In December 2020 the Minister for Women & Equalities announced the Government’s new focus when it comes to advancing equality in the United Kingdom.
She said they were going to move away from ‘identity politics’ and essentially ignore ‘specialist groups’.
That meant they were going to abandon what little they were going to do for us.
This was them announcing that they would begin actively ignoring us and our needs.
In March 2021 three members of the Government’s LGBT advisory panel resigned in protest of, amongst other things, the governments complete lack of interest in what the panel had to say, their total lack of action on conversion therapy and their hostility to trans equality.
In April 2021 the Government binned the entire panel.
A few days ago, in May 2021 the Minister for Women & Eqaulities admitted that one of the reasons that the panel was binned was because she disagreed with them.
She did go on to announce a new panel would be formed…
…but if one of the reasons why the old panel was binned was that she disagreed with their opinions, can you imagine the qualifying criteria to get on this new one?
She was asked directly if the Government were ditching the LGBT Action Plan that was drawn up as a result of years of lobbying and work by our community.
She dodged the question.
Before reiterating the Government’s ‘new priorities’: bringing forward a useless conversion therapy ban with a religious exemption (that will be subject to a public consultation) and hosting an LGBT conference in 2022.
This signalled that the Government were binning the LGBT Action Plan.
When asked if the pro-conversion therapy/anti-LGBT Evangelical Alliance would be involved in this LGBT conference, the Minister for Women & Equalities refused to give an answer.
How did this not set off alarm bells for everyone?
Last year the Government binned Gender Recognition Act reform. This was after a public consultation where the public overwhelmingly supported reform.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission has been stacked full of anti-LGBT board members.
Their new chair person defended transphobia in the Times just over a week ago.
The Charity Commission granted a homophobic, transphobic group charity status a month ago.
Every level of Government has shown with their actions the truth: They are anti-LGBT.
How can anyone argue otherwise?
The government has shown us, in multiple different ways, that they will no longer listen to us.
The government has shown, in multiple different ways, that they are going to abandon advancing LGBT+ equality.
The government has shown, in multiple different ways, a total disreguard and hostility towards trans people especially.
They have pulled up the drawbridge and announced they are going to do things their way and we can just go to hell.
Their way? Doing nothing whilst claiming to be doing next to nothing.
All the while, lying to the press and claiming that they are pro-LGBT+.
There are no other options left.
We must protest. Now.
If we do nothing, we are sending the message that we are lying down and accepting this.
If we do nothing now, the next Government (if that even happens) will not have any reason to repair the damage already done.
When a Government stops listening to its people, those people need to make them listen.
Why the hell aren’t we already there?
How many more ways do we need to be shut out?
How many more times do we need to be told that our needs are not worth bothering with?
We have to protest.
All of us.
And it has to be all of us. The whole LGBT+ community.
Together.
If all of this isn’t enough for you, what the fuck would be?
Just pick a time, date and place.
See you there.
