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The romantic relationship has come to an end. Despite its past successes, the Labour party can no longer rely on the unwavering support of LGBTQ+ voters. This is quite surprising considering that it was the party responsible for repealing section 28. While their Gender Recognition Act of 2004 is now outdated, it once paved the way for the acceptance of transgender individuals. However, in 2023, if Keir Starmer and his colleagues were to attend a Pride event, they would likely face a chorus of boos and heckles from some attendees.
This isn’t to say that Labour’s relationship with the LGBTQ+ community has always been smooth sailing. During Peter Tatchell’s candidacy in the 1983 Bermondsey byelection, he faced a despicable homophobic campaign, with the Liberal party labeling their own candidate as the “straight choice.” The Labour establishment failed to adequately defend Tatchell. When confronted about this alleged witch-hunt, soon-to-be Labour leader Neil Kinnock supposedly responded with a derogatory term, which he later denied, despite having used it in another newspaper profile.
In 1987, when the Conservatives and their media allies launched an attack on the gay community, Patricia Hewitt, Kinnock’s press secretary at the time, expressed concern about losing support among pensioners due to Labour’s stance on gay and lesbian issues.
However, New Labour demonstrated true courage by equalizing the age of consent and abolishing section 28, even in the face of public opposition. Despite Blairites now being in control, Labour is rapidly becoming a toxic brand within the LGBTQ+ community. Mistakenly associating with a church accused of performing “exorcisms” on gay individuals in a campaign video was an acceptable error, especially since the leadership issued an apology. However, when a Labour MP who opposes equal marriage publicly defended the church, no action was taken. Furthermore, when the leadership featured an evangelical Christian from an anti-gay rights organization in another campaign video two years later, no apology was offered. According to an anonymous Labour MP, “They have completely lost their way. Someone in Keir’s office clearly believes that the LGBTQ+ community can be sacrificed.”
In the 2021 Hartlepool byelection, Labour’s chosen candidate had previously gone on an all-expenses-paid trip to Saudi Arabia, a country known for executing gay individuals. She expressed admiration for the country’s supposed progressiveness, which caused concern among LGBTQ+ people. Additionally, when frontbencher Lisa Nandy declared the importance of “social conservatism” and the need to rediscover it, it sent a message that undermined acceptance and inclusivity, as interpreted by the LGBTQ+ community.
The issue where Labour has truly faltered is trans rights. With an alarming increase in transphobic hate crimes and the Tories targeting the trans community as they once did the gay community, Labour had an opportunity to display courageous leadership. Instead, they did the complete opposite. Last year, Scottish Labour joined the overwhelming majority of the Scottish parliament in voting to align gender recognition laws with other countries. However, when the Tories voted to overturn this decision, Starmer criticized the legislation and ordered his MPs to abstain. He even stated that advancing trans rights was not a priority for the Labour party.
Another example is Labour MP Rosie Duffield, who publicly called for a pause on banning conversion therapy and made derogatory comments about queer men who are married to women, offending bisexual individuals. When a trans woman appeared in an ITV report on the cost of living crisis, Duffield dismissed her as not being a “mother.” This resulted in an online backlash against the trans mother. The Trades Union Congress, Duffield’s employer, issued a statement condemning the anti-trans abuse she received at work. However, Labour has yet to take any action. Starmer’s office declined to comment when approached on the matter.
Labour has fallen a long way. Polling consistently shows that LGBTQ+ individuals overwhelmingly reject the Tories, and many still choose to vote for Labour simply to remove the government from power. However, even LGBTQ+ individuals who generally support Labour’s political direction have grown impatient. Labour can no longer claim to be a champion of the LGBTQ+ community. If the party’s leadership attends Pride events for purely political reasons, they should expect to be met with boos and heckles.
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