corridors for free beds at Glasgow Superhospital

      A hospital corridor with trolleys on the sides.

      Glasgow hospitals halt non-urgent operations due to pressure

      Two more unions reject Scottish Government NHS pay offer

      GMB union reject Scottish Government pay offer to NHS staff

      Lymphocites gathering

      How careful should we be when choosing a scientific term?

      Code Black – A mayday from the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital

      The challenges facing mental health care in Scotland

      Trending Tags

      • Environment
        • All
        • Air Pollution
        • Biology
        • Climate Change
        • Wildfires
        Ardnish wildfire by Leslie Barrie, CC BY-SA 2.0 Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic — CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons'

        Fire threats in the Scottish countryside

        Wood stove at the foot of the bed in the Danish Blue room at Pig Hill Inn, Cold Spring, New York. Printed with permission and confirmed to be licensed under the terms of the cc-by-2.0.

        When smoke gets in your eyes

        Opening of the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP27 in Egypt. Photo courtesy of the UNFCCC

        COP27 and the inconvenient truth

        Viscum album in trees

        Night of the strangling figs: a biological horror story

        Out & about with Charlie Mac: Cycling to the heart of Scotland – the National Cycle Network 7

        Scotland's mountain footpaths

        How do we care for Scotland’s mountain footpath network?

        climate science

        PM to be chosen by people with little grasp of climate science

        Trending Tags

        • Opinion
        No Result
        View All Result
        • Home
        • News
          • All
          • Bylines Scotland Breaking News
          • Europe
          • King Charles III
          • Queen Elizabeth II
          • Scotland
          • War in Ukraine
          • World
          A woman walking in a field with a jerrycan of water on her back, spraying water on the vegetation

          The Ethiopia Medical Project (EMP)

          A thistle flowerr

          Is it time tae think again about Flower of Scotland?

          Eu flag on the left, UK flag on the right. Both are windblown. A large lightening bolt inbetween them.

          Glasgow Loves EU campaigners brave wind and rain to keep a light on for Scotland

          blue background, A younf woman holding a large black sign that says VOTE ! in white letters

          Scottish elections: young people more likely to vote if they started at 16 – new study

          Healthcare word seen in a scrabble

          “Leave no one behind” – the Health Foundation’s report into health inequalities in Scotland 2023.

          Sign saying NHS Greater Galsgow & Clyde in front of a hospital building

          Concern over patients waiting in corridors for free beds at Glasgow Superhospital

          A row of tall houses on the left, with parked cars in front on the side of the street

          Saving Scotland’s tenements

          Ben Nevis. Forground has green shrubbery, then background a mountain with two tops. Blue sky with a few streaky clouds

          Exploring the Highest Mountain in the British Isles: A Guide to Ben Nevis

          Image via Steller Systems, a potential candidate.

          Cancelling future frigates could be final nail in the coffin for the UK

          Trending Tags

          • Democracy
          • Devolution
          • Brexit
          • Ukraine
        • Politics
          • All
          • Council Areas
          • Europe
          • Holyrood
          • Liz Truss
          • Rest of UK
          • Tories
          • United Kingdom
          • Westminster
          • World
          blue background, A younf woman holding a large black sign that says VOTE ! in white letters

          Scottish elections: young people more likely to vote if they started at 16 – new study

          A scene of people demonstrating, holding Scotland flags. One man wears a tartan cap and holds a blue flag with both the Scottish cross and the EU stars on it.

          Is Alister Jack sane?

          Image Malcom Laverty

          The Brown plan

          The climate change impacts of Russia’s war with Ukraine

          Britain wastes £1bn on drones to monitor English Channel

          The Autumn Statement – time to take a closer look

          Photo Mtaylor848, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

          Christmas cheer for Tesco if grim reading for the political classes

          Scottish independence isn’t going away

          Russia as a low-tech nation

          Trending Tags

          • Crime
          • Equality
          • Johnson
          • Scottish National Party
        • Business
          • All
          • Agriculture
          • Aviation
          • Corporations
          • Energy
          • Fishing
          • Natural Resources
          • Shipbuilding
          • Trade
          • Transport
          • Workers
          A row of tall houses on the left, with parked cars in front on the side of the street

          Saving Scotland’s tenements

          A large red researcgh vessel in the sea with ice sheets all around it on the water.

          Rosyth shipyard attracts UK Government contract to maintain fleet of scientific research vessels

          large posts saying 'Glasgow Airport Business Park' on the left and right of a road leading away from the main road in the front. . On that road leading away building with walls almost entirely existing of windows.

          Why doing business in Scotland may be better for your corporate wellbeing

          A mountain of spools forming a tree on the left, a sandy area to the right and a row of houses at the back. mountains in the distance on the right

          The Ullapool Giving Tree

          Electric off-roader heralds return of vehicle mass-production in Scotland after 40 years

          Photo Mtaylor848, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

          Christmas cheer for Tesco if grim reading for the political classes

          Ferguson Marine will weather the storm

          Order placed for remaining five Type 26 Frigates on the Clyde

          Police Scotland not investigating Scottish government over ferry contract criminality

          Trending Tags

          • Health
            • All
            • Assisted dying
            • Covid
            • Influenza
            • Polio virus
            • Respiratory
            • Scientific Research
            A woman walking in a field with a jerrycan of water on her back, spraying water on the vegetation

            The Ethiopia Medical Project (EMP)

            Healthcare word seen in a scrabble

            “Leave no one behind” – the Health Foundation’s report into health inequalities in Scotland 2023.

            Sign saying NHS Greater Galsgow & Clyde in front of a hospital building

            Concern over patients waiting in corridors for free beds at Glasgow Superhospital

            A hospital corridor with trolleys on the sides.

            Glasgow hospitals halt non-urgent operations due to pressure

            Two more unions reject Scottish Government NHS pay offer

            GMB union reject Scottish Government pay offer to NHS staff

            Lymphocites gathering

            How careful should we be when choosing a scientific term?

            Code Black – A mayday from the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital

            The challenges facing mental health care in Scotland

            Trending Tags

            • Environment
              • All
              • Air Pollution
              • Biology
              • Climate Change
              • Wildfires
              Ardnish wildfire by Leslie Barrie, CC BY-SA 2.0 Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic — CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons'

              Fire threats in the Scottish countryside

              Wood stove at the foot of the bed in the Danish Blue room at Pig Hill Inn, Cold Spring, New York. Printed with permission and confirmed to be licensed under the terms of the cc-by-2.0.

              When smoke gets in your eyes

              Opening of the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP27 in Egypt. Photo courtesy of the UNFCCC

              COP27 and the inconvenient truth

              Viscum album in trees

              Night of the strangling figs: a biological horror story

              Out & about with Charlie Mac: Cycling to the heart of Scotland – the National Cycle Network 7

              Scotland's mountain footpaths

              How do we care for Scotland’s mountain footpath network?

              climate science

              PM to be chosen by people with little grasp of climate science

              Trending Tags

              • Opinion
              No Result
              View All Result
              Bylines Scotland
              No Result
              View All Result
              Home Rights and Freedoms LBGT+

              Edinburgh march and rally showed support for trans equality

              Kat Cary shares her experience at this year’s March for Trans Equality in Edinburgh and explains the history of trans rights in Scotland

              Kat CarybyKat Cary
              13-09-2022 07:00
              in LBGT+, Rights and Freedoms, Trans
              Edinburgh march in support of trans rights head down the Royal Mile towards the Scottish Parliament. Picture by the author and used with permission

              Edinburgh march in support of trans rights head down the Royal Mile towards the Scottish Parliament. Picture by the author and used with permission

              Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

              It was a sunny Monday 5 September when more than 200 people gathered outside Edinburgh City Chambers to march for trans equality. An eclectic mix of members of the LGBT+ community and their supporters, including local councillors and Members of the Scottish Parliament, were in high spirits.

              The purpose of the march and rally was to show support for trans rights, providing a platform to positively and progressively represent trans people. Organisers included the LGBT+ groups affiliated with Scottish Labour, Scottish Liberal Democrats, Scottish Greens, and the Scottish National Party, as well as the non-partisan Equality Network and Scottish Trans Alliance.

              History of trans rights in Scotland

              Although Scotland traditionally lagged behind the rest of the UK in terms of LGBT+ rights, this has changed drastically in the past decade. In 2014, same-sex marriage was legalised when the Scottish Parliament passed the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Act, which lead to Scotland being named the best country in Europe for LGBT+ legal equality,. In 2018, Scotland became the first country in the world to officially launch LGBT+ inclusive education in schools.

              LGBT+ people have also been incredibly visible in public life in Scotland, especially in politics. In 2016, then leader of Scottish Labour, Kezia Dugdale, revealed that she was in a relationship with a woman. This was a historic moment, not because of the public’s reaction but because the majority of party leaders in Scotland were, for the first time, openly LGBT+ (the others being Ruth Davidson of the Scottish Conservatives, Patrick Harvie of the Scottish Greens, and David Coburn MEP of the UK Independence Party).

              But progress has not come without setbacks and hurdles. Earlier this year, the Scottish Government introduced the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill, which aims to simplify how trans people apply for a Gender Recognition Certificate. The current process, passed in 2005, is seen as putting an undue burden on candidates. In 2020, it was reported as one of the worst policies in Europe by the European Commission because of its ”intrusive medical requirements” and the fact that it does not meet current international human rights standards.

              However, this Bill has not been uncontroversial. The notion that trans people should not be included in the LGBT+ community, a movement sometimes referred to as separating the T from the LGB, and which was identified in 2017 by the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Hatewatch as a Christian right anti-LGBT propaganda tactic, began a campaign of vocal opposition to GRR. While the “Gender Critical” (GC) movement seems to have lost a bit of momentum in Scotland – the four parties participating in the march each pledged to pass GRR in their 2021 Scottish Parliament election manifestos – opponents to GRR and making life easier for trans people are still a vocal and powerful force in the media.

              The route and post-march speeches

              At City Chambers, event participants gathered round to hear from the pre-march speakers: Gwen Wall of LGBT+ Labour Scotland, Patrick Harvie, co-leader of the Scottish Greens, Alex Cole Hamilton, leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, and Ellie Gomersall, the first openly trans president of the National Union of Students (NUS). Each speaker stressed the importance of passing the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill, recognised the progress that has been made and acknowledged that there is still much more to do in the fight for equality, specifically improving funding and lowering wait times for trans healthcare, and recognising non-binary gender identity as legally valid.

              After the speeches at city chambers, Beth Douglas of the Rainbow Greens then led the group down the Royal Mile towards Scottish Parliament. Marchers, from all parties and none, were in high spirits as they chatted and chanted, some holding signs and banners. A drummer marched with the group, which kept spirits high and the pace even. Chants included HRT not GIC, meaning hormone replacement therapy, not gender identity clinics, the multiverse When trans/intersex/queer people are under attack, what do we do? STAND UP! FIGHT BACK! and a chant shared with abortion rights activists Whose bodies? OUR BODIES! Whose rights? OUR RIGHTS!

              Most onlookers were supportive or curious, with one notable exception of a man holding a religious sign near Canongate Kirk. However, once the march neared the end in front of Scottish Parliament, there was a group of five people holding Scottish Family Party signs, though it didn’t darken the mood of the marchers.

              The gathering at the Parliament featured speakers including Cllr Elaine Gallagher, Glasgow Council’s first openly trans councillor, Vic Valentine of the Scottish Trans Alliance, and Erin Lux, co-convener of Out For Independence (the SNP’s LGBT+ affiliate organisation). Maggie Chapman, who is the Scottish Greens Spokesperson for Equalities, Human Rights and Social Justice, ended the rally by saying, “I stand in solidarity with you all – not only as a friend and ally – but as someone who can make the GRR bill a reality.” Maggie is the vice convener of the committee that is currently scrutinising the bill at Holyrood.

              Trans rights and women’s rights are the same fight

              While the movement for trans equality is all too often portrayed in the media as the work of “trans rights activists” and opposed to feminism and women’s equality, the march for trans equality told a different story. Trade union activists, racial justice advocates, feminists, and cis-het allies marched alongside LGBT+ groups and individuals. Many feminists – myself included – see feminism and other social justice movements as inextricably linked. As Erin Lux stated in her speech: “I’m a cis woman in my 30s and a lifelong feminist. There is no conflict between trans rights and women’s rights – indeed, they are the same fight. Feminists have long fought for biology to not define anyone’s destiny.”

              I couldn’t put it better myself.


              We need your help! The press in our country is dominated by billionaire-owned media, many offshore and avoiding paying tax. We are a citizen journalism publication but still have significant costs. If you believe in what we do, please consider subscribing to the Bylines Gazette 🙏

              Tags: CultureEquality and Human RightsGender Recognition ReformJusticeLGBT+Trans equality
              Previous Post

              It’s more than lights, cameras, a good script and knowing your lines

              Next Post

              A rank amateur’s guide to royal procession-watching

              Kat Cary

              Kat Cary

              Born and raised on a farm just outside the American Midwest city of Milwaukee, Kat Cary moved to Edinburgh in 2016 to study psychology but soon got involved in Scottish politics. Enlisting in the US Navy as a teenager, she was a P-3 Flight Engineer for 12 years before being medically retired. She is an Edinburgh Uni alumnus, a member of Democrats Abroad Global Women’s Caucus, and a democratic socialist who co-hosts Talking Sense, part of the Left Ungagged Podcast family.

              Related Posts

              March and rally outside the Scottish Parliament (Holyrood), 5 September 2022 in support of Trans rights. Picture by Kat Cary, used with permission.
              Gender Recognition Reform Bill

              Gender Recognition Reform Bill no longer about gender recognition if London blocks Royal assent

              byMartin Roche
              31 December 2022
              Protests in Glasgow against Iran regime. Photographs by author
              Iran

              Woman, Life, Freedom protests in Glasgow and elsewhere

              bySara Davini
              2 December 2022
              Freedom of the press

              Senior officers encourage press freedom after journalists arrested

              byGeorge Allison
              10 November 2022
              Abuse and Violence

              Dana Leslie: University of Dundee art student wins prestigious global award

              byCharlie McCarthy
              23 September 2022
              Next Post
              The one image of the Queen's coffin captured by Richard Milne following a Herculean effort to do so. Photo by the author, used with permission

              A rank amateur’s guide to royal procession-watching

              Subscribe to our newsletters
              CHOOSE YOUR NEWS
              Follow us on social media
              CHOOSE YOUR PLATFORMS
              Download our app
              ALL OF BYLINES IN ONE PLACE
              Subscribe to our gazette
              CONTRIBUTE TO OUR SUSTAINABILITY
              Make a monthly or one-off donation
              DONATE NOW
              Help us with our hosting costs
              SIGN UP TO SITEGROUND
              We are always looking for citizen journalists
              WRITE FOR US
              Volunteer as an editor, in a technical role, or on social media
              VOLUNTEER FOR US
              Something else?
              GET IN TOUCH
              Previous
              Next

              LATEST

              A woman walking in a field with a jerrycan of water on her back, spraying water on the vegetation

              The Ethiopia Medical Project (EMP)

              8 February 2023
              Brexit and Pro-EU airport channels in opposite directions.

              Pro-EU voices must ensure Europe stays top of the general election agenda

              7 February 2023
              St Andrews from West sands at sunrise

              I like your gift

              6 February 2023
              Performers at Celtic Connection 2023 in Glasgow

              Le Vent du Nord blows Glasgow away!

              5 February 2023

              MOST READ

              Brexit and Pro-EU airport channels in opposite directions.

              Pro-EU voices must ensure Europe stays top of the general election agenda

              7 February 2023
              A woman walking in a field with a jerrycan of water on her back, spraying water on the vegetation

              The Ethiopia Medical Project (EMP)

              8 February 2023
              A scene of people demonstrating, holding Scotland flags. One man wears a tartan cap and holds a blue flag with both the Scottish cross and the EU stars on it.

              Is Alister Jack sane?

              15 January 2023

              The methods of Russian interference in Scottish politics

              27 December 2022

              BROWSE BY TAGS

              Alister Jack Brexit Christmas Climate change Covid Culture Defence Democracy Devolution Gender Recognition Reform Glasgow Halloween health History Holyrood independence IndyRef2 Johnson Journalism Liz Truss Long Covid Monarchy nationalism NATO NHS Nicola Sturgeon politics Poverty Putin Russia Sars-CoV-2 Scotland Security Security and Defence shipbuilding SNP St Andrews Sunak Supreme Court Tories Tourism Twitter Ukraine UK Supreme Court War in Ukraine
              Bylines Scotland

              We are a not-for-profit citizen journalism publication. Our aim is to publish well-written, fact-based articles and opinion pieces on subjects that are of interest to people in Scotland and beyond.

              Bylines Scotland is a trading brand of Bylines Network Limited, which is a sister organisation to Byline Times.

              Learn more about us

              No Result
              View All Result
              • Bylines network
              • About
              • Authors
              • Contact
              • Donate
              • Privacy

              © 2022 Bylines Scotland. Citizen Journalism | Local & Internationalist

              No Result
              View All Result
              • Home
              • News
                • Scotland
                • World
              • Politics
                • Council Areas
                • Europe
                • Holyrood
                • Rest of UK
                • Westminster
              • Business
                • Fishing
                • Trade
                • Transport
              • Health
              • Environment
                • Climate Change
              • Opinion
              • Donate

              © 2022 Bylines Scotland. Citizen Journalism | Local & Internationalist

              Welcome Back!

              Login to your account below

              Forgotten Password?

              Retrieve your password

              Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

              Log In