Homophobic abuse has got “considerably worse” Scottish Greens politician Ross Greer
May 10, 2024Scottish Greens politician Ross Greer has noted that the homophobic abuse he experiences has escalated to “considerably worse” over the recent years.
Elected as the youngest member of the Scottish Parliament in 2016 at age 21, Greer revealed that he even faces “serious homophobic abuse” within the parliament itself.
As ‘MSN’ reports, in a conversation with the PA news agency on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the first MSPs being elected, Greer, now 29, discussed enduring homophobia and ageism, the latter of which he considers “very silly”.
Representing the West Scotland region, he told the Belfast Telegraph: “I get much more serious homophobic abuse, and that has got considerably worse in the [past] couple of years. Scottish politics and Scottish society in general is a worse place for LGBT people than it was five years ago.” He expressed the sentiment that “we have gone backwards” concerning LGBTQ+ rights since.
“Parliament as an institution has turned into a far more toxic and adversarial place, resembling many behaviors of Westminster which it was initially designed to oppose and offer an alternative to.”
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The debates surrounding gender recognition reform have been particularly intense, notably when Holyrood passed the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) bill in December 2022, which aimed to simplify the process for trans people to change the sex designation on their birth certificates.
However, the UK government blocked the legislation, marking an unprecedented move, with concerns voiced by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Labour leader Keir Starmer about the bill’s potential effects on the nation’s equality laws.
Moreover, Greer firmly dismissed any claims that Scottish politicians are prioritising the wrong issues.
“I’m intrigued by the notion that the parliament has become overly focused on ‘woke issues’ at the expense of what the public really cares about, implying that any minority group that requires protection is not part of the public; instead, the public is considered to be whatever the majority group is.
“If governance were based on that principle, it would only serve straight, white, middle-aged men, though they, like everyone else, merit competent governance.
“However, if parliament were to only concentrate on the top three concerns—health, education, and economy—we would have never achieved equal marriage, we could never have established protection against racial discrimination, nor would we have endeavored to protect disabled individuals.”
Read related myGwork articles here:
Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf: Trans women will be protected by misogyny law
Scottish Ministers Drop Legal Action Against Westminster Over Gender Bill
Scottish Gender Recognition Reform Bill Passes First Stage
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