Joanna Cherry calls for GRA reform citizens’ assembly

SNP MP Joanna Cherry has urged the Scottish Government to set up a citizens’ assembly on the reform of the Gender Recognition Act (GRA).

She said such a move would force a “badly needed” reset on the debate around the issue.

The recent cooperation agreement between the SNP and the Greens confirmed the plan to bring forward legislation to reform the GRA in the first year of the new parliament.

The aim of reform is to simplify the legal process for trans people to be recognised as their acquired gender.

However, there has been some controversy around the plan to allow self-identification, with several senior SNP politicians speaking out against it.

This led to ministers shelving the plans in June 2019 to allow for further consultation.

The planned legislation was further delayed in April 2020 as the government switched its focus to the coronavirus pandemic.

Now, Cherry has written to social justice secretary Shona Robison to ask for a citizens’ assembly – similar to the one held on climate change recently – to be established before fresh legislation is brought forward.

Cherry said: “I welcome the commitment in the SNP/Green cooperation agreement to doing politics better with mutual trust, respect, transparency and candour… Yet in relation to this most totemic and controversial legislation, the approach of the partners to the cooperation agreement has not, so far, lived up to the values they have now so clearly espoused.

“A reset of the debate is now badly needed, and I believe that it is not too late to do that.

“We need to find a way to facilitate a debate where the voices of all those affected by these reforms can be heard respectfully in line with the values set out in the cooperation agreement and a full citizens’ assembly should be convened to do that.”

Cherry has previously urged the government to consider such an assembly in 2019.

A similar proposal was then put forward by Alex Salmond’s Alba party in the run-up to May’s election.