THEGAYUK

Tag: Conservatives

Read the latest news and analysis of the Conservative party in the UK. Browse THEGAYUK’s entire archive on news about the Tories.

  • Want to watch porn in the UK? You might need to ask your newsagent

    The Conservatives are forging ahead with a new law that means that if you want to watch porn on the internet, you will have to prove you are over the age of 18.

    The new system will allow people to buy an anonymous pass to watch porn in the UK.

    Plans are being made to make “porn passes” available at local newsagents, which will allow people in the UK who want to watch porn to bypass inputting personal data which proves their age to various porn sites, according to The Independent. It is a way in which people can access porn anonymously once the new law comes into force.

    The law means that you have to prove you are over the age of 18 before you can access porn sites in the UK and is part of the Digital Economy Act. The rules will apply to any website or platform which offers porn on a “commercial basis”.

    Advocates for the new rules hope that the measures will protect children from online porn.

    “PORN PASS”

    How do you feel about giving over your details to prove your age?

    Buying a “porn pass” means that you will have to hand over personal information to your local newsagent, who will be able to issue you with an anonymous pass, which will allow you access to adult sites in the UK.

    A spokesman for the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, which is responsible for the new legislation, said, “We are in the process of implementing some of the strictest data protection laws in the world.

    “A wide variety of online age verification solutions exist, or are in development, and they will have to abide by these high standards. We expect data security to be a high priority in the BBFC’s guidance on age verification arrangements.”

    In December 2014, pornography produced in the UK was subject to strict rules under the David Cameron’s Tory government. The types of scenes which studios could film were severely restricted with an amendment to the 2003 Communications Act.

    Some of the activities banned by the Conservative government could overtly affect the porn consumption of gay men in the UK – including those who watch BDSM, rimming (facesitting) and fisting.

    Thoughts?

     

     

  • LGBT+ Conservatives backtrack over c*nt Tweet

    The LGBT+ Conservatives have issued a statement on suggesting that MP David Davies was a c*nt.

    The LGBT+ Conservatives have backtracked on a message about the MP, David Davies, after he tweeted that “Somebody possessing a penis & pair of testicles is definitely not a woman”.

    In their initial response, the group Tweeted, “It’s clear that the T in his name stands for transphobe. It’s equally clear what the C stands for.”

    The MP hit back saying that the group were being misogynistic and that he would report them to the party’s chairman, Brandon Lewis.

    The LGBT+ Conservatives issued statement on Twitter saying that the first response was meant to be “light-hearted” and that it might have caused offence,

    “On reflection, yesterday’s tweet at which was meant to be light-hearted, may have inadvertently caused offence. This wasn’t our intention. We’ll continue to express disagreements with David on issues, but will hold ourselves to higher standards in future”.

  • Tory MP slammed for ‘transphobic’ message about trans women’s genitalia

    “Somebody possessing a penis & pair of testicles is definitely not a woman”

    David Davies, the MP for Monmouth has been slammed by trans advocates and his party’s own LGBT+ group for being a transphobe after he Tweeted a shocking message, which suggested that trans women who still have a penis and testicles are not women.

    Taking to Twitter he wrote,

    “Somebody possessing a penis & pair of testicles is definitely not a woman. This should be a biological fact not a matter for political debate. At least we can agree on something.”

    It wasn’t long before the party’s own LGBT+ group, LGBT+ Conservatives, commented, “David TC Davies’ transphobic views are abhorrent and out of kilter with Conservative Party policy.

    “It’s clear that the T in his name stands for transphobe. It’s equally clear what the C stands for.”

    The MP hit out at the group calling them a “disgrace” questioning whether the group was fit to stand for equality saying, “It is appalling that a Conservative group which purports to stand for equality is willing to allude to the word “c*nt” to describe MPs it doesn’t like. You are a disgrace.”

    LGBT+ voting record

    David Davies has, according to TheyWorkForYou.com, consistently voted against gay rights. During his time in office, he has voted five times against and been absent five times on LGBT+ equality laws. He also voted against same-sex marriage.

    Victim of abuse

    The MP went on to Tweet about the abuse that MPs face on social media.

    “Abuse on social media is par for the course as an MP – but it’s a sad day when it comes from a group based in the HQ of the party which I have actively supported for over 30 years.”

    He then called out the LGBT+ Conservatives for being misogynistic before suggesting that he would report the group for online abuse to the party Chairman, Brandon Lewis.

    Targetting the perpetrators of online abuse, cyberbullying and trolling have been in the sights of the Conservatives in recent years. Those found guilty of online maltreatment could face prosecution in England and Wales.

  • Tory MPs blasts questionnaire asking pupils if they’re happy with their gender

    Tory MPs blasts questionnaire asking pupils if they’re happy with their gender

    Asking a child what they feel about their gender described as “deeply destabilising” by straight, cis Conservative MPs.

    Wokandapix / Pixabay

    Two Conservative MPs have blasted a move by the NHS in Lancashire, in which a non-mandatory questionnaire was sent to year six pupils asking what they felt about their gender.

    MP Tim Loughton, who was the Children’s Minister until 2012, blasted the questionnaire saying that questioning children’s thoughts on their own gender identity was “unsettling” and “deeply destabilising”.

    In the survey, pupils were asked if “feel the same inside” as the gender they were assigned a birth – and then asked whether they considered themselves a boy, girl or other options.

    Loughton, according to TheyWorkForYou.com has a long history in voting against LGBT+ equality ranging back to 1998.

    Speaking to the Daily Telegraph about the survey, Loughton said,

    “At a time when children are growing up and having to deal with all sorts of challenges of the modern world, now they are being asked to confront their gender, which for many will be unsettling.

    “Forcing children to question whether they are the right gender so early on can be deeply destabilising.”

    Children not forced to answer optional questionnaire

    THEGAYUK.com reached out to Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust to asked whether the questionnaire in question was forced onto children. A spokesperson responded, “The questionnaire was given out to as part of the Universal School Health Needs programme to assess the health and wellbeing needs of children and young people. Questionnaires are provided at Reception / Year 1, Year 6 and Year 9, and are developed according to reflect the needs of children within these age ranges. Completion of this questionnaire is optional”.

    Fellow Conservative MP, Jacob Rees Mogg also criticised the survey saying,

    “It is quite intrusive – these are private matters in a family. The problem with this approach is not just with the question but with the intrusive survey that invades people’s privacy and assumes the state has a role in a matter that actually belongs within the family.

    “These questions are not likely to be helpful. The child is too young – if they have these sorts of issues, the parents are the right ones to discuss it with, not a state survey.”

    Gender question removed?

    Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust has confirmed to THEGAYUK.com that the gender question is under review for future surveys. In a statement they said,

    “We are constantly reviewing how to capture sensitive information in relation to the needs of children and young people both through universal screening and more targeted approaches. All questions are in the process of being reviewed as we are moving towards a digital platform instead of the current paper based system.

    “We are working with our commissioners, Lancashire County Council, to develop this and there is agreement that more consultation is needed on questions about gender and other sensitive health issues in the assessment.”

  • Andrea Leadsom says she would be “happy” to see gay marriage in Church

    Despite abstaining from the same-sex marriage vote, Andrea Leadsom said that she’d be “happy” to see same-sex couples getting married in Churches.

    Cabinet Minister, Andrea Leadsom, who ran an unsuccessful bid to become the UK’s Prime Minister in 2016 has said that she would be “happy” to see gay marriage in Churches, despite previously saying that same-sex marriage “harms” Christians.

    At a recent event, she addressed her poor voting record on LGBT+ rights, specifically, the Marriage (same-sex couples) Bill in 2013.

    Speaking to PinkNews, she said, “My decision [to abstain on the 2013 Marriage (same-sex couples) Bill] related specifically to the legislation around registry offices and churches, and the way in which the Christian faith recognises marriage.

    “I have always been clear that I believe the love of same-sex couples is just as important, and indeed equal, as the love of heterosexual couples.

    “I would be very happy to see same-sex couples married in a church, but that is a matter for the Church of England.

    “I am proud to live in a country that recognises equality for all.”

  • Anti-gay equality, N word MP Anne Marie Morris has Tory whip restored

    The whip returned to MP Anne Marie Morris.


    Conservative MP Anne Marie Morris has had the whip restored after being suspended earlier this year for using the vile racist expression “n***** in the woodpile”.

    The MP for Newton Abbot in Devon has apologised for the remark that she made and said that she had,  “learned from the experience”. The BBC reports that she is said to have said that she would, “seek to uphold the highest possible standards in public life”,

    Suspended

    The MP for Newton Abbott had been speaking about Brexit where she said,

    “Now I’m sure there will be many people who’ll challenge that, but my response and my request is look at the detail, it isn’t all doom and gloom,

    “Now we get to the real n***** in the woodpile, which is, in two years, what happens if there is no deal?”

    The recording was unearthed by HuffPost who noted that the Brexit-backing MP utter the disgraceful phrase, which has its origins in the late 19th and 20th century, as she described the idea of leaving the EU with no deal.

    Independent MP

    During the time in which Morris had the Tory whip removed, she sat in Parliament as an Independent MP – but voted with the government.

    In 2013 MP Morris voted against same-sex marriage and was absent from all other votes about the rights of LGBT+ people in the UK.

  • The Government has refused to make “gay cures” illegal

    Making gay cures a criminal offence is not the forward – apparently

    The British Government has affirmed its position on “gay cures” or conversion therapy. It condemns it, but won’t make the practice of it illegal.

    In responding to a petition, created earlier in 2017,  which attracted 11,000 signatories, the Government said that although it condemned the practice of conversion therapy, it did not believe that making the treatment illegal was the “right way forward”.

    The therapy, which has no evidentiary proof of benefit, has been widely criticised by the professional health industry and is seen as incredibly damaging to the LGBT+ community. The therapy is banned on the NHS.

    This is not the first time the Government has refused to make substantive steps towards the banning of so-called “gay cures”, in 2015 it declined to ban them. 

     

    The Government has refused to make "gay cures" illegal

    In its latest response, responding to the petition, the Department of Health said,

    “There is no evidence that this sort of treatment is beneficial, and indeed it may well cause significant harm to some patients. It is incumbent on professionals working in the National Health Service to ensure that treatment and care, including therapy, is provided to every patient without any form of discrimination.

    “This Government is committed to tackling discrimination towards LGBT people. That is why we have already worked with the main registration and accreditation bodies for psychotherapy and counselling practitioners, including the UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP), to develop first a consensus statement and then a Memorandum of Understanding committing signatory organisations to a range of activities including training and awareness raising amongst their members in relation to this issue.

    “This Government has already taken the necessary steps to prevent the practice of gay conversion therapy in the UK”.

  • COMMENT | Utter Trash: Lord Tebbit, Pollution does not create transgender people

    Former chairman of the Conservative party Lord Tebbit has claimed air pollution is making people transgender. Probably the most offensive and mind-boggling suggestion I have heard in my whole life.

    Personally, I think air pollution is polluting this narrow-minded man’s brain and causing him to make completely ludicrous claims.

    He also claimed that transgender people were a new phenomenon, stating he could not recollect any such individuals among his fellow pupils at school. Maybe, Lord Tebbit, this is because you attended a posh private school where you were wrapped in cotton wool and sheltered from the real world.

    If you’d lived a normal person’s life, seeing the real world, I’m sure such claims would not even enter your head. You’ve only got to read a factual novel or even watch a historical drama or documentary and you’ll be educated in the fact that transgender is not a new phenomenon.

    He says his theory that air pollution triggers being transgender, is the belief of some scientists. Now, I have Googled and researched into this and it’s very unclear exactly which scientists he is referring to. There seems to be no scientific evidence to support his claims. Probably because even a non-scientist, such as myself, can work out that his theories are simply narrow-minded bigotry.

    In an attempt to absolve his bizarre and offensive opinions, he said that he knows “voicing such thoughts will probably bring coals of fire upon my head.” I’m sorry Lord Tebbit but even anticipating that what you are saying will cause offence offers you no absolution.

    Last week, Mrs May said and I quote, “Homophobia, biphobia and transphobia have still not been defeated and they must be.” Yes, I agree with you, Prime Minister. They must be. Maybe a good first step will be ridding the Conservative party of such people as Lord Tebbit. And then you may stand a chance.

  • Government to “de-medicalise” the transition process

    The UK’s Government has announced radical new plans to “streamline and de-medicalise” the process by which transgender people can have their gender legally recognised quicker and easier.

    Today Justine Greening, the Minister for Women and Equalities announced plans that would end the medical process by which trans people must currently navigate in order to legally change their gender. In the announcement laid out today, people will no longer need a diagnosis of gender dysphoria or to prove that they have been in transition for two years before they can apply to legally change their gender.

    Minister for Women and Equalities Justine Greening said,

    “This government is committed to building an inclusive society that works for everyone, no matter what their gender or sexuality and today we’re taking the next step forward.

    “We will build on the significant progress we have made over the past 50 years, tackling some of the historic prejudices that still persist in our laws and giving LGBT people a real say on the issues affecting them.”

    Removing stigma from the Gender Recognition Act

    The consultation on the Gender Recognition Act, to be published in the Autumn will look to improve the recognition process and reduce the stigma faced by the trans community. Proposals will include, removing the need for medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria, which is currently necessary in order to change a person’s legal gender. Proposals for streamlining the entire process will also be discussed.

    Trans advocate and Labour party candidate in East Worthing and Shoreham in the 2017 General Election Sophie Cook applauded the cross-party approach saying,

    “The Gender Recognition Act forces people to jump through hoops and undergo deeply personal and intimate examination of their life including medical evidence and, if you’re married, a declaration from your spouse in order to gain a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC).

    Since I transitioned in 2015 I have faced prejudice, abuse and even death threats and it’s time for Parliament to recognise the challenges that trans people face and work to eradicate bigotry in all of its forms.

    Despite, very obviously, being my true self and living my life in my true gender I do not have a GRC.

    My passport, driving license and all other documents identify me as female and yet under the law without a GRC my rights could potentially be in danger.

    There have been cases of trans women losing their lives because the lack of a GRC placed them in harm’s way, most notably inside our prison system.

    In the Labour manifesto we recognised that the act was out of date and pledged to change it and I’m pleased to see that the government is moving ahead with this reform.

    Everyone should be afforded the right to self-identification, no doctor, judge or politician can presume to know more about an individuals identity than they do themselves.”

     

  • From April 2018 the government is going to restrict access to porn

    From April 2018 you will have to prove your age before accessing porn sites in the UK.

    From April 2018 the government is going to restrict access to porn

    The Conservative government are forging ahead with plans to require adults in the UK to prove they are over 18 before accessing porn sites. Digital minister Matt Hancock signed the commencement order today, which will enable the Digital Economy Act.

    Although no details about how the scheme could or would work, experts have suggested that proof of age could be provided by credit card details. The government could force Internet Service Providers such as BT and Virgin Media to block access to websites which do not comply with the new rules.

    The rules will apply to any website or platform which offers porn on a “commercial basis”.

    It is hoped that the measures will protect children from online porn.

    The Adam Smith Institute has reacted in dismay over the news.

    Sam Dumitriu, Research Economist at the Adam Smith Institute, said,

    “Requiring adult websites to force users to provide their credit card details poses a dangerous threat to privacy and will enable widespread credit card fraud.

    “Consenting adults shouldn’t be forced to announce that they’re looking at pornography to their credit card company.

    “There are massive fraud risks. It could mean that users are nudged into handing over data to unsafe sites – leaving them at the risk of fraud. Pornography is especially attractive to fraudsters as victims are often too embarrassed to flag up unexpected payments to adult sites to their credit card company.

    “Politicians should stop trying to regulate things they don’t understand.”

    In December 2014 pornography produced in the UK was subject to strict rules under the David Cameron’s Tory government. The types of scenes which studios could film were severely restricted with an amendment to the 2003 Communications Act.

    Some of the activities banned by the Conservative government could overtly affect the porn consumption of gay men in the UK – including those who watch BDSM, rimming (facesitting) and fisting.

     

  • Theresa May suspends anti-gay equality, N word MP Anne Marie Morris

    The UK’s Prime Minister, Theresa May, has suspended Anne Marie Morris after she used the N-word at Brexit discussion yesterday.

    Theresa May has suspended the Conservative MP Anne Marie Morris after she used a vile racist expression “n***** in the woodpile”.

    The whip was also removed.

    Speaking about the MP’s speech, Ms May said, “I was shocked to hear of these remarks, which are completely unacceptable, I immediately asked the Chief Whip to suspend the party whip. Language like this has absolutely no place in politics or in today’s society.”

    The MP for Newton Abbott had been speaking about Brexit where she said,

    “Now I’m sure there will be many people who’ll challenge that, but my response and my request is look at the detail, it isn’t all doom and gloom,

    “Now we get to the real n***** in the woodpile, which is, in two years, what happens if there is no deal?”

    The recording was unearthed by HuffPost who said that the Brexit-backing MP utter the disgraceful phrase, which has its origins in the late 19th and 20th century, as she described the idea of leaving the EU with no deal.

    Ms Morris has offered an “unreserved” apology saying she was sorry for “any offence caused” by her “entirely unintentional” racism.