The British Government vetoes Scotland’s ‘trans’ law that allows children under 16 to change gender

The Government British advanced this Monday that it will block the law approved by the autonomous Parliament of Scotland to facilitate gender change from the age of 16, known as law trans.

The British Minister for Scotland, allister Jackplans to present this Tuesday before the House of Commons an order to prevent legislation passed at Holyrood (Edinburgh) on December 22 be sent to the king Carlos II to receive your formal consent.

The Executive will use for the first time what is known as section 35 of the act that established the autonomy of the Scottish Parliament in 1998which allows London to veto laws that it considers to affect “reserved matters” to the central government.

Scottish Chief Minister, the nationalist Nicola Sturgeoncalled the decision a “frontal attack” on the ability of the autonomous Parliament to “make its own decisions on transferred powers.”

“The Scottish Government – stressed Sturgeon – will defend the legislation and the Parliament of Scotland. If this Westminster veto is successful, it will be the first of many,” according to reports efe.

UK law sets a minimum age of 18 to apply for a gender changerequires a medical diagnosis of dysphoria and evidence that the applicant has lived for at least two years with their new gender.

The Scottish law, pushed by the Scottish National Party (SNP), instead lowers that age to 16 and removes the need to submit a medical report and other evidence.

“My decision today has to do with the consequences of (Scottish) legislation on the operation of equality protections in the whole of Great Britain and other reserved matters,” the British minister said in a statement.

The veto of the central Executive is “necessary” and “the correct procedure”, said Jack, who assured that he has not taken the decision “lightly”.

“Transgender people who are going through the process of changing their legal sex deserve our respect, support and understanding,” the minister added.

The spokesperson for Equality of the Green Party, a partner of the Government in Scotland, Maggie Chapman, stated for her part in a statement that “it is a black day for the decentralization agreement (of powers), democracy and the rights of transgender people” .

It is, in his opinion, “analarming new precedent that should concern everyone who believes in decentralization and that he wants the Scottish Parliament to exist.”