For his paragraph on transgender justice in Scotland, Neale Hanvey has received criticism. ( Alba / YouTube )
Neale Hanvey, the head of the Alba Party in the House of Commons, has been criticized for an opinion piece in which he compared Section 28 to self-ID for transgender people.
A recently proposed ban on conversion therapy, according to MP Hanvey, was ignoring a” true scandal” of LGB people being made to take hormones in an effort to” trans away the gay,” according in the column published by The National on Tuesday ( 12 December ). “”
Additionally, he claimed that proposed legislation supports the notion that dysmorphic children under the age of 18 can “fix this with hormones and inevitable dramatic surgical intervention.”
This is untrue. Under-18s are not allowed to have gender-affirming operation in the UK or begin hormone replacement therapy, in addition to the conversion therapy bill that Labour MP backbenchers proposed on December 4 focusing only on banning abusive practices against LGBTQ+ people.
Instead, literally removable puberty blockers are only prescribed to trans people under the age of 18, the majority of whom are teenagers, after a thorough evaluation by medical professionals.
Despite this, Hanvey continued by stating that he thinks the self-identification restrictions and the ban on conversion therapy are similar to Section 28, which refers to the “blacked-out panels of the gay bars of Edinburgh” and “real threats” that LGBTQ+ persons faced in the 1980s.
Hanvey contributed to the change in the topic from conversion therapy to gender-affirming attention during the House of Commons conversation on December 6.
Director of Equality Network describes Neale Hanvey’s row as “disgraceful.”
Tim Hopkins, the chairman of the LGBTQ+ rights organization Equality Network in Scotland, criticized Hanvey for his “disgraceful” opinion piece in an opened letter in response to the column.
Hopkins wrote,” I was a part of the little party that planned the first campaign against Section 28 in [1987/1988]. The ACT UP party in Scotland was founded by a small group of gay men to fight against HIV prejudice.
The late great campaigner [lawyer ] Derek Ogg and I successfully lobbied for the first step toward repealing Scotland’s various anti-gay laws since Section 28 a few years later. “”
Hopkins asserted that Hanvey was not a part of any of these promotions or the ones he mentioned in his row, adding that his assertions that trans justice “betrayed” those movements were untrue.
Hopkins asserted,” The same is the case.” The lies that were spread back therefore about lesbians and gay men about transgender people are being repeated today, as can be seen plainly by those of us who organized the activities in the 1980s or 1990s. “”
Hopkins continued,” Hanvey’s assertion that LGB people are being “pressured” into identifying as transgender is” complete drivel,” and it was a repetition of the same lay that was spread about them in the 1990s.
For instance, a recent poll found that 97 % of homosexuals under 25 support trans fairness. This is due to the distinct understanding that most LGB people have of the real nature of anti-trans culture war.
” Mr. Hanvey has benefited from a rope to justice built over centuries, rung by decades of activists,” as an openly queer MP in the 2020s. It is shameful that he is now kicking down the transgender people who are also climbing the ladder below him while reaching the top. “”
Hanvey responded to the letter by saying Hopkins” thinks merely his opinion matters.” ”
Even though we may not have previously crossed paths, the Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath MP continued,” He cannot ignore or remove my activism.”
The sex-based rights of women and LGB persons are willfully harmed by those who support gender ideology, it is an obvious fact. That is a clearly verifiable fact that is at the core of the Area 35 decision, which prevented the Scottish Gender Recognition Reform Bill from being proposed for Royal Assent. “”
