Readers of National Review followed what happened to the Tavistock gender-identity clinic in England, from its provision of medicalized gender transitions for minors to its being shut down over concerns that it was unsafe, to the present prospects of a class-action lawsuit from former patients.
Scotland has its own version of the Tavistock clinic. The Scottish Daily Express reports: “Scotland’s gender identity clinic for children is facing mounting legal actions from former patients who claim they were rushed into irreversible sex-change treatments. International law firm Pogust Goodhead is laying the groundwork for a US-style class action lawsuit against the Sandyford clinic in Glasgow.”
You’d think that this would give pause to the Scottish government, whose leaders are determined to make it easier for people to change their legal sex. But Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, is pushing ahead with her agenda anyway — though not without opposition.
In considering whether to simplify the legal process for acquiring a gender-recognition certificate, the Scottish National Party saw an unprecedented revolt, including the resignation of its community-safety minister, Ash Regan.
A judicial review brought by the women’s-rights group For Women Scotland is currently underway. Its central concern is whether the government acted lawfully in redefining sex to include gender identity for the purposes of guidance on gender representation in public boards.
There’s some hope for Scotland yet.