services as they were not able to apply for a Gender Recognition Certificate
(GRC).
7. Ms Robison agreed to invitation meet with the organisation’s young person’s
group.
8. Stakeholders urged Ms Robison to consider international best practice around
lowering the age to 16 years for applying for a GRC.
Agenda Item Two: Conversion Practices
9. Ms Robison mentioned that the Equality, Human Rights and Civil Justice
Committee had been gathering written and oral evidence for their
consideration of the petition on banning conversion therapy. She noted that
research had been published alongside the UK Government’s consultation on
banning conversion therapy. She acknowledged that some of the issues
associated with banning conversion practices were not devolved matters and
that the Scottish Government wanted to pursue both legislative and non-
legislative measures.
10. Ms Robison said that the Scottish Government was establishing an Expert
Advisory Group on Banning Conversion Practices which would be asked to
agree a definition. The Group would include legal professionals, those with
relevant expertise, and those with lived experience.
11.
stated it was vital that the remit of the Advisory Group be about
how to end conversion therapy and not whether or not it should be banned.
He also emphasised that it was vital to have at least one trans survivor on the
Expert Advisory Group to give a perspective on trans conversion therapy.
12. Ms Robison said the remit of the Expert Advisory Group would be about how
to ban conversion therapy and she agreed lived experience important.
13.
welcomed a letter from MPs sent to Liz Truss MP on the UK
plans to ban so-called conversion therapy. He said he considered the best
international example of banning conversion practices came from Victoria,
Australia.
agreed and stated it was important to cover the
loopholes in the UK Government’s proposals such as the issue of consent.
Agenda Item Three: Health
14.
brought forward concerns that the mental health of
LGBT people had worsened during the pandemic with many support services
seeing significant increases in demand and that this was a significant area of
inequality for LGBT people. Social media discourse stirred up by the GRA
reform process was said to have had a particularly negative effect on the
mental health of LGBTI people. Stakeholders were waiting to hear back about
a meeting with the Minister for Mental Health.
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15. Ms Robison acknowledged that the pandemic had exacerbated mental health
issues and public discourse would not help and also understood that reform of
GRA would heighten public discourse. Ms Robison stated that the Scottish
Government’s Mental Health Transition and Recovery Plan set out a number
of actions.
Follow Up Actions
1. Ms Robison agreed to reflect on how to challenge misinformation surrounding the
Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill.
2. Ms Robison agreed to attend a meeting proposed by LGBT Youth Scotland with
their young person’s group.
3. SG officials wil be clear that legislation to ban conversion practices wil be
introduced by the end of 2023.
4. SG officials will confirm arrangements for the meeting between the Minister for
Mental Wellbeing and LGBTI stakeholders.
5. SG officials wil provide an update on the progress of the Equality and Human
Rights Forum for Mental Health.
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