Isla Bryson demands to be moved back to female jail after slamming court ruling
Despite the sex offender admitting that life in male jails has meant being able to forge romantic relationships with male prisoners, Bryson says a challenge of the legal ruling could see a move from the male estate.
Isla Bryson has slammed a court ruling on biological sex and demanded to be moved back to a female prison.
The convicted double rapist, born Adam Graham, began to identify as a woman called Isla while awaiting trial for rape.
The case caused political waves after the rapist was sent to female jail Cornton Vale before then FM Nicola Sturgeon announced a switch to all-male HMP Edinburgh and later HMP Glenochil.
In April, the Supreme Court ruled a woman is defined by biological sex under equalities law and the Scottish Government is facing calls to move all biological men out of women's jails.
The decision came after feminist group For Women Scotland (FWS) challenged the Scottish Government's 2018 ruling that transgender women could be included as female in laws requiring 50/50 representation on public boards.
Bryson backs plans by Victoria McCloud, the UK's only judge to ever publicly say they are transgender, to challenge the government at the European Court of Human Rights over the ruling and plans her own appeal there.
Despite the sex offender admitting last week that life in male jails has meant being able to forge romantic relationships with male prisoners, Bryson says a challenge of the legal ruling could see a move from the male estate.
Speaking to the Sunday Mail in a phone call from jail, Bryson said: 'No matter what you think or how you look at it, trans women will always be women.
"Even if you don't agree with it, then that's your opinion. We are not going to go away. Sooner or later judges will have to put trans women back in women's prisons because if they don't, trans women have the right to take it to the European court and they will.
'If they win and the courts say women have to go to women's prisons, I will probably get moved to a women's prison.'
After the outcry over Bryson, trans prisoners faced a move to male jails but prison chiefs opted to let them stay if they had not shown violence to women.
However, Alba MSP Ash Regan said: 'The perversity of a double rapist demanding access to women's prisons sums up why we must end this dangerous experiment of gender ideology eroding sex-based rights – male entitlement masquerading as rights must never be at the expense of women's safety, dignity and consent.
'Eight weeks after the Supreme Court ruling, ministers dither while lobbyists stoke the mis-information they helped create.
'Now even Isla Bryson/Adam Graham – the double rapist who shocked the nation – joins a small but vocal chorus in demanding the law be overturned to allow him access to a woman's jail.
'If this is not the wake-up call needed for John Swinney's government, then a third first minister may be sacrificed on the altar of gender ideology.'
Scottish Tory shadow minister for victims Sharon Dowey said: 'These abhorrent comments from a double rapist will anger Scots. Not only is this call deeply insulting to his victims, it also highlights how the SNP's gender self-ID policy has become so embedded in Scotland's justice system.'
FWS's Susan Smith said: 'For all the activists and politicians who've been trying to undermine the Supreme Court ruling and claim this about walking groups and toilets, this intervention from a notorious double rapist highlights it is vulnerable women whose safety would be threatened by any challenge or change to the law.'
The Scottish Prison Service said it had received the Supreme Court ruling and is 'considering any potential impact it may have'.
The Scottish Government said it 'has been clear that we accept the Supreme Court judgement'.
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