ONE of Scotland’s youngest Tory councillors has accused an SNP branch of sexism after it posted an image online making reference to a "threesome".
Meghan Gallacher, 25, said a picture posted on Facebook by SNP Airdrie and Shotts was “disgusting”, adding: “A young woman in politics should not have to put up with this.”
The image showed a bed with a caption accusing Ms Gallacher and two male councillors of “making a comfy threesome” by “getting into bed with each other” politically.
It said: “The Conservative’s [sic] and Labour aren’t the only ones getting into bed with each other to control our local councils, for example in Airdrie there is an independent councillor making a comfy threesome.
“These people are only interested in themselves and not the voters and what they voted for.”
The graphic, which was uploaded in June, named Ms Gallacher alongside North Lanarkshire’s Labour council leader Jim Logue and independent councillor Alan Beveridge.
Ms Gallacher wrote on Twitter: “It’s been made personal, and it’s disgusting.”
In another post, she asked Neil Gray, SNP MP for Airdrie and Shotts – and the party’s social justice lead at Westminster – whether he thought it was appropriate to imply “a young woman is having a ‘threesome’ with two other councillors”.
Ms Gallacher was elected in Motherwell West during May's local elections, one of a crop of young Scottish Tory councillors who snatched victory in traditional Labour strongholds.
She said: "It could be seen as sexist. This has not been the first time that myself and my group have been subjected to this kind of behaviour."
The row comes amid a wider debate about sexism and harassment in councils, with former SNP councillor Rosa Zambonini identifying North Lanarkshire as a problem hotspot last month.
Ms Zambonini alleged she had been the victim of a campaign of bullying and harassment by Labour members.
The SNP confirmed the images had now been deleted.
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