LONDON
\nScottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon on Wednesday announced her intention to resign, saying that part of serving in politics is knowing when it is time to make way for someone else.
\nSpeaking at a news conference at her official residence in Edinburgh, Bute House, Sturgeon said she wrestled with the decision, but that the pressure of the job was relentless and that she is a human being as well as a politician.
\nSturgeon, who has led the country\u2019s devolved government and the Scottish National Party for eight years, has faced months of controversy over a law that makes it simpler for people to change their gender on official documents, the BBC reported Wednesday.
\nThe decision 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 UK government was making a \u201cprofound mistake\u201d by vetoing the Gender Recognition Reform Bill.
\nHailed 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.
\nThe legislation sets Scotland apart from the rest of the United Kingdom, where a medical diagnosis is needed before individuals can transition for legal purposes.
\nBut the measure was only one controversy in a career where Sturgeon has been noted for rarely putting a foot wrong.
\nShe had been lauded for her response, for example, to the COVID-19 pandemic, where she won praise for her sober, straight-talking abilities.
\nThat catapulted the idea of Scottish independence from the United Kingdom \u2014 the long-held dream of Sturgeon\u2019s nationalist government \u2014 back up the political agenda.
\nScotland is part of the UK but, like Wales and Northern Ireland, has its own semi-autonomous government with broad powers over areas including health care.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
LONDON Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon on Wednesday announced her intention to resign, saying that part of serving in politics is knowing when it is time to make way for someone else. Speaking at a news conference at her official residence in Edinburgh, Bute House, Sturgeon said she wrestled with the decision, but that the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":314061,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-314035","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n