A Tory MSP has apologised after suggesting there is a link between transgender people and having learning difficulties.
Stephen Kerr tweeted criticism of the Government’s gender recognition legislation: “The coming of a new First Minister brought the chance to review the Gender Reform Bill, and ask questions Sturgeon didn’t bother with.
“Why are more young people wanting to change their gender? Is there a link with having learning/development disabilities? But they don’t care.”
After a backlash, he deleted the tweet and apologised. He told the National: “I take full responsibility for everything on my Twitter and would like to apologise for any offence caused. The tweet was written in haste by a member of my team and then deleted as it does not reflect my views.”
Scottish Green MSP Maggie Chapman, said: “This is exactly the kind of language that has seen transphobic hate crime triple in recent years.
"The longer the Tories are in power the worse their attacks on minority groups get, with no concern about where promoting such hate will lead, the damage it will do, or the lives it will ruin.
“Today Stephen Kerr has recognised that he went too far and rowed his comments back. I hope he’ll take this moment to reflect on his actions. But I fully expect that tomorrow he’ll be back with fresh attacks and disinformation instead.”
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