Exclusive:Patrick Harvie: Transphobia in wake of gender reform debate 'worse' than homophobia in 1980s and '90s

The co-leader of the Scottish Greens says transphobia is being ‘weaponised’ by politicians and the media.

Patrick Harvie has claimed transphobia in the wake of the gender reform debate is “worse” than the homophobia seen in the 1980s and ‘90s.

The Scottish Green co-leader said politicians and the media in 2025 were “generating and weaponising” hatred of trans people in a similar way to what was seen 30 years ago.

Speaking exclusively to The Steamie, The Scotsman’s politics podcast, Mr Harvie said: “It is clear there is a growing transphobic movement in Scotland and the UK.

Scottish Green co-leader Patrick Harvie. | Jane Barlow/Press Association

“It is quite a difficult, frightening and dangerous time for LGBTQ people in Scotland.

“Nowadays it feels as bad, if not worse, than the ‘80s and ‘90s when you had large swathes of the political and media landscape generating and weaponising homophobic hatred.

“It feels very similar to the way transphobia is now being used not just to harm trans people, but almost as a kind of gateway to the culture wars agenda and the wider far right.”

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Mr Harvie said there was a “real danger” places like the UK would follow the US in having a “full-on ideological purge” of trans people.

This comes a week after the UK Supreme Court ruled the definitions of “woman” and “sex” in the Equality Act 2010 refers to biological sex, and said the Scottish Government was “incorrect” to issue guidance suggesting trans women could be classed as women for some pieces of legislation.

The Scottish Government is coming under increasing pressure to completely scrap self-ID across Scotland on the back of this court verdict - something that stemmed from the signing of the Bute House Agreement.

The co-operation agreement was signed between the Scottish Government and the Scottish Greens back in 2021, and included pledges to bring forward the Gender Recognition Reform Bill.

The Bill was passed by a majority of MSPs in Holyrood, but was subsequently blocked from gaining royal assent by the previous Conservative UK government. The legislation included plans to remove the need for a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria to get a gender recognition certificate, also known as self-ID.

Mr Harvie said when the Bute House Agreement was signed, gender reform was a “matter of political consensus”.

Scottish Greens co-leaders Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater | Press Association

He said: “We were strongly committed to measures on gender reform, a ban on conversion therapy practices and improving trans healthcare. But a lot of these things were matters of political consensus only a matter of years ago.

“I remember going to a hustings for the 2016 Scottish Parliament election for the LGBTQ community where all the party leaders committed to gender reform.”

Mr Harvie said there now needed to be “strong leadership” on protecting trans rights in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling.

A demonstration for trans rights outside the UK Government Office at Queen Elizabeth House in Edinburgh in 2023 | PA

The Glasgow MSP said: “Over-interpreting the ruling is not acceptable and we are already hearing some politicians calling for immediate blanket bans on trans people from services, spaces and shortlists for political parties.

“We are going to see the anti-trans movement basically going after every opportunity they can now to eradicate any level of recognition for trans people, and that's not what the Supreme Court decided.

“It did not overturn the Gender Recognition Act and it did not overturn trans people’s legal protections. But some people, including politicians, are saying they want to eradicate trans people’s recognition from any aspect of public life and that needs to be called out.”

Mr Harvie’s full interview can be heard on The Steamie politics podcast.