The First Minister has released a video addressing alleged transphobia in the SNP and says reports of young people leaving the party over the issue 'grieves' her.
Nicola Sturgeon tweeted the video and said the message was not scripted but had come from the heart.
She said reports of 'significant numbers' of young people leaving the party 'grieves her deeply'.
And she said it was 'not acceptable' that they considered the SNP not to be a 'safe, tolerant, or welcoming place for trans people'
The First Minister continued: "As SNP leader I will do everything I can to change that impression and persuade all of you that the SNP is your party and that you should come home where you belong."
She said differences of opinion on gender recognition reform should be debated but said 'no debate can be a cover for transphobia'.
She added that trans people have 'as much right as any of us'.
And she concluded her message by saying that she didn't care if critics called her 'woke'.
The First Minister said: "Some will criticise this message. Say it doesn't go far enough and that the words are hollow unless we prove we mean them. I am determined we will.
"No doubt others will accuse me of being woke. I don't care. Sometimes, particularly as a leader, it is vital to speak up for what is right."
