Nicola Sturgeon makes shock Isla Bryson admission in another partial U-turn in new book
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NICOLA Sturgeon has admitted rapists like notorious criminal Isla Bryson should "probably" not be able to choose their own gender in another partial climbdown on her self-ID crusade.
The ex First Minister's remarks come after she rejected opponents' pleas in 2022 to ban men who'd sexually assaulted women from being able to change the sex on their birth certificate simply by filling out a form.
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Nicola Sturgeon has opened up ahead of the release of her new book
Credit: ITV News
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The former First Minister admitted she made a mistake in how she handled the gender ID row
Credit: ITV News
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Ms Sturgeon finally conceded that trans double rapist Bryson is a 'biological male'
Credit: PA
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Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay slammed the ex-Nats chief's comments
Credit: Alamy
In a primetime ITV interview with Julie Etchingham, the ex-Nats chief also finally conceded that trans double rapist Bryson is a 'biological male' after years of dodging the question - but still referred to Bryson as 'they', not 'he'.
Asked whether she believed Bryson was a woman, she said: 'Isla Bryson identified as a woman.'
But she added: 'I think what I would say now is anybody who commits the most heinous male crime against women probably forfeits the right to be, you know, the gender of their choice.'
Told by Ms Etchingham that the phrase 'the gender of their choice' goes to 'the heart of' the issue of controversial gender self-ID laws passed by Holyrood but blocked by the UK Government, Ms Sturgeon seemed to backtrack and said 'that probably was not the best phrase to use.'
She added: 'If you rape a woman then I think you probably, the debate about whether they should be called a woman or not probably…'
Asked why she couldn't say Isla Bryson is a biological male, Ms Sturgeon said: 'They are a biological male. but that's about whether... It gets back into the self-ID thing. I should have been much more straightforward. I wasn't.
"We'd lost all sense of rationality in this debate. I'm partly responsible for that.'
Responding to her remarks, feminist campaigner and ex SNP MSP Joan McAlpine said: "Bryson was just as much of a male in 2023 as he is now. But Nicola Sturgeon couldn't bring herself to call him a man then. She still cannot.
"She says he 'probably forfeits the right' to 'choose his gender'. She needs to take an anatomy class or look again at the photographs of him on this pink leggings.
"The GRA legislation she championed allows any man to change his birth certificate on a whim, even if he has full male anatomy and is a rapist.
Nicola Sturgeon reveals first look at 'midlife crisis' tattoo & says she still MISSES Alex Salmond
"She rejected amendments to exclude sex offenders from the process - the only difference between then and now is she has a book to sell.'
Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay, whose attempts to block rapists getting gender recognition certificates were voted down by the SNP, slammed the ex-Nats chief's comments.
He said: 'Frankly, Nicola Sturgeon must be delusional if she thinks the women of Scotland will swallow this drivel.
'She arrogantly ignored all warnings that gender self-ID would be a gift to male predators like Isla Bryson. And she ordered her SNP MSPs to vote down my attempts to block rapists and other sex criminals from being able to legally change their gender by self-declaration.
'Her absurd ideological belief in self-ID collapses with her belated mealy-mouthed admission that this rapist is a man, but she still can't bring herself to say sorry for all the pain and misery she has caused.
'Let's not forget that if it was not for Alister Jack's common-sense decision to block Sturgeon's dangerous law, every rapist in Scotland would be able to declare themselves as women with the full support of the state.'
And SNP MSP Michelle Thomson who was a fierce critic of gender self-ID and also tabled parly amendments to pause the granting of gender recognition certificates to rapists, said Ms Sturgeon's comments came 'far too late'.
She said: 'It's far too late to concede that rapists should not be able to self-identify into the gender of their choice.
'Had she stopped to consider or engage with concerns regarding women's existing rights she would not have forced the SNP group to vote against my amendment to temporarily pause the granting of GRC's to rapists."
Ms Thomson added: 'Her decision made clear that their rights should trump those of the raped.
'This was not, and never will be, the actions of a feminist.'
Alba Party leader Kenny MacAskill, whose sole MSP Ash Regan quit the SNP over the proposed law change, blasted Ms Sturgeon for 'staggering hypocrisy'.
He added: 'She started it, she maintained it and it's damaged us all especially vulnerable and damaged women.
'To now be suggesting a change in policy when she drove it forward with gusto and rejected changes to mitigate the harm is laughable.
"But change must come and the continuing legacy of her perverse policy must be redded out.'
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