Voice for Equality Award

---

Ash Regan MSP, elected in 2016 for Edinburgh Eastern, resigned as Minister for Community Safety in 2022 over the Gender Recognition Reform Bill, warning that it posed a threat to women’s rights and safety. She ran for SNP leader in 2023 and later joined Alba, citing the SNP’s continued inaction on Scottish independence and women’s rights matters.

A vocal advocate for child safeguarding, she has called for the creation of a whistleblower commissioner, a grooming gang task force, and compliance with the Cass Review on gender-questioning medical interventions. Regan champions women’s rights by defending lawful single-sex provisions and promoting the “Unbuyable Bill,” which criminalises the purchase of sex acts while decriminalising and supporting those in prostitution and exploitation survivors. She has established herself as a leading voice for women and children in Scottish politics.  

The Prostitution Offences and Support Bill, also known as the Unbuyable Bill, aims to reduce commercial sexual exploitation by shifting the legal focus away from those in prostitution and onto those who pay for it. Under this bill, anyone paying to sexually exploit another person would be criminalised, while persons in prostitution are decriminalised and can have historic convictions overturned. It also establishes grounds for the state to invest in support services for currently and formerly exploited people, including aid to exit the industry. To find out more click here.