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LGTBQ demonstration in Scotland (2023): Queer people and trans people should also be better protected by the new law
Photo: Jane Barlow / AP
Tightening legislation against hate crime in Scotland has sparked heated debates in the British part of the country at the end of Easter. The Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act, which came into force on April 1, criminalizes not only racially motivated acts and calls for hatred, but also those based on age, disability, religion, sexual orientation or trans identity. However, the law drew criticism from celebrities, police unions and politicians.
Opponents of the law complain that it could lead to a flood of advertisements that endanger the right to freedom of expression. They also criticize the fact that women are not among the protected groups of people. However, the government in Edinburgh had announced that it would introduce its own law against misogyny.
JK Rowling publishes critical posts
The general secretary of the Scottish Police Federation, David Kennedy, warned in an interview on BBC 4 radio that officers were not adequately trained to apply the new legislation.
Another point of contention is how to deal with trans people. Scotland's responsible State Secretary, Siobhian Brown, did not rule out in a BBC interview that so-called misgendering could also be prosecuted. The term refers to the assignment of a person to a gender that does not correspond to their self-chosen identity.
"Harry Potter" author JK Rowling posted a series of critical posts on (…).' Rowling says that biological sex cannot be changed and always refers to trans women as men.
Scotland's Prime Minister Humza Yousaf from the independence party SNP defended the law. It will help counter the growing hatred, he said.
muk/dpa