Reforming the Gender Recognition Act in Scotland

When the UK first introduced the Gender Recognition Act in 2004, it was a world-leading piece of legislation. 

But in the past two decades, many countries and territories around the world have significantly improved their laws, leaving the UK falling behind international best practice for legal gender recognition.

In 2022, the Scottish Government introduced a Bill in the Scottish Parliament to reform the Gender Recognition Act. Stonewall, alongside many other human rights organisations, supported these reforms as they went through Parliament. The Bill was passed by an overwhelming majority of MSPs from across all the political parties in the Scottish Parliament.

You can read our statements on our involvement in the development of the Bill, and our subsequent intervention in the UK Government's decision to block the Bill below:

• Equality organisations welcome Scottish Government’s Gender Recognition Reform Bill
• Statement on the EHRC letter to the Scottish Government on Gender Recognition Act reform
• Statement on the UK Government’s decision to block Scotland’s Gender Recognition Reform Bill
• LGBTQ+ Organisations to intervene on the UK Government's Block on the Gender Recognition Reform Bill in Scotland
• Written submission for the GRR Section 35 Judicial Review
• Statement on Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) judicial review
• Statement on Section 35 appeal