The British government will block a bill passed by the Scottish parliament that makes it easier for people to change their legal gender, its Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said on Monday, the first time it has invoked the power to veto a Scottish law.
The move sparked a fresh argument with the devolved Scottish government, which has also been thwarted in its attempts to hold a new independence referendum., made Scotland the first nation of the United Kingdom to back a self-identification process for changing gender, including removing the need for a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria and lowering the minimum age to 16 from 18.
"I have not taken this decision lightly," Jack said in a statement, adding it would "have a significant impact" on equalities matters across Britain.Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, in charge of the devolved nationalist government, said she would defend the legislation and "stand up for Scotland's parliament."
Some women's rights campaigners have argued the changes could pose a threat to the safety of women and girls by making it easier for predatory men to access single-sex spaces such as bathrooms. Other countries including Ireland, Denmark and Argentina have adopted self-ID laws to make it simpler and less invasive to change gender.
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