Scottish parliament removes 'sex' category from website after two trans MSPs elected
The Scottish parliament has been criticised for removing the ‘sex’ category from its website after the election of two trans MSPs
The Scottish parliament has removed the male and female category from its online MSP listings following the election of two trans parliamentarians.
Members of the public were able to search for elected members by various categories, including “gender”.
The options were changed to accommodate new Scottish Greens MSP Q Manivannan, who identifies as non-binary.
Meanwhile, Manivannan’s Scottish Greens colleague Iris Duane, who identifies as a trans woman, was listed as female.
Following complaints, the entire “gender” category was removed from the official Holyrood website - erasing all historic and current information about gender balance in the parliament.
A Scottish parliament spokesman said the data had been removed as part of its Inclusive Parliament Review.
In 2024, the Supreme Court in For Women Scotland vs the Scottish Ministers ruled that “sex” - “male” and “female” - must refer to biological sex.
The parliament initially changed the “gender” category to include male, female or non-binary before removing the section altogether.
The Scottish Greens were approached but declined to comment.
Susan Smith of For Women Scotland said: “It’s outrageous that the Scottish parliament thinks there is something progressive about erasing women’s participation in public life.
“Women count, so must be counted, and if women are to be visible in politics, it’s essential that accurate data is collected.”
Holyrood has consistently struggled to reach gender parity among MSPs, with the number of women MSPs falling for this parliament.
This year 55 women and 74 men were elected to Holyrood, representing a drop from 45 per cent to 42.6 per cent.
An insider pointed out that the parliament has no way to compel MSPs or other staff to declare personal characteristics.
“It may be,” they added, “That if people identify as non-binary or trans and do not want to state their biological sex, there is no way to accurately publish that data.
“Even if it may seem obvious.”
Dr Kath Murray of the policy group Murray Blackburn Mackenzie said the decision “obscures female representation” but also prompts serious questions about decision making.
"There is no conceivable reason as to why the parliament should have stopped presenting data on MSPs by sex, nor any coherent reason as to why it needs revising,” Dr Murray said.
“The case for recording and publishing robust data on sex is clearly set out in the Sullivan Review.
“It is line with the legal framework set out in the Equality Act, and has been published in past sessions.
“The removal of this data not only obscures female representation within the parliament but raises serious questions about what appears to be eleventh-hour decision-making behind closed doors."
A Scottish parliament spokesman said: “As part of the Inclusive Parliament Review, our systems and processes are currently under review.
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“The online filter function on our website is a legacy system and we have taken steps to remove it.
"The review will also consider what personal information on members we need to publish and in what format.”
The Inclusive Parliament Review last year looked at dignity and safety at work for parliamentary staff.
It found “significant barriers to speaking up, inconsistent levels of support, and a longstanding perception that concerns involving MSPs are less likely to be addressed consistently.”
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