NICOLA Sturgeon has promised to review and reform gender recognition law for trans people as part of a series of commitments on LGBTI equality.
The SNP leader has also pledged “refreshed, age-appropriate strategies and resources” for children to promote tolerance and respect, and prevent prejudice about healthy relationships.
Under her plans, all new, guidance and promoted teachers will also undertake training on equality so they can tackle prejudice-based bullying in schools. Sturgeon said young people should be supported to make informed choices about their gender and sexual identity.
The commitments were welcomed by equalities organisations.
The Scottish Transgender Alliance said the review of gender recognition law could allow young people to legally change their gender, with their parents’ support if they are under 16.
Sturgeon outlined her equality pledges ahead of an LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex) hustings event with the party leaders in Edinburgh.
In addition, an SNP government will work towards every professional working with children being trained on equality, addressing prejudice-based bullying, attachment, child development and child protection and aim for all police officers to receive appropriate training on the investigation of hate crime.
Sturgeon said: “I’m proud that Scotland has made significant progress on LGBTI equality in recent years, however the very fact that we are still having debates like this at election time just underlines that there is still much that we need to do.
“In particular I want to see a renewed focus on areas such as education – both for young people themselves and those responsible for their emotional and educational wellbeing.
“Tolerance, respect, inclusion – these are attitudes and principles we want to encourage and foster in modern, fairer Scotland.
“Enabling young people to make informed choices about their gender and sexual identity is about supporting them to be themselves so that they might fulfil their potential. I am hopeful that in the next Scottish Parliament we can build as much consensus on LGBTI issues as we did in this session – and take another leap forward for equality.”
James Morton, manager of the Scottish Transgender Alliance, said: “We are very pleased to see the SNP pledge to reform gender recognition law for all trans people, in line with international best practice.
“That would mean enabling people to change the gender on their birth certificate without intrusive medical diagnosis, recognising trans people as the experts on their own identities.
“It would allow young people to legally change their gender, with parents’ support if under 16.
“It would also mean the law recognising that some people have a non-binary gender, that is they are neither men nor women. We hope that the other parties will match this commitment and we look forward to working on this with whoever forms the next Scottish Government.”
But the Moderator of the Free Church of Scotland, Rev David Robertson, said the SNP was “seeking to destroy the traditional idea of gender”.
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