Highland trans man speaks out against watershed Supreme Court ruling on definition of ‘woman’
A Highland trans man has spoken out against the Supreme Court’s ruling on the legal definition of a “woman”, with him stating that “men do not need a disguise to attack women”.
Raised in Ullapool, Jordan Hartley is a 21-year-old trans man, who now works as an in-house photographer for an Edinburgh music promoter and as a part-time barista.
As defined by GLAAD, ‘trans’ or ‘transgender’ is an adjective to describe people whose gender identity is different from the sex they were assigned at birth.
Following the UK Supreme Court's ruling on April 16, that the "legal definition of a woman is based on biological sex", Jordan has shared his perspective on the news that has sent shockwaves through the LGBTQ+ community.
Jordan said: “When will people realise that men will attack women regardless of whether they are ‘dressed as a woman’ or not? Men do not need to dress as a female to go into a woman’s toilet or safe space to [commit sexual offences]. They do it anyway, every single day, in public and in safe spaces, dressed as men. They do not need an excuse or a disguise.
“It’s always ‘not all men!’ until it’s trans women you view as men, then suddenly they are all rapists.
“Y’all stressed about less than 1% of the UK’s population. We’re not a threat to you.”
After multiple appeals, the case between the Scottish Government and campaign group For Women Scotland was ruled on by the Supreme Court yesterday, with the court reaching a unanimous decision.
Early indicators are that the ruling will affect trans women’s access to services like hospitals and refuges, as well as sports clubs, with many sporting governing bodies already having taken steps to ban trans women from competing at elite and recreational levels over recent years.
Several Highland and Moray LGBTQ+ groups have voiced their dismay at the ruling, stating that the decision “shows no support for our trans sisters”.
Jordan continued: “I’m personally tired of being a political debate, and hearing my rights discussed over BBC Radio 2 while I’m making someone’s double oat caramel latte.
“There are bad people in every group of people. There are bad men, women, trans men, trans women, etc. It does not mean everyone in those groups are bad. That’s just critical thinking.
“And to the cis* gays who use Pride as an excuse to get drunk, remember that it’s trans women who fought for your freedom to do that. As a community, we owe everything we have to them.”
*’Cis’ or ‘cisgender’ is a term used to describe a person whose gender matches the body they were born with. E.g. Someone who was assigned female at birth, and identifies as an adult woman.
For a list of useful contacts and mental health support lines curated by Highland Pride, visit: www.highlandpride.org/useful_contacts/
