In the race to become the next leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), one candidate’s views on equal marriage are being scrutinized. Kate Forbes, who revealed that she would not have supported the Scottish government’s equal marriage legislation, has been criticized by SNP leadership candidate Humza Yousaf. Yousaf stated that someone who would vote against equal marriage could not be trusted to fight future attempts to roll back civil rights and should not be considered for the position of first minister of Scotland.
Yousaf’s comments come after he was asked by the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg about whether it would be acceptable for the first minister of Scotland to be someone who did not agree with equal marriage. Yousaf firmly replied, “Not if they would roll back on those rights, I don’t think that’s acceptable.” He added that if a candidate could disassociate their views and not let it interfere with policymaking or legislating, then that would be a different matter. However, if they have already expressed the desire to vote against those rights, then it raises questions about their ability to lead.
The debate has split SNP members, with Forbes leading Yousaf by a narrow margin according to a Sunday Times poll. Despite her popularity, Forbes has lost the backing of some leading supporters due to her faith-based views, which she has expressed candidly during interviews for her leadership bid. Forbes is a member of the socially conservative Free Church of Scotland and has said she would not challenge the UK government’s block on gender recognition reform. She has also stated that her faith tells her that having children outside of marriage is “wrong.”
Critics, including Mhairi Black, one of the party’s most prominent LGBTQ+ politicians, have argued that such views should be subject to scrutiny and that it is not abuse to hold candidates accountable. The leadership contest, which is only open to SNP members, will close at noon on March 27th, with the result expected to be declared on the same day.
