'Bunkum' to say I spent too much time on gender politics, says Nicola Sturgeon

Nicola Sturgeon says it is “bunkum” to suggest she spent too much time as first minister on trans rights.

Ms Sturgeon said those who criticised her for bringing forward gender reform during her time in office “need to take a step back” as she claimed it was all they ever talked about.

During her time as first minister, Ms Sturgeon’s government brought forward the Gender Recognition Reform Bill, which aimed to make it easier for a trans person to legally change their gender.

Former first minister Nicola Sturgeon. | Andy Buchanan/Getty Images

The legislation received widespread backlash at the time over concerns about protecting single-sex spaces. The Bill was passed by a majority of Holyrood MSPs in December 2022, but was later blocked by the Conservative UK government.

During an interview on Glasgow-based Glad Radio, Ms Sturgeon was asked if she spent too much time talking about gender politics as first minister.

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She said: “I think it is bunkum. If you do an analysis of the time I spent on different issues, the time I spent on gender politics is infinitesimal.

“If people are including gender equality in gender politics, making sure women get a fair crack of the whip and are properly represented, and making sure we are tackling misogyny and sexism, I will never apologise for trying to do that.

“The many ways in which women don’t get the same opportunities as men is one of the biggest challenges we need to take on as a society.

“But if people are talking about trying to deliver greater dignity and respect for the tiny, tiny, tiny proportion of the population who are trans, I didn’t spend much time quantitatively on that.”

Protestors in Edinburgh. | Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

Ms Sturgeon said she had no regrets about pushing ahead with gender reform.

Had this become law, the Bill would have allowed trans people to apply for a gender recognition certificate after living in their acquired gender for six months, removed the need for a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria, and reduced the age someone can get this certificate to 16.

Ms Sturgeon said: “Do I regret trying to reduce the stigma, discrimination, trauma and heartache for a tiny number of people in society? No.

“What burns passionately in me is the belief in equality, and hatred of discrimination and prejudice. Often it strikes me that some of my loudest critics on that issue are the ones who don’t talk about anything else other than that issue, rather than me doing that.

“People should sometimes take a step back and ask themselves if what they are reflecting onto me is something on their own sense of the world.”