Editing Shona Robison (section)

==Third Sturgeon government (2021–2023)==
=== Social Justice Secretary ===
[[File:Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Housing and Local Government, Shona Robison.jpg|thumb|right|Official portrait as Social Justice Secretary, 2021]] 
On 20 May 2021, Sturgeon announced her third government, with Robison returning as [[Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Housing and Local Government]]. Robison held the position of Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice until the election of Humza Yousaf as First Minister in March 2023. Following a cabinet reshuffle, Yousaf appointed [[Shirley-Anne Somerville]] as Robison's replacement and promoted Robison to Deputy First Minister and [[Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government|Cabinet Secretary for Finance]].

===Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill===
{{See also|Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill}}

During Robison's tenure in the Social Justice department, she oversaw the implementation of the [[Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill]] which was received with backlash from many fearing it was jeopardising the safety of women. Robison reassured MSPs and the public that the bill did "not conflict with work to advance women's rights and equality" and that she was "conscious that some of the details of the proposed reforms have become lost within the wider discussions around trans rights and the perceived conflict with the rights of women and girls".<ref name=":2">{{cite news |last=Brooks |first=Libby |date=9 December 2022 |title=Scottish government seeks to reassure MSPs over gender law reform |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/dec/09/scottish-government-seeks-to-reassure-msps-over-gender-law-reform |access-date=8 August 2023 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> The bill intended to introduce a process of self-declaration for transgender people, allowing them to obtain a gender recognition certificate (GRC), thus removing the need for a psychiatric diagnosis of gender dysphoria before being allowed to change their gender legally.<ref name=":2" /> In December 2022, 150 amendments had been put forward to the Scottish Parliament regarding the bill which saw MSPs sit and debate the bill in the Scottish Parliament chamber long into the evening.<ref name=":3">{{cite news |date=19 December 2022 |title=MSPs debating changes to gender reforms |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-64032916 |access-date=8 August 2023}}</ref> Robison wrote to three individual MSPs claiming that their amendments put the bill "at serious risk".<ref name=":3" /> 

The bill was blocked by the UK Government, with Robison stating that she would "vigorously contest" any attempt by the UK Government to block the gender reform legislations which the Scottish Parliament has control over.<ref>{{cite web |date=23 December 2022 |title=Scottish Government vows to 'vigorously contest' Westminster over gender reform |url=https://www.thenational.scot/news/23210319.shona-robison-vigorously-contest-westminster-gender-reform/ |access-date=8 August 2023 |website=The National }}</ref> Under Section 35 of the [[Scotland Act 1998]], Prime Minister [[Rishi Sunak]] blocked the implementation of the gender reform bill. This marked the first time that the UK Government had blocked a piece of legislation from being passed since devolution.<ref>{{cite web |date=16 January 2023 |title=Statement on the UK Government's decision to block Scotland's Gender Recognition Reform Bill |url=https://www.stonewall.org.uk/about-us/news/statement-uk-government%E2%80%99s-decision-block-scotland%E2%80%99s-gender-recognition-reform-bill |access-date=8 August 2023 |website=Stonewall }}</ref>