Scottish leader hopeful in trouble over gay marriage

Controversy deepened Tuesday in the race to succeed First Minister Nicola Sturgeon as leader of Scotland’s ruling party, as one of the favourites was forced to defend her conservative views on gay marriage.

Finance Secretary Kate Forbes, a rising star in the Scottish National Party (SNP), is a devout member of the evangelical Free Church of Scotland, which opposes gay and transgender rights, and abortion.

Hours after announcing her candidacy on Monday, the 32-year-old revealed that she would have voted against same-sex marriage, had she been a member of the Scottish Parliament when the reform passed in 2014.

While she defended the stance as a matter of personal conscience, it puts Forbes strongly out of line with the SNP’s centre-left base, and some high-profile supporters immediately withdrew their backing.

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Despite mounting backlash on social media, Forbes insisted her campaign was “absolutely not over”.

“We have a large party membership, most of whom are not on Twitter,” she told BBC radio.

“I think the public are longing for politicians to answer straight questions with straight answers, and that’s certainly what I’ve tried to do in the media yesterday (Monday).

“My position on these matters is that I will defend to the hilt everybody’s rights in a pluralistic and tolerant society, to live and to love free of harassment and fear.”

Equal rights for all

The controversy has strengthened the leadership campaign of Health and Social Care Secretary Humza Yousaf, 37.

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Yousaf, who is Muslim and an ally of Sturgeon, said he would “always fight for the equal rights of others” and would not legislate based on his faith.

“It’s for her to defend her views, I’ve made my views very clear,” he said on BBC radio.

Yousaf added that as “a minority in this country” himself, his rights depended on guaranteeing the rights of others including transgender people.

A third candidate, former minister Ash Regan, has stated her opposition to a controversial measure pushed through by Sturgeon allowing people to change gender without a medical diagnosis, from the age of 16.

The leadership race was ignited after Sturgeon last week announced her surprise resignation, following more than eight eventful years as Scotland’s first minister and SNP chief.

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All three candidates have vowed to reinvigorate Sturgeon’s spluttering push to win independence for Scotland, after the UK government blocked her plans to hold a fresh referendum.

Nominations close on Friday and the new leader is set to be announced on March 27.

© Agence France-Presse