Nicola Sturgeon resigns: How the SNP leader fought for trans rights
Nicola Sturgeon has announced she is resigning as Scotland’s First Minister after eight years in the role. The Scottish National Party (SNP) leader has been hailed as a champion of LGBTQ+ rights, and in December oversaw a landmark bill aimed at making it easier to legally change gender.
Here are all the details: Sturgeon in 2021 announced plans to reform Scotland’s process for changing gender. The bill, passed in December, made Scotland the first British nation to introduce a self-identification process for legal gender changes, removing the need for a medical diagnosis.
It also lowered the minimum age of transitioning from 18 to 16. But the British government blocked it from taking effect, marking the first time it has invoked the power to veto Scottish law.
Sturgeon said she would fight the decision, saying trans people were being “weaponised” in politics. The row has turned a spotlight on Scottish trans issues with Sturgeon also facing questions over Isla Bryson, a trans woman convicted of rape who was initially placed in a woman’s prison.
