In the light of increasing differences in policy direction and transparency within public services in England and Scotland, several CAN-SG clinicians joined forces with senior professionals from education and social work to discuss how we might deal with our unique difficulties. The Convenor of our group, John Higgon, saw the move as becoming “more pertinent following the Cass review”, stating that,
“Sadly, there has been no Scottish equivalent of the Cass report, and as far as we can see, the Sandyford Clinic has not chosen to take on board any of the learning points from Cass on a voluntary basis. The need for a group with a particular focus on Scotland therefore became more pressing, and to that end a few of the Scottish-based CAN-SG members began to meet informally to discuss the situation north of the border.”
We soon recognized the advantages of setting up a Scotland-based group in a more formal manner, and Scottish Professionals Advising on Gender (ScotPAG) came into being as an informal group at first and formally via our website and X presence (@ScotPAG) during the summer of 2023.
As a small, multi-agency group of concerned professionals, our initial aim was to get a clearer picture of what was happening across Scotland in the interlinking areas of health, education, and social work. Our multi-agency perspective has highlighted the fact that the tentacles of gender ideology cannot be solved by one profession alone; the gender ideology movement stems from a variety of sources and is driven by various activists across many professions.
Many of our professional bodies are already influenced to such an extent that individuals who are aware of the issue are too frightened to speak up while others seem oblivious, perhaps because of how the media is covering this issue. The main teaching union in Scotland, the Educational Institute of Scotland has, under the auspices of equality and social justice, embraced all aspects of gender ideology including the Scottish Government guidance, Supporting Transgender Pupils in Schools. Similarly, the Care Inspectorate issued Guidance for Children and Young People’s Services on the Inclusion of Transgender Including Non-binary Young People. Both documents are frankly shocking in their lack of rigour and bias. Education Scotland which is meant to have an objective and evaluative oversight of both has remained silent.
We have made several FOI requests to the Scottish Government in relation to what is happening at the Sandyford Clinic and Education Scotland. Gregor Smith (Chief Medical Officer) has, to date, refused our request for a meeting to discuss our concerns. Education Scotland’s response to our FOIs was, sadly, evasive and lacking in concern.
As regards 2024, the simple expedient of keeping our ear to the ground and fostering contacts with relevant people will be part of our approach but we will continue to use FOI requests and letters to relevant authorities to try to build up a nuanced picture of gender ideology in Scottish public services. We will be publishing our findings on our website. Meantime, we are making useful links with journalists and Members of the Scottish Parliament, and we have launched an online petition to the Scottish Government, articulating our principal concerns within the three professional areas. We are also promoting widespread involvement in the next public consultation in relation to the Conversion Therapy Bill in Scotland and any other relevant consultations – Scottish and international.
In terms of public awareness, we have already responded to requests to talk to groups and individuals who have concerns regarding gender ideology, such as the Scottish Union for Education, political groups such as Labour Women’s Declaration Scotland, and at public gatherings, such as Parents Watch Education Glasgow, at their George Square Rally. It has given us a chance to explain our rationale and aims, express solidarity and support for fellow professionals, and re-state our concerns about health, education, and safeguarding, in the present climate in Scotland.