The SNP was wrong to back down to the transgender mob

The SNP’s hate crime bill has done plenty of damage to the party’s credibility. But it seems the party leadership is determined to make matters even worse.

The Scottish government has announced that it will withdraw an amendment to the bill that would have permitted free speech on transgender issues. This move, a capitulation to activists, puts fears about the legislation back at an all-time high. The trans debate is already one in which it is difficult to speak out for fear of being abused, so providing for free speech on this topic is critical. Failing to do so could leave people, and women in particular, open to accusations of ‘stirring up hatred’, merely for speaking their minds on issues like gender recognition reform, the protection of women-only spaces and the effects of trans ideology on young girls.

This was, after all, why the amendment was tabled in the first place. For months, women’s groups and others have worried that speech on trans issues could be caught up by this bill.