The controversy surrounding the placement of transgender offenders in Scottish prisons has intensified safety concerns across the LGBTQ+ community, campaigners have said. The case of Isla Bryson, a double rapist initially remanded at a women’s prison, has fuelled a climate of hostility towards trans people online and in public, according to equality advocates.
Jennie Kermode, a writer and adviser for Trans Media Watch, said many trans people are now frightened. “It makes it harder for a trans person to move comfortably about their local area,” she said, adding that the media and political focus emboldens those with existing prejudice.
LGBTQ+ activists are also worried about the future of Scotland’s gender recognition bill, which was blocked by the UK government last month. Opponents of the bill cite the Bryson case as evidence of insufficient safeguards, while the community sees it as part of a broader backlash.
Vic Valentine, manager of Scottish Trans, noted that “inevitably headlines like this spill into people’s personal lives,” with many trans women reporting increased anxiety. He warned that framing trans people in the context of sex offending influences public perception, as “the average member of the public doesn’t know a trans person.”
Figures from the Scottish government show hate offences against transgender people are rising faster than any other category. The charity Galop recorded a 19% increase in demand for its hate crime support services in the latter half of 2022. Its chief executive, Leni Morris, said there are “real-world consequences to the hostile public narrative.”
