There are 32 openly gay, lbian and bisexual MPs, which dwarfs the 12 and ten the parliaments of both Swen and the Netherlands. Pictured is lbian Conservative MP Margot Jam.
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
Once gay ndidat were monised – or forced to hi the closet. Now Wtmster boasts 32 LGB MPs, more than any other untry. But, as gay policians past and prent nfirm, the battle is not over yet * how many gay mps *
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.
GAY MPS: THE PHOTOGRAPH THAT SHOWS WTMSTER'S ATTU TOWARDS LGBT POLICIANS IS CHANGG
* how many gay mps *
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.
WTMSTER NOW HAS 32 OPENLY GAY, LBIAN AND BISEXUAL MPS
There are now 32 openly gay, lbian and bisexual MPs - up on last year and far more than Holland or Swen. * how many gay mps *
And two nstuenci last week – Lanster & Fleetwood and Milton Keyn South – both the Tory and Labour ndidat were gay, lbian or bisexual. 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. 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.
It was impossible for any ndidate or MP to be openly gay whout the fear of beg monised by the tabloids. “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.
2 MORE MPS E OUT AS GAY TO TAKE HOE OF COMMONS TOTAL TO 35
The UK's first openly gay bet mister, Lord Smh, urg the PM to diversify his top team. * how many gay mps *
” 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.
COMMONS HAS MORE GAY MPS THAN ANY OTHER PARLIAMENT THE WORLD
A rerd number of openly gay MPs were elected on June 8. After the general electn, there are now 45 gay MPs the Hoe of Commons - makg up... * how many gay mps *
“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. 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.
JOHNSON HAS LGBT 'BLD SPOT', SAYS FIRST OPENLY GAY BET MISTER
Levels of LGBT+ reprentatn the UK parliament - wh more gay Conservative MPs than out Labour MPs followg the general electn. * how many gay mps *
“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. 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.
RERD NUMBER OF OPENLY GAY MPS ELECTED TO HOE OF COMMONS
Photograph: Anthony Devl/PAGay MPs don’t necsarily mean gay rights.
THE UK’S PARLIAMENT IS STILL THE GAYT THE WORLD AFTER 2019 ELECTN
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? 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. Its rearch shows that 55% of gay young people experience homophobic bullyg.
NAMIBIAN MPS BACK ANTI-GAY LAW SPE SUPREME COURT LG
How will the new phalanx of gay and lbian MPs change that? ” Given that Cameron has jt appoted Carole Denage, who voted agast gay marriage, as mister for equali, seems wise to be vigilant.
HOW STLAND BEME THE WORLD LEAR ON LBIAN, GAY AND BISEXUAL REPRENTATN
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.
NAMIBIAN MPS BACK ANTI-GAY LAW SPE SUPREME COURT LG
Lord Chris Smh is the picture – he was the first openly gay MP the 1980s and also the first to be appoted to the bet when he beme Culture Secretary 1997. 10 Ia Stewart The Milton Keyn South MP is a former puty chairman of LGBTory, and won plds for a speech durg the last parliament on how he was bullied at school for beg gay.
The pneers of LGBT rights 2015Show all 611 Chris Smh, Baron Smh of Fsbury As pla Chris Smh the 1980s, he ma history by beg the first openly gay man the Commons.
13 Stuart Andrew Parliamentary private secretary to the Transport Secretary, Patrick McLoughl, he told the Commons three years ago of how he was once “beaten unnsc” a homophobic attack. 16 Brian Paddick, Baron Paddick of Brixton The two-time Liberal Democrat ndidate for London mayor was prevly famo for beg the untry’s most senr openly gay police officer. 19 Waheed Alli, Baron Alli of Norbury The 51-year-old is an openly gay Mlim who ma his fortune the media dtry before beg a peer 1998.