AUTHOR WELSH HITS OUT AT STURGEON OVER TRANS STANCE

IRVINE Welsh has slammed Nicola Sturgeon for trying to shove her trans beliefs “down people's throats” and claims she has set back the cause of independence.

- BY JOHN DINGWALL

Welsh, 66, believes the former first minister was wrong in her attempts to allow people to self-identify as women while she was in government.

The Trainspotting author said: “Sturgeon was out of step on what people felt about the trans debate.

“It was a fringe issue on which she had an obscure and contentious view that she tried to force down peoples throats.

“Don't start telling people what a man is and what a woman is when you don't even know yourself.”

Welsh, who is back in Edinburgh for the launch of a documentary about his life and career called Reality Is Not Enough, claims Sturgeon's handling of the trans rights debate damaged the Scottish independence movement.

He said: “Something that should be a fringe issue was allowed to leak right into the whole independence debate. Basically, it's nothing to do with it at all. The idea of the independence movement was to live as an independent nation and be a model of how things should be.

“To do that you need to pick the issues that can pull people along with you, issues that mean people are going to be to your side.

“She was out of step with what people feel and believe in the way that social engineers always are”

Sturgeon oversaw the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill that was passed by MSPs with cross-party support in December 2022.