A reflection on the first ever virtual pride month
This June marked the first virtual Pride Month we have ever experienced and it has given us all a chance to reflect on our country and the world around us. Without a doubt, the coronavirus pandemic has had a huge impact on everyone, but especially LGBT+ people. Many of us have been isolated from our support networks, and the services that some rely on to survive have been overwhelmed. It has therefore been more important than ever to work together and unite during difficult period.
Everyone in this country should feel safe and happy to be who they are, and to love who they love, without judgement or fear. As our recent history shows, our country is a world leader when it comes to LGBT+ equality. A lot of this is down to the hard work of LGBT+ charities and campaigners who have fought hard over the years to change hearts and minds and ultimately change society. We should all be able to go out into the world every day, refusing to be anything but our true authentic selves.
We have come a long way with LGBT+ equality, but there is still a long way to go. To outline some of the key landmarks of recent UK LGBT+ history: the first Pride marches in the world took place 50 years ago and this marked the first steps towards decriminalising homosexuality in 1967. In 1992 the World Health Organisation declassified same-sex attraction as a mental illness. In 2000, the UK ban on lesbian, gay & bisexual military personnel was lifted. A few years later, same-sex couples were granted equal rights to adopt in 2002 and then in trans people were, for the first time, able to legally change their gender. In the same year, the Civil Partnership Act passed, which granted civil partnerships in the UK. The Gender Recognition Act was passed in 2004, giving trans people full legal recognition in their appropriate gender. In 2013, the Marriage (Same-Sex Couples) Act was passed, which legalised same-sex marriages. As of 2014, the UK allowed trans people to serve openly in our military forces. In 2017, the UK reduced the deferral period for all gay and bisexual who want to donate their blood to from 12 months to 3 months. Finally, on the 13th January 2020 same-sex marriage became legal in Northern Ireland.
We have further to go with cultural change some of the burning injustices that still exist for too many. The fact that two in three people who responded to the Government’s LGBT+ Survey felt they cannot hold hands with their partner in public shows that there are still pockets of society where we’re still far from safe. Holding hands is such a simple, tender gesture – there should be no barrier to people loving who they want to love and being able to express that in public.
Equally as worrying is that many LGBT+ people experience difficulty accessing public services such as healthcare. That is why the move to appoint a national adviser on LGBT+ healthcare was so the right course of action as they can lead on addressing the health inequalities LGBT+ people face. The NHS should after all for there to provide the highest quality healthcare to everyone, regardless of sexual orientation, gender or background.
It is horrifying that so many LGBT+ people are still being offered the abhorrent practise of conversion therapy. This issue has recently been brought to the floor by many MPs of all political parties. I hope that the Government act on this by making health services more inclusive and finally end the adherent practice of so-called gay conversation theory at the earliest opportunity. This is abuse of the worst kind and must be stamped out of our modern society. Guaranteeing the safety of every person in the country is one of the most important responsibilities of government.
Our education system also isn’t giving LGBT+ people the best start in life and this needs to change. Around 45% of LGBT+ pupils experience homophobic, biophobic or transphobic bullying at school. Shockingly, 8 out of 10 trans young people have self-harmed and almost half have attempted to kill themselves. Fewer than a third of bullied pupils said that teachers intervened when they witnessed the bullying incidents. This is unacceptable. The introduction of mandatory relationships education in primary schools and relationships and sex education in secondary schools will help to address this issue. It will particularly help to reduce intolerance and increase understanding to reduce homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying in schools. Families come in all shapes and sizes and it’s okay for families to have two mums or two dads.
The other major issue that needs addressing is the Gender Recognition Act. Ever since reforms were suggested back in 2017, expectations were raised and a vacuum of misinformation and ambiguity has been allowed to grow and it has become a very toxic atmosphere, with many trans people now fearing for their future. Under the current GRA, gender options are still limited to ‘male’ and ‘female’, so non-binary and gender-fluid people are not currently recognised under the Act. We now need empathetic leadership that listens to the trans community. It is hard, if not impossible, to imagine the hardships faced by trans people up and down the country and we moral duty to address the many injustices they face often on a daily basis. I hope that a sensible, pragmatic solution can be found to give trans people the rights and voice they deserve. We’re all individuals and that diversity should be celebrated.
Overall, a lot has been done to create a diverse, tolerant British society, but it is clear we have more to do. Some of the recent achievements have gone a long way to everyone being able to live safe, happy and healthy lives where they can be themselves without fear of discrimination. But a significant culture change is still needed to allow LGBT+ people to feel respected at every level of society.
Cllr Joe Porter, Vice Chair for Outreach-Elect for LGBT+ Conservatives, Cabinet Member for Climate Change & Biodiversity and District Councillor for Brown Edge & Endon
Picture courtesy of Joe Porter