Sturgeon blasted for refusing to say if rapist Isla Bryson is 'woman'

‘These are not trans people, they are dangerous and violent men’: Tories blast Nicola Sturgeon for refusing to say if she considers rapist Isla Bryson a ‘woman’ as she faces demand to strip sexual predator of right to alter gender

• Bryson convicted of raping two women while a man called Adam Graham
• Initially remanded to women’s prison but since been taken to an all-male unit
• Sturgeon told MSPs she did not have enough information to rule on gender

Nicola Sturgeon faced another roasting over her trans prisoner policy today as she refused to say if she believed a double rapist who later swapped gender was now a woman.

The First Minister tried to avoid answering questions about Isla Bryson, who was convicted of violent sex attacks on two women while a man called Adam Graham.

Byron was initially sent to a women’s prison on remand but has since been taken to an all-male unit. 

Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross used the Holyrood session today to try and corner Ms Sturgeon on her belief in self-ID – the process by which a trans person does not require a medical diagnosis to identify as a gender different to that of their birth sex. 

Mr Ross asked whether she believed that Bryson was now a woman, as it would have an impact on whether she could access safe spaces after being released.

Ms Sturgeon said: ‘I think that rapist should be considered a rapist. That’s what I think. 

‘That individual has been convicted of rapes and that therefore is the terminology. I’m not going to get into the individual circumstances of that particular individual’s claims to be a woman because I don’t have enough information about that.’

The First Minister tried to avoid answering questions about Isla Byron, who was convicted of violent sex attacks on two women while a man called Adam Graham.

Ms Sturgeon told MSPs: ‘I’m not going to get into the individual circumstances of that particular individual’s claims to be a woman because I don’t have enough information about that’

But Mr Ross hit back, saying: ‘When a man rapes two women, we don’t think he should be considered a woman just because he says so – we should call out criminals like this who are abusing the system’

But Mr Ross hit back, saying: ‘Adam Graham, who wants to be known as Isla Bryson, raped two women. He is an abusive man seeking to exploit loopholes in the government’s current policy.

‘When a man rapes two women, we don’t think he should be considered a woman just because he says so – we should call out criminals like this who are abusing the system.

‘They are not trans people. They are violent and dangerous men.

Bryson was initially taken to Cornton Vale prison near Stirling – Scotland’s only all-female jail – after being convicted, before being moved to the male estate following public outcry.

Mr Ross read a quote from one of Bryson’s victims, who said: ‘I don’t believe he’s truly transgender. I feel as if he’s made a mockery out of them using it. As far as I’m concerned, that was to make things easier for himself.

‘You’ve got genuine cases where people are desperate to get reassignment for the right reasons because they’ve been born into that body… not because they’ve raped two people and decided that’s an easy way out.’

Mr Ross asked the First Minister why she is ‘giving rapists an easy way out’ – a comment Ms Sturgeon said ‘does a disservice to victims of crime’.

Responding, the First Minister said: ‘The quote that Douglas Ross narrated there, my feeling is that is almost certainly the case, which is why the key factor in this case is not the individual’s claim to be a woman, the key and only important factor in this is that the individual is convicted of rape – the individual is a rapist – and that is the factor that should be the deciding one about the decisions about how that prisoner is now treated.’

Ms Sturgeon went on to say it is ‘really important’ to ‘look seriously’ at the issues thrown up by the Bryson case, adding: ‘But that in doing so, we bear in mind two things.

‘Firstly, as I’ve said, that we do not further stigmatise trans people generally – I think that is important – but secondly that we don’t cause undue concern amongst the public.

‘If there are issues to be addressed we address them, but we do that in a way that’s not just calm, but doesn’t misrepresent the situation, because that is in nobody’s interest.’

Meanwhile, a senior member of the shadow cabinet at Westminster has said lessons can be learned from Scotland’s attempts at gender reforms if Labour wins the next election.

John Healey, Labour’s shadow defence secretary, said his party is in favour of reforming gender recognition legislation to make it easier for transgender people to obtain a gender recognition certificate.

But he said the current row between Holyrood and the UK Government has been ‘divisive’.

MSPs passed the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill in Holyrood before the new year, but it was later blocked from becoming law by Scottish Secretary Alister Jack using an unprecedented Section 35 order.

UK ministers have said the legislation could infringe on the existing UK-wide Equalities Act.

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