John Swinney to meet LGBT campaigners for independence following Kate Forbes appointment
the party's new leader on Friday evening.It comes after the campaign group issued a statement on Thursday stating it was "aware of the real concerns within the LGBTQ+ community at the appointment of Kate Forbes as DFM, given the views she has previously presented".The group added: "At a time when the LGBTQ+ community - especially trans people - face unprecedented violence and attacks both within and outwith politics, more needs to be done to reassure the community - and to assure that the SNPs legacy of fighting for LGBTQ+ rights is not undermined."Swinney said today: "I will of course meet with the Out for Independence group and I will be delighted to do so."They are friends and colleagues and I respect them enormously."The First Minister added: "I want to make it crystal clear - as someone who voted for equal marriage in the Scottish Parliament, who as Education Secretary introduced LGBT-inclusive education, that the rights of LGBT people within our society will be protected under my Government."It comes after Patrick Harvie launched a blistering attack on Swinney's decision to appoint Forbes as Deputy First Minister.The Scottish Greens co-leader, who was sacked from Government last month, asked if her return to the Cabinet this week signalled a return to "the repressive values of the 1950s".Forbes faced a backlash last year after she admitted she would have voted against equal marriage legislation if she had been an MSP at the time.The MSP for Skye and Lochaber was further criticised after suggesting having children outside of marriage was "wrong" according to her faith as a member of the Free Church of Scotland.Harvie and other Scottish Green MSPs were left furious over the manner of Humza Yousaf's decision to terminate the powersharing deal between the environmentalists and the SNP at Holyrood.The collapse of the Bute House Agreement between the two parties ultimately cost Yousaf his job and paved the way for John Swinney to take charge of a minority SNP.
