SNP politicians criticise Nicola Sturgeon pro-trans stance in leaked messages

Several senior Scottish National Party politicians vented their frustration at party leader Nicola Sturgeon for holding a pro-transgender stance, in leaked messages.

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is a strong supporter of LGBT+ equality, and has vowed to push forward with reforms to gender recognition laws for transgender people in Scotland, despite the UK government coming under pressure to ditch plans.

However, messages leaked on Wednesday (April 17) revealed that senior Members of the Scottish Parliament are not on board with Sturgeon’s stance.

In leaked messages, SNP MSPs vent about Nicola Sturgeon pro-transgender stance

The leaked messages from a private Twitter group show MSPs Ash Denham, Ruth Maguire and Gillian Martin venting frustration after Sturgeon said: “As an ardent, passionate feminist, and have been all of my life, I don’t see the greater recognition of transgender rights as a threat to me as a woman or to my feminism.”

Ruth Maguire, who chairs the Scottish Parliament’s Equalities and Human Rights Committee, wrote: “FFS.”

In leaked Twitter direct messages, several SNP MSPs criticised Nicola Sturgeon for comments in support of trans rights.

Gillian Martin, who resigned from the SNP front bench in 2018 over blogs making offensive remarks about transgender people, added: “FM [First Minister] a bit out of step with feelings of her group.”

Denham then speculates that Sturgeon “might be out of step because no one has conveyed group feelings to her.”

Anti-trans views are becoming common in SNP, staffer says

The messages were anonymously leaked to Scottish LGBT+ news website Pink Saltire by an SNP staffer, who said: “I was surprised to see the conversation.

“I really don’t like the way people in the SNP have been talking about transgender people (…) over the last few months its seemed like more people held these views.”

The staffer added: “Some people just don’t see what’s really important – that trans people are possibly the most marginalised group in society right now and the suicide rates alone should surely point to the fact we must do better.