Parents’ rights advocates in Scotland are concerned parents who resist a child ‘changing’ sex could face up to seven years in prison if found to be attempting to “change or suppress” another person’s “gender identity,” including in a family setting.

In a vague and wide-reaching attempt to ban so-called “conversion therapy,” parents who are deemed “controlling” or considered to have “pressured” their child to “act in a particular way” when it comes to “gender identity” could be committing a crime. Criminal penalties could result if the actions cause “fear, alarm, and distress”.

There are defences and exceptions set out in the proposals, including a general defence of reasonableness, but it is unclear how these might be interpreted.

The legislative proposals, published this week for public consultation, give the example of “preventing someone from dressing in a way that reflects their sexual orientation or gender identity” as an action that could become illegal if repeated on two or more occasions.

The threshold for criminality could still be met regardless of whether a parent believed they were acting in their child’s best interests.

Penalties for such a crime include imprisonment for up to seven years, an unlimited fine, or both.