The announcement was made on a podcast yesterday
BY KRYSTA MCKENZIE, IMAGE BY ANTHONY UPTON
Mhairi Black is an openly lesbian MP in the Scottish National Party. In 2015, at the age of 20, she was the youngest MP elected since 1832. Yesterday, on 4 July, Black was on The News Agents podcast when she announced that she would be stepping down from her position. She has been an incredible advocate for LGBTQIA liberation and equal rights, and leaving Westminster will not change this.
In a statement released on her Twitter account she made it clear that she would continue to work towards an independent Scotland, “as a campaigner rather than a candidate”.
Read her full statement below.
— Mhairi Black MP🏳️🌈 (@MhairiBlack) July 4, 2023
Although Black’s decision might feel like a loss to Scottish communities, her choice to take care of herself and her loved ones is entirely understandable — especially considering the amount of vitriol she has faced in her career already due to being an out lesbian.
In the podcast Black openly expressed her feelings about the work environment, “It is one of the most unhealthy workplaces that you could ever be in. It’s a toxic environment. The entire design of the place and how it functions is the opposite of everything that I find comfortable.”
🚨 BREAKING: @MhairiBlack tells @maitlis she is stepping down as an MP at the next general election.
— The News Agents (@TheNewsAgents) July 4, 2023
She says Westminster is a “toxic workplace” that has taken its toll on her "body and mind".
Coming to @GlobalPlayer pic.twitter.com/1s9OcvpD2y
She has been named on the DIVA Power List for two years in a row due to her positive influence and her advocacy for better trans rights. We wish her the best in her work going forward.
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