THEGAYUK

Tag: Politics

The latest news, interviews, and views from the world of LGBT politics in the UK and internationally.

  • Hillary Clinton pays tribute to the 49 victims of the Pulse Massacre

    Hillary Clinton has paid tribute to the 49 victims killed in last year’s terrorist attack in Orlando.

    Hillary Clinton and the Pulse shooting

    Taking to Twitter, Hillary Clinton sent a heartfelt tweet saying that her heart was with “the loved ones” of the 49 victims who were killed when a lone gunman entered the Pulse nightclub on the 12th June 2016. Along with her message she tagged it with the hashtag #WeWillNotLetHateWin.

    The tweet was almost immediately retweeted 6000 times and liked over 20,000 times.

    During the US Presidental campaign Ms Clinton visited the Pulse nightclub laying a bouquet of white roses at the site.

    President Donald Trump also paid tribute to the victims Tweeting a picture of the victims and saying,

    “We will NEVER FORGET the victims who lost their lives one year ago today in the horrific shooting. “

    This article has been updated since it was published. Previously we observed that President Trump hadn’t Tweeted about the Pulse victims, but had mentioned that Ivanka Trump was on the news.

     

  • COMMENT | Tory and DUP? Not so much a Coalition of Chaos but a Partnership of Peril

    Right now my eyes are tired and my heart is heavy. I stayed up all night Thursday, watching until the early hours as the results rolled in. The exit poll told us we’d get a hung Parliament but I was willing it not to be true. The votes rolled in and it all became clear; Theresa May had failed but so had Jeremy Corbyn. Let’s get this absolutely straight; Corbyn has revolutionised the Labour Party and has mobilised a generation, but he should not be taking this a win. Labour lost. Conservatives lost. Now Britain has lost.

    It’s probably easy for me to be accused of being dramatic but I had outlined clearly my views on why Labour were the right choice. But it needs to be unequivocally clear; what we’ve ended up with now is dangerous and terrifying for LGBT people. Theresa May has decided to get into bed with the DUP. This is not so much a Coalition of Chaos but a Partnership of Peril.

    But why? Let’s look at the anti-LGBT viewpoint of the DUP. In 2005, during a Hustings event, one of their candidates said “You don’t bring a child up in a homosexual relationship. That the child is far more likely to be abused and neglected.” The DUP at the time said that Jim Well’s views were not their policy but just look at First Minister and DUP leader Arlene Foster. The Irish Government were poised to lift, by a minority, the ban on Gay Marriage. Arlene Foster introduced a Petition of Concern. This is a controversial mechanism in the Irish Assembly which means that, if submitted, proposed legislation must receive at least 60% of the vote and 40% of Nationalists and Unionists must also be present to vote. Arlene Foster knew this would kill the Pro-Same Sex Marriage legislation out of the gate.

    That’s just their leader in Northern Ireland. Their representative in Westminster proposed an introduction of a “conscience clause” in the Equality Act 2010 to allow businesses to turn away LGBT people on religious grounds. This man is a Party hero.

    And what about Equality elsewhere? The DUP played a vital role in continuing to restrict Abortion Rights in Northern Ireland. The DUP are anti-abortion even if the woman has been raped, a victim of incest and even if the foetus won’t survive the birth. This is despite a Court ruling which said the ban was against Human Rights.

    So here we are now with Theresa May who has publicly declared she would “rip up” the Human Rights Act and increase surveillance on the Internet. Sure, I am all for doing our best to battle against Islamic Extremism and Radicalisation online but you know exactly what’s going to happen. They’ll start asking Internet Service Providers to keep a database of our search and browsing history. These databases will inevitably be the target for hackers resulting in millions of people’s private searches being released. What about those in the closet? And hell, what about those people that are into the kinky side of sex? I can see it now; teachers and doctors, Police and Fire Officers being struck off after their private and intimate lives are leaked online. LGBT people hiding in fear of being exposed. You only have to look at the recent TalkTalk hack to know how lax ISP security can be.

    This is why we need to get over our heartbreak and sadness about this election and actually do something. We need to mobilise even more. I do not want to hear nonsense about Jeremy Corbyn and his leadership dominating the Labour Party for the next ‘x’ amount of months. The Labour Party must now focus on strong opposition. And we must join them. I will be re-joining The Labour Party and their efforts to oppose our Government. I will sign every petition and participate in every march because now is not the time for complacency. As we head into the Pride months as we celebrate by waving our flags, kissing our partners and living our free lives we must remember the activists of our past. They did not lay down their lives for us to stay behind our keyboards and allow our Government to steamroll over years of progress. And it isn’t enough for us to only turn up to LGBT events. Our country’s women will need us too.

    So I beg of you. Take this weekend to grieve the loss. Cry to your friends, ponder the future and hashtag your anger. But when it comes to Monday, it is time to clock back in. Your country needs you, your Community needs you, this world NEEDS you. We. Will. Rise.

     

    Opinions expressed in this article may not reflect those of THEGAYUK, its management or editorial teams. If you’d like to comment or write a comment, opinion or blog piece, please click here.

  • Theresa May reassures no erosion of gay rights in return for DUP support

    Theresa May has assured Scottish Conservative leader, Ruth Davidson, that there will be no erosion of LGBT+ rights in return for DUP support.

    Ruth Davidson, who is planning to marry her partner Jen Wilson, spoke to the Prime Minister about the issue of LGBT+ rights and told the BBC’s Reporting Scotland programme, “I was fairly straightforward with her and I told her that there were a number of things that count to me more than party, One of them is country, one of the others is LGBTI rights.”

    Ms May apparently gave a “categoric assurance” that any deal between the Conservatives and DUP would see “absolutely no rescission of LGBTI rights in the rest of the UK”.

    Ms Davidson also said that Mrs May said she would use her influence to advance gay rights in Northern Ireland.

    Northern Ireland is the last place in the UK to legalise same-sex marriage – with the issue being voted on four times.

    WHO ARE THE DUP?

    The DUP have earned themselves a reputation for being homophobic after voting against same-sex marriage four times.

    Theresa May looks to have negotiated with the DUP, who have 10 seats, in order to take their total number of seats up to 328, a majority of just two seats. However, the coalition will not be welcome news for many in the LGBT+ community has the DUP has run on a platform of conservativism which includes anti-LGBT equality and anti-abortion.

    During their campaigning and the release of their manifesto, the DUP failed to mention any pledges for the LGBT community.

    The party’s founder Ian Paisley spearheaded the Save Ulster from Sodomy in the 1970s, which was opposed to the decriminalisation of homosexuality in Northern Ireland, in fact, Northern Ireland was the last country within the UK to decriminalise homosexuality, which it did so in 1982. Paisley’s son, Ian Paisley Jr said that he was “repulsed” by homosexuality.

     

  • A petition has already formed over a Conservative and DUP coalition

    A petition stating no confidence has already gone live over a coalition between the Conservatives and the DUP.

    A petition of no confidence has emerged over a coalition of the Conservatives and the DUP.

    The Conservatives have failed to achieve an overall majority in the General Election, securing 318 seats. A party needs 326 seats in order to have a majority.

    Theresa May looks to have negotiated with the DUP, who have 10 seats, in order to take their total number of seats up to 329, a majority of just three seats. However, the coalition will not be welcome news for many in the LGBT+ community has the DUP has run on a platform of conservativism which includes anti-LGBT equality and anti-abortion.

    The DUP have earned themselves a reputation for being homophobic after voting against same-sex marriage four times.

    Lorraine Carter who created the petition writes,

    “The UK electorates have spoken. The Conservative majority has been lost. The PM stated through all her campaging for strong and stable, not for a Coalition of Chaos. Once again another U turn. This petition shows no confidence in this coalition make up.”

  • Theresa May to make a deal with one of most homophobic political parties in the UK

    Theresa May looks set to make a deal with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) who have consistently voted against LGBT+ equality.

    ARLENE FOSTER: the DUP leader.

    The DUP have earned themselves a reputation for being homophobic after voting against same-sex marriage four times.

    The Conservatives have failed to achieve an overall majority in the General Election, securing 38 seats. A party needs 326 seats in order to have a majority in the UK.

    Theresa May looks to have negotiated with the DUP, who have 10 seats, in order to take their total number of seats up to 328, a majority of just three seats. However, the coalition will not be welcome news for many in the LGBT+ community has the DUP has run on a platform of conservativism which includes anti-LGBT equality and anti-abortion.

    During their campaigning and the release of their manifesto, the DUP failed to mention any pledges for the LGBT community.

    The party’s founder Ian Paisley spearheaded the Save Ulster from Sodomy in the 1970s, which was opposed to the decriminalisation of homosexuality in Northern Ireland, in fact, Northern Ireland was the last country within the UK to decriminalise homosexuality, which it did so in 1982. Paisley’s son, Ian Paisley Jr said that he was “repulsed” by homosexuality.

    Many historic senior DUP figures have attracted criticism for a variety of homophobic remarks. In 2015 Health Minister Jim Wells claimed children brought up in same-sex relationships were more likely to be abused or neglected; he was forced to resign shortly thereafter and the police investigated his remarks.

    In 2008 the wife of then-First Minister Peter Robinson, Iris Robinson, recommended conversion therapy and called homosexuality “disgusting, loathsome, nauseating, wicked, and vile.” 

     

     

  • What The 2017 General Election Result Could Mean For The LGBT Community

    What. A. Night.

    Defying all expectations, Jeremy Corbyn increased the number of Labour seats in the House of Commons as Prime Minister Theresa May lost her majority, leading to a hung parliament and casting doubt on Mrs May’s future as the Conservative Party leader. Right now she looks like she’s hanging on by the skin of her teeth, looking to do a deal with Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party.

    This is bad news for the LGBT community. The DUP is promising to “make its influence felt” in Westminster. We should all be concerned.

    Back in 2015, I wrote about what a disaster a Tory-DUP coalition would mean for us. The DUP is deeply homophobic; they’ve blocked same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland at least four times and laid down as a “red line” marriage equality as a condition for forming a stable government at Stormont with Sinn Fien, the nationalist and pro-gay marriage party.

    That the DUP is so anti-gay that they’re willing to send Northern Ireland into political turmoil over the issue of marriage should concern everyone. Theresa May looks to form a government propped up by their 10 MPs, and this could mean a hard stop to any progress the LGBT community has made.

    The majority of Tory MPs voted against equalising marriage in England and Wales. When the Conservatives passed mandatory personal and sexual health education earlier this year, they omitted education about LGBT people and issues, despite the fact that Education Secretary Justine Greening is an out lesbian. The Tories themselves don’t have the best record of LGBT equality.

    So put them with the DUP, we can expect a real halt to any progress we’ve made over the past 20 years. Whilst education and marriage are devolved issues in Northern Ireland, the party is so deeply homophobic that it’s easy to imagine the Tories not bringing up equality votes for as long as the DUP is the linchpin in their government. Why risk losing your tenuous majority over an “identity politics” issue? Beyond that, though, the Tories are unlikely to push the DUP to enhance and equalise the rights of the LGBT community in Northern Ireland – the last legally homophobic holdout in the British Isles.

    This becomes even riskier considering Theresa May’s commitment (that wasn’t in the manifesto, by the way) to scrap human rights laws – notably the Human Rights Act – which protect LGBT rights. This is ostensibly to combat terrorism at home, but has implications for LGBT equality (for example, in the armed services). Whether the Tories would let the DUP dictate which LGBT rights protections are enshrined in UK law as we transfer EU law to our domestic books is an unknowable. But considering how much of a red line it is at Stormont (after all, they’re willing to jeopardise Northern Ireland peace to keep gay people from marrying), it’s deeply concerning.

    The Tories don’t have a good record on LGBT equality, no matter how you cut it. Yes, David Cameron introduced equal marriage, but it only passed because of Labour and Liberal Democrat votes. The Conservative Party has improved, but it’s not at the level of “ally” yet. That they’re considering going into coalition with the DUP jeopardises LGBT rights in Northern Ireland and, indeed, England and Wales as EU laws which protect us are written into British law.

    The news of the night isn’t all bad, though. Whilst some gay MPs – such as Tory Ben Howlett, who I interviewed last month – lost their seats, we look set to have at least 30 LGBT MPs in the next parliament. Gay candidates such as Wes Streeting and Peter Kyle increased their majorities, whilst Mhairi Black and Justine Greening clung on with reduced majorities – is welcome news for the community. I don’t have an exact count on how many LGBT candidates were elected, but I hope to do so by this evening.

    In the meantime, the LGBT community – like the rest of the country – waits with bated breath to find out what is going to happen to the country we love. No one knows the answer. If Theresa May does hang on, though, it is incumbent upon her to put the LGBT community’s welfare beyond her own desire for power and to make sure any deal, including with the DUP, does not sacrifice the progress we have made – or the victories we are yet to win.

  • THE BIG GAY ELECTION | Week in review, we’re in the home stretch!

    With only two days before the nation votes, we again stand in the shadows of tragedy. The terrorist attacks at London Bridge and Borough Market on Saturday have proven another unexpected development, changing the narrative of an already convoluted election. What Theresa May billed as the Brexit election when she announced it back in April has quickly become the security election. Both the Prime Minister and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn have faced criticism over their records on terror and security – Mrs May for cuts to policing and intelligence failures on her watch, and Mr Corbyn for his links to the IRA and other terrorist organisations.

    It’s easy to look at what happened over the weekend – and in Manchester last month – and lose sight of other issues as they pale in comparison. But alas, there are stories worth bringing your attention to as we enter the home stretch of election 2017 – which has proven to be gayer than we ever thought possible.

    That could be down to something in the water. That is, at least according to Susan King, the Liberal Democrat candidate for Telford. In a web chat with the Shropshire Star last week, Ms King – a former anti-fluoride campaigner – claimed “there are a lot of feminising hormones getting into the environment and that has to be taken into consideration.” As if that weren’t a peculiar enough statement for a parliamentary candidate to make, Ms King continued by adding that “it’s affecting people’s sexuality basically,” whilst insisting that “people are at liberty to interpret how they want to live themselves.”

    The notion that British water is making people gay has attracted a lot of criticism, not only because many people think it’s borderline homophobic but because it’s also just quite daft. In a way, though, I kind of wish our water were making people gay. Maybe then I could marry Prince Harry.

    Of course, then Caroline Ansell might try to cure us both. Ansell, the incumbent Conservative candidate in Eastbourne, accepted funding for an intern from the homophobic and transphobic Christian Action Research and Education (CARE) charity. According to the Metro, CARE funded a conference on conversion therapy back in 2009. It shouldn’t be so surprising that Ansell would take money from CARE,  as she is also a member of the Kings Church Eastbourne, which the Metro reports is a part of anti-LGBT churches that preach gay people can be “cured.”

    Another church that allegedly believes gay people can be “exorcised” of the demons of same-sex attractions is Jesus House, a fast growing church in London. Last week, Theresa May stopped by to worship with its controversial and anti-gay marriage pastor, Agu Irukwu. Pink News reports that Pastor Irukwu wrote in 2006 that the Sexual Orientation Regulations was “the latest discrimination against Christians” and that it would “force Christians… to accept and even promote the idea that homosexuality is equal to heterosexuality.” (Spoilers: it didn’t.)

    If it seems I’m beating up on the Tories and Liberal Democrats here, it’s because they’ve given me the most fodder over the past several weeks. I’ve been keeping a keen eye out for any interesting gay gaffes, and other than Kezia Dugdale telling people to vote for the Tories (seriously, that’s a really bad electoral strategy, Kezia), Labour has been fairly gaffe-free on issues of equality. The Tories, with their notoriously checkered history on issues of equality, are continuing to experience growing pains as they try to balance their conservative base with their more progressive front bench (and a more enlightened electorate). The Liberal Democrats, meanwhile, literally started and ended this campaign talking about gay sex.

    When we wake up on Friday morning we could have the gayest parliament in history. The last parliament already saw a world record number of gay MPs. Yet in a report for Pink News, Professor Andrew Reynolds of The LGBT Representation and Rights Research Initiative at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill predicts that “the gains made by LGBTQ candidates in June 2017 will outweigh any losses.” According to Professor Reynolds, there could be as many as 24 new LGBT MPs elected of the 147 openly LGBT candidates standing this year.

    So all and all, not a bad gay election. Of course, I don’t know who is going to win on Friday (the polls show Labour pulling close, but it’s still likely to be a Tory majority), but I do know that this election has been more of a whirlwind than any in my lifetime. I’m kind of glad it’s almost over, and I live for politics, so I can’t imagine how you must be feeling. Just hang in there and know that no matter who emerges as Prime Minister at the end of the week, THEGAYUK Magazine will be there to bring you all the details.

    [os-widget path=”/thegayuk/who-should-i-vote-for” of=”thegayuk” comments=”false”]

     

    Opinions expressed in this article may not reflect those of THEGAYUK, its management or editorial teams. If you’d like to comment or write a comment, opinion or blog piece, please click here.

  • BREAKING | Ireland set to get its first openly gay Prime Minister

    Ireland is set to get its first openly gay Prime Minister, as Leo Varadkar is chosen by Fine Gael.

    Fine Gael, Ireland’s governing political party has chosen its new leader, Leo Varadkar who is set to become Ireland’s first openly gay Prime Minister. The 38-year-old will also be one of Ireland’s youngest leaders. He was victorious over the other candidate, Simon Coveney.

    Varadkar will replace Enda Kenny, who was the Prime Minister in Ireland from March 2011.

    Varadkar came out in January 2015 during an interview on RTE Radio. During the interview he said,

    “it’s not something that defines me. I’m not a half-Indian politician, or a doctor politician or a gay politician for that matter. It’s just part of who I am, it doesn’t define me, it is part of my character I suppose”

    He is the third openly gay head of state in the world.

    This is a breaking story and it will be updated shortly.

  • Tim Farron once again cannot answer whether being gay is a sin

    Tim Farron has once again refused to answer on whether he thinks being gay is a sin.

    Speaking on Nick Ferrari’s LBC morning show, Tim Farron once again refused to answer whether he thought being gay was a sin.

    A caller, Brian, from Highgate asked the Lib Dem leader whether he thought that homosexuality was a sin to which he answered, “I dealt with that weeks ago.”

    Ferarri asked Farron to remind the listeners what his position was, to which Farron answered, “Do you know what, we’re not going there. My personal faith is my personal faith.”

    When pushed again by Ferrari, Farron answered,

    “…to be honest with you, a person who is a leader of a political party, it’s their job as someone who is passionate about LGBT rights, prove it with your actions, not by your words.

    “My actions, absolutely, are 100% about defending LGBT rights. And as a party, you look what we’ve done, my colleague Lynne Featherstone introduced equal marriage, I’m very proud of that.”

    In April, Farron answered the question in April during an interview with the BBC where he said,

    in a BBC interview this week, again Mr Farron’s opinion was sought on the subject. He replied,

    “I don’t believe that gay sex is a sin.

    “I take the view though, that as a political leader, my job is not to pontificate on theological matters.

    “It seems to me that there is a general election on at the moment, we need to be talking about big issues.”

    The general election will take place on Thursday 8th June 2017.

     

     

     

     

  • Who should I vote for in the General Election?

    If you’re struggling to work out who to vote for in the forthcoming General Election we’ve created this outcome quiz to try and match up your ideals to the party which have promised to represent you through their manifestos.

    Who should I vote for in the General Election

    We have chosen the five UK wide (except Northern Ireland) Conservatives, Labour, Liberal Democrats, Greens and UKIP. Please keep in mind that each of the questions has an equal weighting and so therefore if some issues are more important to you than others it may give you an unexpected result. Of course, in the end, it’s your decision.

    If you’d like to see what the parties’ manifestos have pledged to the LGBT+ community in the UK click here.

  • Donald Trump tweets disgust at Kathy Griffin after “sick” decapitation picture

    President Donald Trump has hit out at comedian Kathy Griffin after pictures of her holding a replica of his bloodied severed head emerged on the net.

    Taking to Twitter Donald Trump called the picture sick and said that his youngest son, Barron, who is 11 was having a “hard time” with the picture.

    In a video posted earlier today, Kathy Griffin said that she had “gone too far” after the picture of a decapitated President Trump attracted a major backlash from all sides of the political spectrum.

    In the video, which she published on Twitter she said,

    “I sincerely apologise. I’m just now seeing the reaction to these images. I’m a comic, I cross the line. I move the line, then I cross it. I went way too far. The image is too disturbing.

    “I understand how it offends people. It wasn’t funny, I get it. I beg for your forgiveness, I went too far. I made a mistake and I was wrong.”