SNP MP Joanna Cherry has accused her party's leadership of failing to take adequate steps to address abuse from online trolls over her views on gender self-identification.

The Scottish government has been consulting on whether to change the law to remove the requirement of medical evidence as a condition for legally changing genders. Other planned reforms include lowering the age limit from 18 to 16, and shortening the length of time a person has to live as their preferred gender from two years to six months.

Cherry has been branded transphobic for arguing that the Equalities Act should continue to provide for sex-segregated spaces.

She has also expressed concern about the speed with which her party has been seeking to change laws on gender recognition. 

Speaking to the Scottish Herald, Cherry called claims that she was transphobic "offensive", adding that "the tiniest of factions" were wielding "disproportionate influence".

"The online abuse does take its toll but I am more worried about the cumulative and detrimental effect on what it does for the role of women in politics and in the media; young women in particular. I don't like the way this is characterised as a problem in the youth wing of the party," she said. 

She went on to say that others shared her "legitimate" concerns about gender law reforms.

"Many admirable young people are involved in Scottish politics and I know a number of women and men in Young Scots for Independence and SNP Youth who have spoken to me privately about their concerns," she said.

"The abuse is deeply misogynistic. The attacks on me and other women in the party are clearly a breach of our code of conduct and must be dealt with.

"I'm very proud of the fact that in Scotland we have very good rights-based protections for trans people. No one is seeking to change that. However, women have legitimate concerns about the proposed changes to the law on gender recognition."

Social security secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said last month that the Scottish government was "determined" to push ahead with its planned reforms. 

She told STV's Scotland Tonight programme: "We have women's rights and we have trans rights – I don't see those aspects as mutually exclusive."