Four Scottish party leaders are now out as LGB, as Labour’s Kezia Dugdale comes out
Scottish Labour Party leader Kezia Dugdale has revealed that she has a female partner with little fuss.
Dugdale’s coming out in this interview with the Fabian Society, means four of Scotland’s political party leaders are now out as LGB.
Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson, Scottish Green Party leader Patrick Harvie and UKIP Scotland leader David Coburn all previously came out as LGB.
The Labour leader just happened to mention that she has a female partner in the interview, simply saying: “I have a female partner. I don’t talk about it very much because I don’t feel I need to.”
She then goes on to talk about how she deals with stress, that she likes the Stereophonics, box sets and drinking wine with friends.
The MSP for the Lothian Region adds: “My private life is my private life.”
It is believed that Scotland is the only country in the world which has a majority of political party leaders who are out as lesbian, gay or bisexual.
As various people tweeted Dugdale to congratulate her on coming out, she wrote: “Thanks for all the lovely messages of support – appreciated.”
The Scottish Labour Party in August 2015 elected Dugdale as its new leader, making her the youngest leader of the party.
The party was thrown into disarray after a near-wipeout during May 2015’s elections for the UK Parliament – when the Scottish National Party claimed nearly all of Labour’s seats.
As well as being a strong supporter of same-sex marriage while it passed in Scotland, Dugdale has also voiced her support for civil partnerships to be extended to opposite-sex couples.
In March, Dugdale, alongside Davidson and Harvie, decided not to clap when presented with the Ghanian President at Holyrood.
Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson last year featured her partner in a campaign broadcast.
