THE SNP have become embroiled in another row around “transphobia” after a complaint was submitted to its national secretary about a sitting MSP.

Out for Indy, the party’s official LGBT+ wing, said it had submitted a complaint about John Mason, the MSP for Glasgow Shettleston, after he asked the Justice Secretary about the sex of people in Scotland’s women’s prisons.

Speaking in Holyrood on Wednesday, Mason asked the Scottish Government “how many people whose biological sex is male are currently in women’s prisons in Scotland”.

Keith Brown answered that, as of January 21, there had been “five transgender women located in the women’s estate in Scotland”.

Mason said he was grateful for the response, adding: “But does the Cabinet Secretary not think that female offenders, many of whom have suffered violence and sexual assault previously, should be entitled to a single-sex prison?”

READ MORE: Scottish Greens consider cutting ties with English sister party amid transphobia row

Brown said that the Scottish Prison Service, in line with other prison services across the UK, “seeks to make sure that the rights and safety of everyone in prison are looked at when such issues are taken into account”.

Green MSP Maggie Chapman then said: "I must say that there was a very shrill anti-trans dog whistle in John Mason’s question, which is deeply troubling, especially 
given the rise in the number of transphobic hate crimes that are being reported."

Following the exchange, Out for Indy announced it would submit a complaint to the SNP’s national secretary, Lorna Finn.

The group accused Mason (below) of “using derogatory, misgendering, transphobic language in clear contravention of the SNP's definition of transphobia as agreed by our NEC”.

The National:

The SNP’s definition of transphobia includes a clause prohibiting suggestions that a person’s gender identity is not valid, “for example referring to a trans woman as a biological male”.

It also prohibits: “Accusing wider trans people of being responsible for real or imagined wrongdoing committed by a single trans person or group or for acts committed by others.”

Out for Indy went on: “This kind of behaviour is unacceptable both in our party and our parliament.

“Not only was John Mason misgendering trans women, he was also further drawing public ire toward some of the most vulnerable people in our society and putting them at risk of harm.

“Furthermore, the question of the arrangement of prisons, prisoners, and sentencing only serves to reinforce incarceration as the primary tool of justice.

“Mr Mason noted that many women prisoners are survivors of sexual assault. If we truly care about vulnerable women in prisons, we need to re-examine the role prisons play in the justice system and the extent to which they are contributing to women's repeated victimisation.”

Mason told The National that people “need to be able to discuss these issues in a calm and sensible way”.

“There are clearly different views on transgender issues within the SNP and within wider society. So let us encourage respectful debate,” he added.

An SNP spokesperson said they would not comment on internal matters.