Nicola Sturgeon Says 'Far Right Has Weaponised' The Debate About Trans Rights

Former First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon arrives to give evidence to the Covid inquiry, in London, Thursday, June, 29, 2023. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)Nicola Sturgeon has claimed that the debate over trans rights has been “weaponised” by the far-right.In comments which are likely to spark a fresh row, Scotland’s former first minister said she had no regrets over the stance she took on the issue.Sturgeon faced strong criticism over her attempts to make it easier for people in Scotland to legally change their gender.Opponents of her gender recognition reform bill said it clashed with women’s rights to single sex spaces.Although the Scottish Parliament passed the legislation, it was blocked by the UK government.The issue became a full-blown political crisis for Sturgeon after Isla Bryson, a trans woman convicted of rape, was housed in a female prison.On BBC Breakfast this morning, the former SNP leader – who stood down as first minister in 2023 – said trans people “are probably one of the most stigmatised groups in our society”, and hit back at her critics.She said: “I don’t believe that trans rights and women’s rights are in opposition. I believe that we can further both and that furthering one actually helps further the other.“Let me preface it again, because usually what I say on this issue gets misrepresented, I know the majority of people who disagree with me on this issue come from a genuine place.“But there are also people, and I don’t know how anybody can deny this, forces on the far right who have weaponised this issue, who want to use the trans issue to push back on rights more generally, whether those are gay rights or minority rights or women’s rights.“Some of the abuse I’ve had on this issue, ironically given it’s often in the name of women’s safety, has been deeply misogynist.”One of Sturgeon’s fiercest critics on the trans issue is Harry Potter author JK Rowling, who once wore a t-shirt describing her as a “destroyer on women’s rights”.But Sturgeon said: “We hear a lot about women’s safety from the anti-trans rights lobby. I’m making the point that it goes both ways, and I’ve faced some of the most horrific abuse on this issue than I have on many other issues.“There’s definitely some people in this debate who spend more time thinking about me than I spend thinking about them, but I will always stand up for equality [and] for minority rights.”Asked if she would debate with Rowling, Sturgeon said: “I will debate with many people, but I don’t think JK Rowling would be willing to do that.”'Forces on the far right have weaponised this issue'Nicola Sturgeon, former First Minister of Scotland, spoke to #BBCBreakfast about the debate on gender recognition laws which would have made it easier for people in Scotland to change their legally-recognised sex… pic.twitter.com/9otBOteBqt— BBC Breakfast (@BBCBreakfast) August 12, 2025Related...Nicola Sturgeon Does Not Hold Back As She Takes Down 'Odious' Nigel Farage's CharacterNicola Sturgeon Cleared Of Wrongdoing In SNP Police ProbeTeary Nicola Sturgeon Admits To Feeling 'Overwhelmed' During Covid-19 Pandemic

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