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ScotPAG (Scottish Professionals Advising on Gender) vs. transgender people

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Scottish Professionals Advising on Gender (ScotPAG) is an anti-transgender group based in Scotland.

Background

According to John Higgon:

A few years ago, a group of concerned gender-critical clinicians, mainly medics, set up the Clinical Advisory Network on Sex and Gender – CAN-SG for short. It has been, and continues to be, a useful voice for gender-critical clinicians throughout the UK, but perhaps unsurprisingly, its focus has tended to be on Westminster rather than Holyrood.

[…] Some of us CAN-SG members who are based in Scotland found ourselves talking about the situation in Scotland and the need to engage with Scottish institutions, most obviously the Scottish government, about gender healthcare.

[…] The need for a group with a particular focus on Scotland therefore became more pressing, and to that end a few of the Scottish-based CAN-SG members began to meet informally to discuss the situation north of the border.

Anti-trans activism

The group’s earliest public activity dates from 2022, when it began publishing open letters and policy statements challenging Scottish Government guidance relating to transgender issues in schools, healthcare, and social services. During 2023 and 2024, ScotPAG increased its public profile through submissions to consultations, published articles, and engagement with wider debates over Scottish education and healthcare policy.

In March 2026, ScotPAG held what it described as its first Holyrood round-table meeting. Convened and chaired by Conservative MSP Tess White, the session focused on gender identity policies in Scottish schools. Carolyn Brown introduced the discussion, followed by presentations from Brown (Education), Brigid Daniel (Education / Social work), Maggie Mellon (Social work) and Anne Woodhouse (Health).

In 2026, Amnesty International UK published reports on anti-rights organizations in the UK, listing ScotPAG in the “gender critical” category.

People

  • Carolyn Brown: convener
  • June Campbell: co-founder
  • Jenny Cunningham
  • Brigid Daniel
  • John Higgon: convener
  • Carole McKenzie
  • Maggie Mellon
  • Elaine Miller
  • Mary MacCallum Sullivan: contributor
  • Barry Wall (EDIJester): ScotPAG promoter on YouTube and Substack
  • Tess White: convener of 2026 Holyrood roundtable
  • Anne Woodhouse

Selected writing by ScotPAG

Higgon, John (Oct 15, 2023). ScotPAG’s history as a group of concerned professionals. ScotPAG https://www.scotpag.com/post/scotpag-s-history-as-a-group-of-concerned-professionals

Resources

GC Watch UK (antirights.com)

  • ScotPAG
  • antirights.com/org.html?org=scotpag

ScotPAG: Scottish Professionals Advising on Gender (scotpag.com)

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