Krystal

What were your thoughts on the GRR Bill?

“My views on the sort of bill that was proposed is that it was needed, it was necessary. And it was an amazing thing that the SNP tried to do, it gave a lot of trans people around Scotland a lot of hope that we were moving in the right direction, and that we were basically just gaining fundamental rights that we need and have been denied for so long.”

How did you feel when the bill was vetoed by the UK Government?

“When the bill was vetoed, we kind of lost all hope in that we didn't understand why it had been vetoed. It directly affects a lot of trans people, because, you know, we are basically being told that we're not valued, that we don't matter, essentially, and that, our way of life, if you like, is not taken seriously. And that we shouldn't be allowed the kind of fundamental rights that everyone else has to be able to identify as who they are and be able to live their life authentically. We don't have that, I guess privileged, in a sense.”

How did you feel when the bill was vetoed by the UK Government?

“This bill getting blocked at this time is already terrible. It's already coming at such a terrible point in loads of people's lives. For me, specifically, it's definitely a really confusing time for this to happen. As somebody that's very early into my transition, I've actually only just been able to get onto the NHS waiting list for HRT and trying to figure out the direction I kind of want to go in with my physical transition and trying to figure out ways that I can make it easier for myself. It feels like when things like this come up and there's the potential for them to be made so much easier than they would have been before, and then they're just gone like that, it makes it feel pointless. It makes it feel like the things that you're actively trying to do aren't really worth doing when they are. But what can you really do if it's just going to consistently get blocked every time?”