J Marshall (Letters, March 21) lists many of the news stories of the past couple of years around which trans people's lives have been questioned. To reply to each would take more space than a letter allows, so I will focus on just a couple.

The Women's Rights Network's research into the number of sexual assaults and rapes committed at hospitals uncovered shocking numbers. At the one-quarter of Scotland's hospitals for which data was available, there were 288 such attacks over five years. The research does not include any evidence that any of those attacks was committed by a trans person. I hope that there is wide agreement that women's safety and security need more action (where is the Scottish Government's promised bill on misogyny?), but I would suggest that focusing on restricting trans people will not achieve that.

As a gay man, I am well aware that there have been some truly evil gay men – for example the rapes and murders of young men committed by Dennis Nilsen, or Stephen Port. But I am glad to say that, unlike 30 years ago, I have not recently heard anyone suggest that such cases mean that I, or gay men generally, pose a risk to others. Every community of size has some evil people in it; that says nothing about the vast majority of community members. Likewise, the Isla Bryson case tells us nothing about trans people generally.

Had I more space, I could perhaps continue, but I'll close by quoting Joyce McMillan, from another newspaper. She notes, in the Trumpian age of deliberate division and brutality, the importance of "the sheer human resilience of a politics based on truth, respect, love, creativity, and a genuine valuing of the intrinsic worth of each unique human life". I hope we can promote more of that kind of politics.

Tim Hopkins, Edinburgh.

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The damage done by Sitka

Rob Mackenna professes to be obsessed with the timber yields generated by the Lockerbie sawmill he manages on behalf of James Jones & Sons ("Inside the sawmill splitting the wood from the trees to be put to good use", The Herald, March 21). However I suspect he means he is  fixated by his revenues and I very much doubt he has properly accounted for the carbon cost of the Sitka crops he oversees. Scottish Woodlands, the developer appointed by James Jones & Sons to expedite their 1,050 hectare Warblaw development, spoke of "extensive ecological surveys" underpinning their analysis ("Locals across Scotland fighting Sitka", The Herald, March 20) but this claim is as spurious as Mr MacKenna's yield calculations.

Species diversity and carbon emission are twin reinforcing climate crises, yet Westminster and Holyrood provide Sitka spruce with investment subsidies when the invasive seeds are sown and complete relief from tax when timber is felled. It’s little wonder that returns-focused commercial foresters and private funds have huge appetite for these schemes.

However public policy lags the science and is ineffective: the Royal Society of Edinburgh, NatureScot and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature have all highlighted the environmental damage caused by Sitka plantations on peatlands. A peat layer of 30cm comprises three centuries of natural selection and contains carbon equivalent to equatorial rainforests.

Yet UK forestry policy relies on archaic and arbitrary definitions of 40cm in England and 50cm in Scotland when measuring land suitable for forestry development.

The Warblaw slopes are heavily peated and their fragile ecology is representative of many hills across the South of Scotland.

Much of Scotland’s peatlands are degraded and their carbon emissions comprise 15% of Scotland’s total, largely due to ineffective government policy on commercial forestry. The Warblaw proposals shine a very bright light on this and must be resisted.

As a first step, the regulator Scottish Forestry must compel James Jones & Sons to properly survey, measure and evaluate the substantial peat deposits on Warblaw and their related hydrology adopting the practices established by UK Forestry Standards.

Otherwise “right tree, right place” means nothing.

Iain Bannatyne, Langholm.

Dedication of GPs of yore

Recent letters in The Herald (March 10, 17, 20 & 21) give some insight on how GPs coped in past times with five-minute appointments, including an exceptional day of 70 consultations with 12 home visits, as did I and many others (1970s-2003). The key was background knowledge of your patients and their families, their medical history and responses to ill health, and reading their body language, all of which facilitated a succinct clinical triage.

This usually enabled satisfactory treatment for the majority of patients with the backup of a longer appointment, 10-15 minutes, a day or so later if required. Much of this is no longer possible with the increased complexities of treatment, administration, and paperwork, inadequate numbers of GPs, and general practice no longer involving a full-time, lifetime career.

Historically it was the case if you weren’t prepared to do that, then you sought a different career. General practices being run by private companies do not address these issues.

Jon Cossar, Edinburgh.

Grand Theft AutoGrand Theft Auto (Image: Getty)

Brain-dead redemption?

I would like to share a vignette with you, an episode brought to mind by Neil Mackay's article about how most people no longer really read ("Stupidity is now our biggest growth industry, but can we save the young ?", The Herald, March 20) .

About 20 years ago, I was teaching an English class of mostly young men and was trying as valiantly as I could to inspire a love of the written word.

After I had put forward what work I wanted the scholars to undertake ("Work! Work! We did work yesterday but!"), I asked if anyone had any questions. One young learner raised his hand and enquired, apropos nothing: "Sir, what do you prefer? Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto or Red Dead Redemption?" I answered that I didn't play computer games and that my preferences were to watch a documentary, read a good book and talk to my wife.

Trying to get the class back on track, I then asked if anyone had any other questions. The same young man put his hand back up in the air and, looking as if he had just been asked to lick his best friend's plooks, shook his head and said, " Sir, what is wrong with you?"

On one hand very funny. On the other very sad.

Gordon Fisher, Stewarton.