{"id":23370,"date":"2023-03-29T11:26:09","date_gmt":"2023-03-29T11:26:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/?p=23370"},"modified":"2023-03-29T11:52:05","modified_gmt":"2023-03-29T11:52:05","slug":"love-is-love-lgbt-lives-and-the-fight-to-become-scotlands-first-minister","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/2023\/03\/29\/love-is-love-lgbt-lives-and-the-fight-to-become-scotlands-first-minister\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Love is love’: LGBT lives and the fight to become Scotland’s First Minister"},"content":{"rendered":"

The following article, written by Kevin Guyan, was first posted by bella caledonia<\/a>. It examines the different ways SNP leader contenders Kate Forbes and Ash Regan have promoted anti-trans politics.<\/strong><\/p>\n

‘LOVE IS LOVE’: LGBT LIVES AND THE FIGHT TO BECOME SCOTLAND’S FIRST MINISTER<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2018Love is Love\u2019, tweeted Ash Regan on the morning of 21 February, posting an image of a\u00a0heart in the colours of the Scottish saltire<\/a>. Regan\u2019s tweet was intended as a not-so-subtle dig at her competitor Kate Forbes, who had launched her campaign to become First Minister the previous day. In an interview with\u00a0Ciaran Jenkins of Channel 4 News<\/a>, Forbes admitted she would have voted against equal marriage when Holyrood passed the Bill in 2014. Forbes went out to detail her opposition to\u00a0gender self-identification<\/a>, a\u00a0comprehensive ending of conversion practices<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0having children outside of marriage<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Regan is no stranger to making comments on LGBTQ lives \u2013 having\u00a0resigned from the Scottish Government<\/a>\u00a0in October 2022 in opposition to the Gender Recognition Reform Bill, legislation that would simplify the process for trans people to change the sex marker on their birth certificate. Regan champions a more insidious type of anti-LGBTQ politics that, in recent years, has proven effective in stalling progressive advances related to gender, sex and sexuality \u2013 particularly the GRR Bill and wider trans equality issues such as non-binary inclusion in Scotland\u2019s 2022 census.<\/p>\n

Just as there are many colours in the rainbow, the SNP leadership contest has revealed multiple ways to express opposition to LGBTQ equalities. As an academic researching LGBTQ lives, the leadership contest has covered a wealth of topics relevant to my work, from same-sex marriage as a \u2018settled issue\u2019 to the interests of the child in our imagined future. But \u2013 as a gay, married man living in Edinburgh \u2013 2023\u2019s political turn of events is not just theoretical, like many other LGBTQ people I am worried about what comes next.<\/p>\n

Kate Forbes<\/strong><\/p>\n

Forbes\u2019 views are shaped by her membership of the evangelical Free Church of Scotland and have provided a masterclass in saying horrible things with a smile on your face. In the 13 March\u00a0Sky News leadership debate<\/a>, when asked by presenter Beth Rigby if a gay adult man should be allowed conversion therapy, Forbes responded: \u2018Well, it\u2019s his choice but I do not think we should allow conversion therapy\u2019. People can engage in cognitive gymnastics where they hold harmful political positions while detaching the implications of their views from the lives of the individuals they impact. We\u2019ve heard these arguments before:\u00a0Love the sinner, hate the sin<\/em>.\u00a0Love the homosexual, hate the homosexuality<\/em>. The distinction between ideas and actions might seem logical in a textbook but does not reflect real-world contexts. Forbes\u2019 account of conversion practices ignores the social pressures that condition someone\u2019s ability to consent and contradicts the findings of the government\u2019s\u00a0Expert Advisory Group on Ending Conversion Practices<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In a 21 February\u00a0interview with Good Morning Scotland<\/a>, Forbes hinted at a \u2018rights versus rights\u2019 argument in response to her opposition to same-sex marriage. Explaining,\u00a0\u2018I hope that others can be afforded the rights of people of faith to practice fairly mainstream teaching. And that is the nuance that we need to capture on equal marriage\u2019.\u00a0Forbes\u2019 argument relies on a warped logic of equivalence, in which individuals with anti-LGBTQ views are understood as deserving of equal credibility as those defending their existence.\u00a0When pitched as a battle of rights versus rights, individuals who call out the imbalance of power \u2013 LGBTQ people asked to debate their lives \u2013 are framed as opponents of free speech.<\/p>\n

Ash Regan<\/strong><\/p>\n

There is more than one way to express opposition to LGBTQ lives. Departing from Forbes\u2019 religious framing, Ash Regan has energised a base with a version of anti-LGBTQ politics that speaks to a populist, conspiratorial wing of the independence movement, often associated with the Alba party and its leader, former First Minister Alex Salmond. The\u00a0scholars Catherine Nash and Kath Browne<\/a>\u00a0have devised a concept \u2013 heteroactivism \u2013 to describe this manifestation of anti-LGBTQ ideas. Heteroactivism\u00a0 \u2018seeks to reassert heteronormative understandings of home, family and society\u2019 and opposes the \u2018impact of the unwanted gains in sexual and gender politics\u2019. Unlike Forbes\u2019 religious extremism, heteroactivism \u2018refocuses attention on the types of opposition to LGBT equalities that are not necessarily religious or conservative\u2019.\u00a0This key difference enables Regan to\u00a0express support for same-sex marriage<\/a>, noting her belief that \u2018love is love and should be celebrated and supported between consenting adults\u2019, while arguing against efforts to improve the lives of Scotland\u2019s trans population.<\/p>\n

Humza Yousaf<\/strong><\/p>\n

The third candidate in the running is Humza Yousaf who has faced extensive questioning from the media about his views on LGBTQ equalities, a likely product of racist assumptions that someone of a Muslim faith holds homophobic opinions. Yet, in\u00a0response to questions posed by the SNP\u2019s LGBT+ wing Out for Independence<\/a>, Yousaf\u00a0wrote, \u2018I want members and voters to know that I value and celebrate the relationships and marriages of my LGBTQ friends, just the same as myself and my heterosexual friends. I believe that equal marriage is a fundamental right and core to the equality of our society\u2019. Yousaf\u2019s unequivocal support of LGBTQ equalities is further evidenced by his strong backing from\u00a0LGBTQ+ SNP parliamentarians<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Future LGBTQ lives in Scotland<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

There\u2019s been a lot of talk about LGBTQ lives in Scotland. Looking only at developments in the Parliament and Government since 2016, a swell of activity has taken place including work on\u00a0LGBTI inclusive education<\/a>,\u00a0sex and gender data<\/a>,\u00a0non-binary equality<\/a>, census questions on\u00a0sexual orientation and transgender status\/history<\/a>, efforts to\u00a0end conversion practices<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0GRR Bill<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Forbes has stated in\u00a0interviews<\/a>\u00a0she would \u2018not roll back on any rights that already exist in Scotland\u2019. Many of these developments \u2013 such as ending conversion practices and non-binary equality \u2013 exist as working groups that have produced detailed recommendations for future action. While there is much talk about ideas to improve LGBTQ lives, much of this activity has not yet materialised into concrete actions. By indicating she would vote against\u00a0future<\/em>\u00a0LGBTQ bills \u2013 such as a\u00a0comprehensive ending of conversion practices<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 Forbes suggests\u00a0that existing LGBTQ gains are sufficient and 2023 marks a\u00a0line in the sand for LGBTQ political progress.\u00a0You can go this far but no further<\/em>.<\/p>\n

A common feature across multiple strains of anti-LGBTQ politics is the interests of the child, who is understood as an exemplar of innocence \u2013 a tabula rasa untouched by the politics of \u2018gender theory\u2019 and naturally predisposed to a cisgender and heterosexual future. Forbes launched her campaign on 20 February with a\u00a0short video <\/a>that concluded with the promise to \u2018Lead our party into better days, with integrity and commitment, for the sake of your children and my children\u2019. There is, of course, nothing wrong with arguing that your political vision will benefit the nation\u2019s children but it is equally important to ask how understanding children as our main driver for action warps our vision of the future.\u00a0The\u00a0academic Lee Edelman<\/a>\u00a0describes this view as \u2018reproductive futurism\u2019, in which a fantasy of a future child becomes the centrepiece for how we imagine political possibilities. What about the here and now? Or those who don\u2019t (for whatever reason) contribute to the production of future children?<\/p>\n

What does the future hold for us? Much of Scotland\u2019s progress in LGBTQ equalities is unfinished business \u2013 2023 cannot mark the culmination of progress, we need a First Minister who can lead us all towards this better future.<\/p>\n

23.3.23<\/strong><\/p>\n

________________<\/p>\n

also see:<\/p>\n

Completing Scotland\u2019s unfinished Democratic Revolution and 2023 Declaration of Calton Hill – Allan Armstrong, pp. 18-21<\/a><\/p>\n

Kate Forbes\u2019 economic agenda is just as dangerous as her conservative view \u2013 Adam Ramsay, openDemocracy<\/a><\/p>\n

The unprecedented attack on trans rights – Olivia Wood and Reba landers, Left Voice (USA)<\/a><\/p>\n

No more divide and rule \u2013 fight for trans rights \u2013 Lesley Cunningham, rs21<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The following article, written by Kevin Guyan, was first posted by bella caledonia. It examines the different ways SNP leader contenders Kate Forbes and Ash Regan have promoted anti-trans politics. ‘LOVE IS LOVE’: LGBT LIVES AND THE FIGHT TO BECOME SCOTLAND’S FIRST MINISTER \u2018Love is Love\u2019, tweeted Ash Regan on the morning of 21 February,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1843,1858,1861,8833,1862,1875],"tags":[9185],"class_list":["post-23370","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-how-capitalists-organise","category-oppression-liberation","category-alienation-self-determination","category-queer-liberation","category-ideology-and-religion","category-scotland-against-unionism","tag-author-kevin-guyan"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/mastodon.scot\/@rcfscotland\/110106323954006801","error":""},"views":1962,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23370","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23370"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23370\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23377,"href":"http:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23370\/revisions\/23377"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23370"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23370"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/republicancommunist.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23370"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}