Now a fourth party leader in Scotland says: I’m gay
THE leader of the Scottish Labour Party has come out as gay.
Kezia Dugdale said she had not discussed having a female partner before because she wanted to keep her relationship private.
The 34-year- old is the fifth key political figure – and the fourth party leader – in Scottish politics to come out as gay or bisexual.
In an interview with the Fabian Review, she said: ‘I have a female partner. I don’t talk about it very much because I don’t feel I need to.
‘And there’s something too about how meteoric my career has been.
‘I am generally calm, almost serene. I don’t get easily stressed or battered.
‘But I need a bit of stability to do that, and that means my private life is my private life. That’s the thing I just have to have that nobody gets to touch, and that gives me the strength to be calm elsewhere.’
It is the first time that Miss Dugdale has revealed any intimate details about her private life or sexuality.
Ruth Davidson, the Scots Conservative leader, is also gay, while Patrick Harvie, the coconvener of the Scottish Greens, is bisexual.
Scottish Secretary David Mundell revealed that he was gay earlier this year. In January, the divorced father- ofthree became the first openly out Tory Cabinet member.
He described coming out as ‘the only way to truly be happy on a personal level’.
Scotland’s only Ukip MEP David Coburn, who is the leader of Ukip Scotland, has been in a same- sex relationship for 30 years.
He has described himself as ‘spectacularly homosexual’.
Miss Dugdale was elected to the Scottish Parliament in 2011 and became party leader in August last year.
Scotland is understood to be the only country where the majority of political party leaders are openly lesbian, gay or bisexual.
As people sent messages on social media congratulating Miss Dugdale on revealing her sexuality, she wrote: ‘Thanks for all the lovely messages of support – appreciated.’