Member-only story
English Supremacy
I’d not intended to get back to this topic so soon. Yet there is a nasty and disgraceful point to yesterday’s statement on foreign gender recognition certificates, and we should not let government off the hook by focussing too much on the fine detail.
Say hello to the meta-discourse
Bottom line: if you want to understand the true awfulness of what was put out it is important to look not just at what it says, but also at what it does. The “meta-discourse”, if you prefer posh language.
Ostensibly, the statement is about a technical revision of the list of foreign countries whose processes for changing gender are recognised by the UK. Clearly, this is an issue of sorts. The UK is insisting on its system. There is a growing movement elsewhere towards self-id, creating a potential conflict. I leave it to you to decide whether this focus is based on spite following the Scottish parliament decision, or just simple tidying up. (And if you read my piece from yesterday, you will likely divine my own thoughts on the matter).
A questionable claim
To begin, the statement includes an “interesting” — questionable — claim. This decision is [an] “outcome of the Gender Recognition Act…
