LONDON (AP) — Nicola Sturgeon is expected to resign as first minister of Scotland following months of controversy over a law that makes it simpler for people to change their gender on official documents, the BBC reported Wednesday.
Sturgeon, who has led the country’s devolved government and the Scottish National Party for eight years, is expected to give a news conference later at her official residence, Bute House in Edinburgh.
Her office declined to comment on the report.
The decision by Sturgeon caught political observers by surprise, despite the ongoing controversy over the gender recognition measure. She had vowed to take the British government to court over its decision to block the law and argued that the Conservative U.K. government was making a “profound mistake” by vetoing the Gender Recognition Reform Bill.
Hailed as a landmark by transgender rights activists, the bill would allow people age 16 or older in Scotland to change the gender designation on their identity documents by self-declaration, removing the need for a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria.
The legislation sets Scotland apart from the rest of the United Kingdom, where a medical diagnosis is needed before individuals can transition for legal purposes.
Scotland is part of the U.K. but, like Wales and Northern Ireland, has its own semi-autonomous government with broad powers over areas including health care.
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