Joanna Cherry has said fellow SNP representatives in Westminster and Holyrood are “scared to speak out” on gender reform.
The Edinburgh South West MP has been a fierce critic of the Scottish Government’s legislation which will make it easier to obtain a gender recognition certificate (GRC) on the basis of self-declaration and removing the need for a gender dysphoria diagnosis.
Ms Cherry said she was sacked from the justice and home affairs spokesperson role in Westminster following her opposition to the proposals which are currently going through stage three in the Scottish Parliament.
Speaking to the PA news agency following a For Women Scotland protest against self-ID outside the Scottish Parliament, she said she was aware of colleagues who had “serious reservations” over the legislation.
I’ve faced bullying in my workplace as a result of my views— Joanna Cherry, SNP MP
Hundreds of protesters gathered outside Holyrood on Wednesday afternoon to express their opposition to the Bill.
Speakers included Ms Cherry, former Scottish Labour leader Johann Lamont, and the Alba MP, Neale Hanvey.
Ms Cherry received death and sexual violence threats against her after she expressed her views.
She said: “I know for a fact that there are people in both the Westminster and the Holyrood groups who have serious reservations about this legislation, but who have felt unable to speak out.
“I think some people are scared to speak out in this debate because when you do speak out, you’re often wrongly branded as a transphobe or a bigot.
“In my case, I was kicked off the SNP front bench for speaking up for women’s rights or for lesbians’ rights.
“And I’ve also received rape and death threats and, as is a matter of public record, I’ve had no public support from my political party despite those rape and death threats, so I think many parliamentarians are just trying to keep out of this debate because they’re afraid to speak up.”
She added: “Many women, such as myself, who’ve tried to contribute to this debate have been shouted down, we’ve been abused, we faced bullying in our workplace – and I know personally I’ve faced bullying in my workplace as a result of my views and some women have lost their jobs.
Ms Cherry also expressed her dismay that an amendment to prevent those convicted of sexual crimes such as rape from obtaining a GRC was rejected by MSPs by a majority of just one.
She said current proposals lacked “sufficient safeguards” and said her calls for First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Social Justice Secretary Shona Robison to hold a citizens’ assembly on the issue “fell on deaf ears”.
She added: “In my view, it would be perfectly simple to have stronger safeguards in this Bill without causing any detriments to genuine trans people who wanted to get a gender recognition certificate.
“In holding this view, I’m not going against my party policy. The Scottish National Party has never voted for self-ID as a policy at conference and it wasn’t in our manifesto.
“What it did promise to do was make the process of gender recognition easier for trans people which I support. What I don’t support is opening it up to just anyone with minimal safeguards.”
