How Stland Beme The World Lear On Lbian, Gay And Bisexual Reprentatn | HuffPost UK News

Contents:

• THE QUIET REVOLUTN: WHY BRA HAS MORE GAY MPS THAN ANYWHERE ELSE
• GAY MPS: THE PHOTOGRAPH THAT SHOWS WTMSTER'S ATTU TOWARDS LGBT POLICIANS IS CHANGG
• WTMSTER NOW HAS 32 OPENLY GAY, LBIAN AND BISEXUAL MPS
• 2 MORE MPS E OUT AS GAY TO TAKE HOE OF COMMONS TOTAL TO 35
• COMMONS HAS MORE GAY MPS THAN ANY OTHER PARLIAMENT THE WORLD
• JOHNSON HAS LGBT 'BLD SPOT', SAYS FIRST OPENLY GAY BET MISTER
• RERD NUMBER OF OPENLY GAY MPS ELECTED TO HOE OF COMMONS
• THE UK’S PARLIAMENT IS STILL THE GAYT THE WORLD AFTER 2019 ELECTN
• NAMIBIAN MPS BACK ANTI-GAY LAW SPE SUPREME COURT LG
• HOW STLAND BEME THE WORLD LEAR ON LBIAN, GAY AND BISEXUAL REPRENTATN
• NAMIBIAN MPS BACK ANTI-GAY LAW SPE SUPREME COURT LG

THE QUIET REVOLUTN: WHY BRA HAS MORE GAY MPS THAN ANYWHERE ELSE

Stephen Twigg was gay – a “practisg homosexual”, to e a formula still popular at the time – and though mours about Michael Portillo’s sexualy had been swirlg for years, he was most fely not. The day after Twigg’s victory, Chris Smh, an MP sce 1983 and out sce 1984, beme the first openly gay secretary of state – culture, naturally.

The years rolled by and anti-gay legislatn was rolled back.

Now Bra fds self wh the queert legislature the world: 32 of the Uned Kgdom’s 650 MPs llg themselv gay, lbian or bisexual. And two nstuenci last week – Lanster & Fleetwood and Milton Keyn South – both the Tory and Labour ndidat were gay, lbian or bisexual.

GAY MPS: THE PHOTOGRAPH THAT SHOWS WTMSTER'S ATTU TOWARDS LGBT POLICIANS IS CHANGG

Proportnally, though, the SNP is now by far the gayt party Wtmster, wh 12% of s MPs chalkg themselv up as sexual may scratch our heads as to the meang of the numbers: is a surprise that there are so many out Tori? How did a untry raised on tabloid sndal end up so at ease wh gay public figur?

Homosexualy was crimalised England and Wal 1967 by reformg home secretary Roy Jenks (Stland had to wa until 1980, and Northern Ireland until 1982), but prosecutns for sexual offenc ntued to snare many gay men to the 90s.

WTMSTER NOW HAS 32 OPENLY GAY, LBIAN AND BISEXUAL MPS

In addn, a vic prs culture of blackmail and exposure ma life difficult for gay people who wanted to participate ernment and Tatchell, who stood as the Labour ndidate for Bermondsey 1983, was the subject of a notorly homophobic mpaign by his Liberal opponents.

2 MORE MPS E OUT AS GAY TO TAKE HOE OF COMMONS TOTAL TO 35

It was impossible for any ndidate or MP to be openly gay whout the fear of beg monised by the tabloids.

COMMONS HAS MORE GAY MPS THAN ANY OTHER PARLIAMENT THE WORLD

“There were lots of gay MPs, ” he says, “but they were all the closet, eher bee they were secure about their own sexualy, or bee they feared vilifitn the papers and selectn by their party.

” So wasn’t jt the prs, but the party mach that failed to treat gay and lbian people wh rpect, wed by Fleet Street’s ferocy. Constuents and rival parti said: ‘Not only is he gay and wants gay rights, he’s open and brazen about .

’”Peter Tatchell ( red shirt) jos the celebratns after MPs voted to cut the homosexual age of nsent to 16 1998. Photograph: Tony Harris/PAStill, Tatchell says there was “public revulsn” agast the homophobia he experienced, which he believ ma the tabloids more reluctant to nduct anti-gay wch-hunts, for a time, at least. As a rult, Chris Smh had an easier ri when he me out Conservativ’ relatnship wh homosexualy was equally uneasy.

JOHNSON HAS LGBT 'BLD SPOT', SAYS FIRST OPENLY GAY BET MISTER

“I told her I was gay when I went to say goodbye to her and she put an arm on my wrist and said: ‘Matthew, that mt have been very difficult for you to say. ’”Gay MPs were tolerated, so long as discretn led.

RERD NUMBER OF OPENLY GAY MPS ELECTED TO HOE OF COMMONS

It was Edwa Currie who tabled an amendment to brg the age of nsent for gay men down om 21 to 16 – there was famoly no such law alg specifilly wh lbianism. “Major issued guidance sayg was OK for senr civil servants to be gay and that changed the atmosphere a b, ” says former Labour sp doctor Lance Price.

THE UK’S PARLIAMENT IS STILL THE GAYT THE WORLD AFTER 2019 ELECTN

Price rells: “When I worked for Blair, we had the Sun rampagg around askg if we were beg n by a Gay Mafia. ”, was laidback about his gay MPs. The only thg the media wanted to know about was who else was gay and I didn’t thk that was very fair.

Photograph: Anthony Devl/PAGay MPs don’t necsarily mean gay rights. Tatchell remembers that “ the 80s, a lot of gay MPs voted agast equaly, and many straight on – Gav Strang, Jeremy Corbyn, Dawn Primarolo – voted favour. Constuency parti n still balk at the ia of a gay MP.

Now gay upl are able to marry and are protected om discrimatn, is parliament still the key battleground once was?

NAMIBIAN MPS BACK ANTI-GAY LAW SPE SUPREME COURT LG

Gay rights group Stonewall’s current foc is on bullyg, which suggts that attus, rather than legal obstacl, are the fal ontier of LGBT rights.

HOW STLAND BEME THE WORLD LEAR ON LBIAN, GAY AND BISEXUAL REPRENTATN

Its rearch shows that 55% of gay young people experience homophobic bullyg. How will the new phalanx of gay and lbian MPs change that?

NAMIBIAN MPS BACK ANTI-GAY LAW SPE SUPREME COURT LG

” Given that Cameron has jt appoted Carole Denage, who voted agast gay marriage, as mister for equali, seems wise to be vigilant. Sign up for the View om Wtmster email for expert analysis straight to your boxGet our ee View om Wtmster emailOne of the most remarkable, yet pleasg, statistics that fascated polil number-cnchers at last year’s electn was that the Hoe of Commons end up wh 32 lbian, gay and bisexual MPs. LGBT History Month is celebrated Febary – and this photograph of 28 MPs and peers is a b of history self, as is the largt number of publicly out parliamentarians pictured together at one time, om a parliament wh more gay members than any the Barll, who prevly worked for the then First Mister of Stland, Alex Salmond, said: “I only me out to myself and to my fay durg the electn.