Scottish parliamentarian Stephen Charles Kerr has triggered a controversy after he made a statement in which he claimed that there was a connection between transgender people and those who had learning difficulties.
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In a now-deleted tweet that became a lightning rod of criticism on Friday, the Scottish MP from Central Scotland lashed out at the government's gender recognition reform bill. He wrote, "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 between having learning/development disabilities? But they don't care."
According to a news report by Metro (article beyond paywall), Kerr received a massive backlash on Twitter over his controversial comments. Politicians and people alike criticised him, with some pointing out that Kerr provided no evidence at all for his claim,
Scottish National Party (SNP) councillor for Westhill and District Fatima Joji wrote, “I have no words. Look at that second paragraph. Is he for real?”
{{/usCountry}}Scottish National Party (SNP) councillor for Westhill and District Fatima Joji wrote, “I have no words. Look at that second paragraph. Is he for real?”
{{/usCountry}}Amid the backlash, the Scottish MP deleted the tweet.
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Kerr in an interview to the National newspaper apologised for his tweet and claimed that it was written by one of his staff members, the report added. He said, “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”, the report added.