Sturgeon – “I Trust 16-year-olds to Make Decisions”

By Mahi (Year 12)

Nicola Sturgeon defends plans to allow 16-yearolds to change their legal sex.

Scotland’s gender recognition bill has been blocked by the UK government as the Secretary of State for Scotland believed it would heavily impact the equality laws across England, Wales, and Scotland.

Ms Sturgeon believes the age to legally change your sex should be lowered from 18 to 16, stating that there are large inconstancies in the law with 16-year-old being legally around to drink in pubs, get married and join the army.

Kier Stammer, the leader of Labour, believes 16 is too young for people to make such important life decisions.

Concerns raised before blocking the legislation include difficulty running single-sex clubs at schools and rules on equal pay for men and women.

Sturgeon believes that the block is “an attack on the democratically elected Scottish parliament”, with the row being bound to end up in court.