Alex Massie (journalist)

“A choice must be made. Either you stand with the censors or you ally yourself with those who appreciate the importance of liberty. It is beyond depressing that so many of our parliamentarians are either explicitly or implicitly on the side of those hostile to liberalism and the foundational principles of a democratic society. That is the real test here and, dispiritingly, many of our MSPs utterly fail it.”

“Cherry is accused of "transphobia", a term now so broad it has become functionally meaningless. If Cherry is transphobic then so is reality. The expansive definition of transphobia favoured by trans activists now decrees that lesbians who do not wish to sleep with natal males are bigots. Suggesting that homosexuality means same-sex attraction is — apparently — a transphobic "dogwhistle". This is a very modern kind of madness but there we have it.”

“But as this case – and its portents for the future – demonstrates, those concerns could scarcely be more pertinent or more valid. Ultimately, this is a disagreement between fantasists and realists and it is deplorable to realise that the majority of Scottish parliamentarians are signed-up members of the fantasy club. Well, they cannot pretend they have not been warned of the likely consequences which flow from their delusions. This is meagre comfort but in mad times such scraps of consolation are all that is available.”

“There are not many trans prisoners in Scotland so statistics regarding them should be treated with a measure of caution. Nevertheless, it is well-established that trans women criminals fit a male pattern of offending, not a female one. Since they are biologically male this can only surprise those already stupefied by gender woo-woo. Moreover, some 50 per cent of Scottish inmates only discovered their new gender identity after they were charged by police.”