LGBT+ History Month

Thursday 12th February 2026 Commons Chamber

13:19

[Nadia Whittome (Nottingham East) (Lab)]

I beg to move,

That this House has considered LGBT+ History Month.

I thank the Backbench Business Committee for approving this debate. I am pleased that it has become a regular fixture of the calendar in the world’s gayest Parliament. I also thank my hon. Friend the Member for Jarrow and Gateshead East (Kate Osborne), who made the application with me and whose relentless work for LGBTQ+ rights inspires me every day, not least her victory at the Council of Europe, where her report on banning conversion practices passed with a resounding majority. [Hon. Members: “Hear, hear.”] I am pleased that the Government have confirmed that they will publish a draft Bill to that end, and I hope the Minister will use today as an opportunity to set out more details and timelines.

I appreciate the irony of one of the younger LGBTQ+ MPs opening a debate about LGBTQ+ history. Luckily, I respect my elders, so if any of my colleagues who lived through that history would like to intervene, correct me if I am getting it wrong and reveal how old they are, they will be more than welcome—although I am confident that even the most senior among them will not be able to recall ancient Greece, which I will mention later.

I do think, however, that it is appropriate for someone like me to open the debate, because in so many ways I am a product of LGBTQ history. The life I lead today —that I am able to be an openly queer MP, that I was taught in school about LGBTQ+ people, that I can marry my girlfriend if we so choose, that discrimination against me is banned—is because of the struggle of generation upon generation of LGBTQ+ people, from the Gay Liberation Front to those who overturned section 28, from Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners to those who set up Switchboard, and from anti-AIDS activists to the gay MPs upon whose shoulders we stand. They include Maureen Colquhoun, the first openly lesbian Member of this House, who fought tirelessly for gender equality and sex workers’ rights, and Chris Smith, who came out in 1984 at a rally against gay employees being banned from his local council. Thanks to the last Labour Government responding to the LGBTQ+ rights movement, the age of consent was equalised, section 28 was repealed, civil partnerships were granted, same-sex couples can adopt, trans people can have their gender legally recognised and the Equality Act 2010 was passed.

I feel immensely grateful to those who came before me that I did not experience many of the horrors that they did. I wish that those who are no longer with us could see us now: the record numbers who are comfortable and safe identifying as their true selves and who live better and more equal lives because of everything that they fought for.

[Florence Eshalomi (Vauxhall and Camberwell Green) (Lab/Co-op)]

I thank my hon. Friend for making such a powerful and passionate speech. She is such a fantastic advocate for the LGBT+ community, and she has highlighted the many people who have passed on. As she will know, I am one of the co-chairs of the all-party group on HIV, AIDS and sexual health, which still have a disgraceful stigma attached to them. Does she agree that, with the science and innovation theme of this year’s LGBTQ+ History Month, we should celebrate science and innovation across the HIV and AIDS sector along with this Government’s fight to ensure we are one of the first countries to end new HIV transmissions by 2030?

[Nadia Whittome]

I completely agree with my hon. Friend and I congratulate her on all her work on this since we were elected together in 2019. She is absolutely right and I commend the Government for their work in this area.

At the same time, we must acknowledge that many in our community continue to suffer, both here and around the world. I am proud to be the co-chair of the APPG on global lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT+) rights. The situation for our siblings internationally varies immensely from place to place. In 65 countries—that is a third of all states—LGBTQ+ people are still criminalised because of who they are and who they love. While we see progress in some places, in others new discriminatory laws and policies continue to be introduced.

Unfortunately, the UK is one of the places where the state of LGBTQ+ rights has been getting worse instead of better. In preparation for today, I rewatched the speech made in 2023 by, if I may, lesbian icon and my hon. Friend the Member for Wallasey (Dame Angela Eagle). I was struck by her reflection that she would scarcely have believed the progress that has been made in the three decades since she was first elected in 1992. I am devastated that I cannot say the same for my time here. During the past six years that I have been an MP, progress has not only stalled but things have gone backwards.

Last year, the UK dropped six places to 22nd in ILGA-Europe’s ranking of LGBTQ+ rights in European countries. In 2015, we were No. 1. The only other countries that suffered a similarly dramatic drop last year were Hungary, whose far-right Government banned Pride marches, and Georgia, which is implementing Russian-style anti-LGBTQ laws. ILGA-Europe has been explicit that the Supreme Court ruling and the subsequent interim guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission are the cause of our regression, as trans people in this country can no longer fully obtain legal gender recognition. Many now live in fear of being terrorised out of public life, whether through discrimination, abuse and violence from those who have been emboldened to become the gender police, or through endless legal threats forcing more and more spaces to exclude them.

We have to ask: what is the endgame here? What do people opposed to trans inclusion want trans people to do—live segregated lives that violate their privacy and dignity, and be forced back into the closet and somehow to stop existing? What about intersex people? What are they meant to do when their biological sex has always been more complicated than simply male or female? That is why I think that this month also acts as an important corrective to the lie that anti-trans activists often tell that sex is binary and that until recently gender identity was straightforward—man have penis, woman have vagina, trans people do not exist. Tell that to Roberta Cowell, the first known British trans woman to undergo gender-affirming surgery and have her birth certificate changed in 1951, or to Charley Wilson, a trans man and ship’s painter from the Victorian era, or to Eleanor Rykener, who was a trans, 14th-century embroiderer, barmaid and sex worker. Tell that, too, to intersex people who have been documented in texts from as far back as ancient Greek, Roman and Indian times, to the two-spirit people of indigenous north Americans or to the hijra in south Asia.

As countless biologists, psychologists and societies across the world will attest, both gender identity and sex have always been complex, diverse and not simply defined by the genitalia that those opposed to trans rights, along with the media, are so obsessed with discussing. It is also not the case that more trans people have just appeared out of nowhere in recent years. Trans people have always existed, trans people will always exist and we should be proud that more people finally feel able to live as their true selves, rather than hide in shame and fear with dire consequences for their mental health.

We should celebrate that, alongside the record numbers of people identifying as gay, lesbian and bisexual. Instead, a vocal minority hopes that if we make trans people’s lives as difficult as possible, if they are hounded and abused, maybe we can get back to a mythical time when they could pretend that trans people did not exist, when gay people were not in their face and when women knew their place. Let me be clear, the roll-back of rights is all linked, and efforts to narrow the definition of womanhood, police people’s gender expression and tie women to our biology are a patriarchal and homophobic wet dream. We are already seeing how the Supreme Court ruling and interim EHRC guidance are leading to women—cis as well as trans—being challenged and harassed in toilets and other single-sex spaces. Gender-critical activists have some brass neck claiming that they are advancing our rights through their actions.

I appreciate the separation of powers between the legislature and the judiciary, and that the Supreme Court had the unenviable job of attempting to interpret the will of Parliament when making its ruling. I also appreciate that this Government therefore had no hand in the decision—but they are far from powerless. The interim guidance from the EHRC went far beyond even the Supreme Court’s ruling; we must ensure that the statutory guidance does not do the same. I hope the Minister can provide an update on where they are on that and confirm that the guidance will enable organisations to be inclusive of trans people instead of mandating their exclusion.

Parliament could legislate to make clear our intention in the Equality Act. I do not believe for a second that that landmark piece of equality legislation passed by the last Labour Government, after the Gender Recognition Act 2004, intended the blanket exclusion of trans people. If the law needs to be clarified, Parliament should make that clarification. We should not be triangulating on issues of human rights. We should not allow trans people to be thrown under the bus in an attempt to appease a tiny, well-funded, radicalised minority who are not representative of women or the rest of the LGBTQ+ community. All of us in the House have a duty to all our LGBTQ+ constituents, including trans people.

Trans people are the frequent topic of debate in this House, yet they have no ability to contribute to it. We must amplify their voices, experiences and concerns, and they are demanding that we oppose their exclusion. As a queer woman, I feel a particular debt to the trans community, because they fought for the rights that I enjoy today. They were on the Pride marches, they were at the die-ins, they lobbied their MPs, and I benefited from it. What kind of person would I be to pull up the ladder when the LGBTQ+ community has always been and will always be one, in struggle and in joy? There is no LGB without the T. We rise together and we fall together, and we must not let our trans siblings’ rights be taken.

13:21

[Dame Nia Griffith (Llanelli) (Lab)]

I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Nottingham East (Nadia Whittome) not only for taking the initiative on this debate, but for making a fantastic opening speech and saying so much about our trans community that is so important. I will come back to that in a moment.

In this LGBT+ History Month debate, it is important not only to acknowledge how far we have come on LGBT+ rights, but to renew our determination to protect the progress we have made and to do more both here and abroad to enable LGBT+ people to enjoy the same opportunities that non-LGBT+ people enjoy.

I will not repeat much of the excellent speech that my hon. Friend has just made and will keep my remarks fairly brief. I welcome the fact that through amending the Crime and Policing Bill, the Government are moving ahead with making LGBT+ and disability hate crime into aggravated offences, bringing them in line with racial and religious hate crime. But changes in the law need to be supported by cultural change. Unfortunately, too often we hear of denigration, taunting and bullying of LGBT+ people, sometimes through ignorance but also, I am sorry to say, through open prejudice, even among those who we would hope knew better in our public services.

Research by the TUC into harassment, bullying and prejudice of LGBT+ people in the workplace revealed that over half of respondents, rising to 80% of trans respondents, have been subject to one of those. There should be no rolling back of equality, diversity and inclusion programmes, whether that is LGBT+ inclusive relationship education for young people in schools or in a public or private sector workplace. I am pleased that our Employment Rights Act 2025 gives formal recognition to trade union equality officers and has strengthened employer duties against harassment. That will certainly help, but we should be under no illusion that there is not still much to do. I know a lot of work has been done on the conversion practices Bill, and I appreciate that the Minister is absolutely committed to bringing it forward and ensuring that it is fully trans inclusive, but time is ticking on, and I would be grateful if she could tell us when she is likely to publish a draft Bill.

Turning to the trans community, I have met many trans people and their families this year, as I expect the Minister has, who have been deeply upset since the Supreme Court ruling last April—not just by the ruling itself, but by the way in which the ruling has been seized on by some, interpreted far more widely than the context of the Equality Act 2010 and used as a weapon against trans people. We must find a way to enable trans people to live their lives peacefully and with dignity without having to come out repeatedly in all sorts of circumstances. I ask the Minister to ensure that, however we get to the final guidance on the practical implementation of the ruling, it really does respect the rights of trans people to privacy and to living their lives in their acquired gender, and that it also offers protection to all those organisations that find themselves under attack for being trans-inclusive. We need to see guidelines that focus on inclusion and not exclusion.

Turning to the international scene, we all appreciate that there are significant financial pressures at this time, but I would like to make a specific plea to ministerial colleagues to protect the support given to LGBT rights programmes through the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s foreign aid budget. In the great scheme of things, it is not a huge amount of money, but it is nevertheless extremely important for several reasons—first and foremost, because it is not just a minority rights issue. Sadly, we see attacks on LGBT+ rights around the world used as a weapon to undermine our democracies, sowing division and dividing societies, and such attacks are often as a precursor to attacks on wider minority rights and to greater authoritarianism.

I will not repeat all the comments I made in Monday’s debate about the interference of Russia in our democracy and politics, but research by the Kaleidoscope Trust and its international partners, alongside UK Government and Equal Rights Coalition statements, has shown that hostile states, such as Russia, systematically promote anti-gender and anti-LGBTI+ narratives, which are used to polarise electorates, mobilise nationalist and populist movements, and even undermine trust in institutions, such as NATO, the EU and the UN. That is a threat to us, but it is an even greater threat in countries where democracy is more fragile.

Secondly, the UK still commands respect abroad, and strong support from the UK for programmes supporting LGBT rights sends a clear signal to other donor countries of the importance of this aid. Conversely, the cutting of UK aid for LGBT rights programmes may influence other donors negatively. Thirdly, any retreat from supporting LGBT rights is likely to embolden those who weaponise them and to exacerbate existing difficulties.

I am pleased to hear that the UK will host the IDAHOT—International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia—meeting in 2027. I ask the Minister if we could use that meeting both to improve our position in the rankings and to support LGBT rights internationally.

13:27

[Kate Osborne (Jarrow and Gateshead East) (Lab)]

It is a huge honour to co-lead this debate with my hon. Friend the Member for Nottingham East (Nadia Whittome). We share many things, not least our proud queer identities and a deep commitment to equality, so I am pleased to have worked together to mark LGBT+ History Month.

After years of progress, it feels to many of us as though we are going backwards on many of the rights that LGBTQ+ people have fought hard for and gained. Rights that were hard won are now being treated as optional. Protections that people fought for—often at great personal cost—are being chipped away, one argument, one dog whistle, one headline at a time. For our trans siblings in particular, this feels like a dark and dangerous time. That is why LGBT+ History Month matters. Our history shows us the patterns—progress, backlash, progress again—and now we face another backlash. That backlash is never without harm; it comes at significant human cost.

[Apsana Begum (Poplar and Limehouse) (Lab)]

I congratulate my hon. Friend—and my hon. Friend the Member for Nottingham East (Nadia Whittome)—on securing this debate and on the work she has done at the Council of Europe to secure the passing of that report on the trans-inclusive conversion therapy ban. That was a monumental achievement. Is she, like me, concerned about the rise of the far right across Europe and in the UK, and the threat that it poses to our constituents of LGBTQ+ backgrounds?

[Kate Osborne]

I share my hon. Friend’s concerns about the far right and others.

While we celebrate the trailblazers—the organisers, artists and campaigners; the nurses and carers who held hands in hospital wards when families would not visit; the friends who became family; the people who marched when it was dangerous; and the people who stood up when they were told to sit down—we also learn from their courage. We also remember that our history includes Pride marches and community groups, as well as trade union solidarity and working-class organising. One of the strongest lessons in our LGBT+ history is this: when working people stand together, we win change that reaches far beyond the workplace.

I declare an interest: I am a proud member of Unite the union. I take this opportunity to mention that, as well as LGBT History Month, this is Heart Unions Week. Trade unions are always at the heart of the fight for equality. They push employers to have policies on discrimination at work, and decades ago they brought about trans-inclusive policies. At a time when division is being weaponised, that lesson of solidarity is more important than ever.

In my beautiful Jarrow and Gateshead East constituency, I am proud of the work done by Out North East, particularly Drew Dalton and Peter Darrant, and their fantastic community work with youth groups and older LGBT people. Just last week, they opened new, bigger premises for the One Centre, the first LGBT media and business centre in the UK—and it is in my constituency. The location is a brand new LGBTQ+ inclusive space, and its facilities are incredible. When I visited, I was honoured and moved to realise that I was featured on the icons wall, alongside Bowie, and that there was a room named after me and another after the wonderful Lord Cashman from the other place. [Hon. Members: “Hear, hear.”]

I am proud to have led the debate at the Council of Europe, and I am pleased to say that my report on banning conversion practices passed with support from across the political spectrum and across Europe. The report contains a framework for legislation that each of the 46 countries is expected to adopt in its own Parliament. Our Government should now adopt that framework, because conversion practices do not just happen in theory; they happen to real people, in real life. They happen under the guise of “therapy”, “guidance”, “deliverance” or “counselling”. Their message is always the same: “You are broken. You are wrong. And you need to be fixed.” Well, I am here to say that I am a lesbian, and nothing about me needs to be fixed, thank you.

I am afraid that, instead of learning from the stigma and prejudice of the past, here we are marginalising, discriminating, preventing vital lifesaving healthcare and support, and excluding trans and non-binary people from sport, spaces and society. There is not a shred of doubt in my mind that future MPs, Ministers and possibly Prime Ministers will stand where we are right now to dish out the kind of apologies, compensation and retribution for the wrongs of yesterday that we see happening all too often today. Why do we not save ourselves, and, most importantly, the trans community, by stepping up for them right now, instead of capitulating to a small band of very loud and well-funded bigots? Let us not make today’s discrimination tomorrow’s inquiry, public apology and compensation scheme—that is exactly where we are heading.

Let me finish with a celebration of our history. We are here today in the gayest Parliament in the world—12% of this Chamber is LGBT—and I am delighted to be serving queer joy in Parliament for all Members to hear. To the homophobes who are still just about clinging on to their prejudices, I say: I have some queer joy for you, too. It is 2026; we are still here, we have always been here, we are out and proud, and there are more of us than ever before, so just get over it already.

I am here to reaffirm my commitment to fighting for equality. As the new chair of the APPG on fertility, I will continue to fight for IVF for all. As the chair of the APPG on women’s football, I was pleased to be at the launch of the Premier League’s new “With Pride” campaign. It is great to see the rainbow flag flying across every football ground in the premier league. Football is a great unifier, and the north-east is renowned for being a hotbed of football. Perhaps that is why I loved it so much when I moved there back in 1989, and why I have never left. Football transcends borders and brings together people from diverse backgrounds. It is for everyone, so my message to the Football Association is this: let the dolls play football!

I thank the Minister for her support, for the many productive conversations that we have had, and for her work to introduce a ban on conversion practices and make LGBT hate crime an aggravated offence.

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Ms Nusrat Ghani)]

I call the Chair of the Women and Equalities Committee.

13:35

[Sarah Owen (Luton North) (Lab)]

It is a real honour to follow my hon. Friend the Member for Jarrow and Gateshead East (Kate Osborne). I reiterate my congratulations on her fine work on the report on banning conversion therapy in Europe. That is greatly needed, and I hope that the Government will soon follow suit.

I thank my hon. Friends the Members for Nottingham East (Nadia Whittome) and for Llanelli (Dame Nia Griffith), who are both brilliant members of the Women and Equalities Committee, for their speeches. I note that other members of the Committee are here, too. My hon. Friends called out queer icons, but let me say that they are my icons. Not only do they serve the LGBT community, but they serve our movement—thank you.

Today, we are learning about history and how to learn the lessons of the past, so I am deeply disappointed that there are not more Opposition Members here. I am not surprised that Reform Members are not here—they are unwilling to learn, come together or bring people together—but I am surprised that there are no Green, Lib Dem or SNP Members. I have to say, I am pleased that the hon. Member for Bridlington and The Wolds (Charlie Dewhirst), who was sitting next to the shadow Minister, has left his place. He did not listen with respect to the brilliant opening speech by my hon. Friend the Member for Nottingham East. Instead, he rolled his eyes. I feel that, although we try to bring everybody together—

[Madam Deputy Speaker]

Order. The hon. Member possibly remembers and knows that when we refer to other Members of the House, we let them know in advance. Has she had time to do that?

[Sarah Owen]

I shall be doing so. I had expected the hon. Member to stay and perhaps learn from the subsequent speeches. Perhaps he could come back and learn a bit more.

In every year that I have spoken in this debate, it seems that the LGBTQ+ community has had a tougher year than the one before. That is sadly as true today as it was last year. The mainstream has moved dangerously further right, to focus not on what brings people together but on what tears people apart. That is not leadership. The politics of the right is one of fear—it is cowardly. True strength is shown in the ability to learn, understand and lead people to a better future. Progress is not inevitable; we will have to fight for it. I say to the LGBTQ+ community: “You are not alone in that fight.”

I would understand why many people feel alone right now, however. Between March 2024 and March 2025, more than 18,000 hate crimes were motivated by sexual orientation alone, and there were more than 3,000 trans-related hate crimes. Although 2024 saw a slight dip in reported hate crimes, there has still been a 44% increase over the past five years, and horrifyingly, there has been an 88% increase in hate crimes against trans people in that time.

Those horrifying statistics make it clear that some elements of the public are taking their lead from the current political discourse. Reform’s candidate in Gorton and Denton wants tax cuts for people who have children, which is deeply offensive to not only people like me, who have struggled to have a child, but to many LGBTQ+ people as well. We know that Reform ultimately does not want LGBT people to have children. Reform’s leader has gone on record with his belief that children are better off brought up in heterosexual households, rather than just with parents who love them. They are not hiding how they feel; they are saying it with their full chest, and they are reaping the benefits of a culture war where everyone is a casualty apart from them—a culture war that none of us sees an end to without serious leadership.

We know that when they are done with trans people, they will go after the LGB part of the community, and I wonder how long it will be before Reform and some elements of the Conservative party call for an end to same-sex couples being allowed to adopt. What was unthinkable years ago is not just being muttered quietly under their breath any more; it is now a full-throated attack under the cynical guise of “safety”—all a smoke- screen for the abuse and real danger that women and children face.

I wish I could say that this toxicity only exists in the right-wing parties, but sadly not. I cannot express how disappointed I was when my own party took the decision to exclude trans women members from our women’s conference. It has led me to my decision, which is, sadly, not to attend women’s conference for the first time in a very long time. It used to be one of my favourite parts of the conference season—a place for inclusivity and sensible discussion; I have even chaired some of the debates, which are so memorable in my mind—but if all women cannot go, neither will I. I have attended every party conference and many trade union conferences for nearly 20 years—yes, I am that old—and my safety was never put at risk from trans women, trans men or the LGBTQ+ community, but it was by cis men with power. These men are unaccountable to anyone—something that many are slowly cottoning on to in this place and others.

Accountability is incredibly important—it matters—so where is it? Where is it for the people who consistently trade off one person’s rights for another’s, only to serve their own agenda? Does the Minister believe the Equality and Human Rights Commission is up to the challenge of this ever more toxic environment? Is it resourced properly? I hope it is, because we need a defender of all our rights. Otherwise, as we watch America tear itself apart, I fear we are just one sneeze away from catching the disease of state-sanctioned hatred that sees leaders openly attack gay people, disabled people and ethnic minority people. We can do so much better than that.

There are many questions for the Minister, but I want to pose one that has already been raised: when will we see the ban on conversion therapy? As many young trans people wait for the puberty blocker trials to go ahead, what support is being given to them and their families in this time of uncertainty? I know our Labour Government are so much better than what we are seeing overseas right now, and I know the British public are so much better than to want what they are seeing overseas right now, but I also know that we can do better. Our country is not just tolerant but at its best when we celebrate difference, learn from one another and come together to celebrate the brilliant country we are. That is the country I want back.

11:39

[Uma Kumaran (Stratford and Bow) (Lab)]

It is a pleasure to follow my hon. Friend the Member for Luton North (Sarah Owen), who gave an incredibly powerful speech. I also thank my hon. Friend the Member for Nottingham East (Nadia Whittome) for her incredibly powerful opening remarks and for securing this debate. She is a proud, queer British south Asian who is a role model to so many, and that representation really does matter. I also want to say how proud I am that my hon. Friend the Member for Reading West and Mid Berkshire (Olivia Bailey) is at the Dispatch Box. We were friends long before we were elected to this place, and to see her here, responding to the debate, is quite a moment.

Happy LGBT+ History Month, Madam Deputy Speaker. I am here as a proud friend and ally. Stratford and Bow has a very proud history of queer resistance. It was home to the Tower Hamlets Lesbian and Gay Campaign Group when Thatcher’s Government introduced section 28. When they tried to silence and erase an entire community, the campaign group fought back with defiance, holding meetings at Bromley public hall to spread awareness and solidarity. While libraries across the country stopped stocking queer literature, Tower Hamlets defied this ban, even producing a gay and lesbian book list for their libraries. The campaign group also published Out East community magazine, spreading word far and wide. In Stratford, East London Gay Community was a thriving social group. It operated a telephone hotline every Tuesday night, taking up to 15,000 calls a year at its peak, offering help and support for gay people in east London and beyond for decades. Instead of shame, it offered solidarity, acceptance and care.

These stories are not just history; they are a legacy that has profoundly shaped our communities in east London and throughout London. We are still home to queer celebration and resistance, whether it is being the home of UK Black Pride at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park; Forest Gayte Pride, who defied hatred when people defaced our local flags; Out To Swim, who meet at the aquatics centre to support local LGBT+ people participating in sports; or amazing initiatives like Positive East and Newham LGBT Seniors, who meet at Stratford library. Everyone is welcome in Stratford and Bow, and we celebrate our history and heritage.

But as we celebrate LGBT+ History Month and look back on how far we have come, we cannot risk forgetting the lessons of that history. Those lessons are rarely convenient, and the risks of backsliding are ever present, as we have heard today. As I mentioned briefly, we have had our own issues in Forest Gate. We sadly saw hatred come to our community when our rainbow crossing—our Pride flag—was shamefully defaced multiple times. It reminded us that we cannot assume or take for granted the progress that we have made. This awful act was a hate crime and an attack on our local queer community, and it was not just the LGBT+ community in Forest Gate but everyone—all our neighbours—who were affronted that it had happened. We now have rainbow wraps adorning our street lamps. When we unveiled them, the community stood together to share a defiant message: hate will not win here. LGBT identities will never be erased, and certainly not on my watch as their MP.

As I said, we cannot risk complacency. Progress is hard fought and hard won. In the months since the Supreme Court ruling on the Equality Act, hundreds of my constituents have written to me to share their experiences, their fears and the deep impact that the interim guidance issued by the EHRC is having on their daily lives. The lack of clarity also has an impact on organisations across the country and on trans people, who increasingly find themselves excluded from this discussion. Just as we demand that women’s voices are heard and respected, so too must we listen to trans women’s voices, who find themselves subject to mockery and abuse as those on the far right stoke culture wars. These are real people and real lives.

Last year I wrote to the Minister for Women and Equalities to make the views of my constituents clear: we must ensure that the Supreme Court ruling does not leave anyone facing yet more barriers to living a full, happy and dignified life, free of discrimination and harassment. I shared stories from my constituents. One, who transitioned over 25 years ago, told me that the place where they have worked for 13 years now has segregated toilets. They are terrified that they will now have to disclose their trans identity to their colleagues, infringing their right to privacy and risking their safety and inclusion at work.

This is not an abstract discussion; it is about the real lives of real people living in every one of our communities. They deserve dignity and freedom to live as they have been living, in many cases for decades, without issue. That is why we must see the new EHRC guidance come forward as soon as possible. We cannot risk backsliding by allowing this judgment to license discrimination or undermine the norms of trans inclusion. It cannot signal a move away from LGBT liberation after decades of progress. We often hear that Pride is a protest, but Pride is also a movement rooted in resistance, in defying silence and in refusing shame. We have come so far, but it bears repeating that the lessons of history are clear: progress was hard won and it must be defended.

This LGBT+ History Month is not just about struggle; it is about joy and the celebration of queer identity, and I am here as a proud ally to celebrate this. It is what the Tower Hamlets Gay and Lesbian Campaign Group and the East London Gay Collective stood for, and it is a legacy that we must all carry forward—in particular at this moment for our trans friends and neighbours. As we celebrate LGBT+ History Month and look back on how far we have come, let us remember that progress is never inevitable. It demands resolve and allyship, including from each and every one of us in this place.

13:50

[Martin Rhodes (Glasgow North) (Lab)]

I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Nottingham East (Nadia Whittome) for her introduction to the debate.

According to data compiled by the House of Commons Library, over 10% of the population of my Glasgow North constituency identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual—one of the highest proportions in the country—and over 1% identify as transgender, which is also well above the national average. The data illustrate a wider story of a growing number of people feeling confident to live their lives openly as their true selves. At the same time, there are those who feel unable to do so, and those who feel that they can only be open about themselves in some circumstances but not in others.

The recent history of LGBT+ rights has seen a growing confidence shaping and being shaped by legislative change and by cultural-societal change: cultural-societal change influencing legislative change; and, in turn, legislative change influencing cultural-societal change. Progress has been made in recent decades, but for many that progress now feels less secure than ever.

LGBT+ History Month gives us an opportunity to reflect on this history: a history of prejudice and of progress; a history of shame and of pride; a history marked by hatred and by love. Too many personal histories have never fully been told, too many talents never fully celebrated, and too many denied the opportunities to live their lives fully. There are also those who, despite challenges and barriers, hatred and discrimination, have lived their lives as fully as they could, enhancing the lives of many and still remembered today.

Constituencies like mine, in large cities, have so often been a magnet for LGBT+ people, who see the big city as perhaps more liberal or more anonymous: the smalltown boy phenomenon, put into anthemic form by Bronski Beat in the ’80s. For many, big cities like Glasgow have been a lifeline and have become their space, but for too many others, the dazzle of the bright lights hid dark places.

The draw of the big city has been around for many decades. In 1933, two working-class Scots, Robert Colquhoun and Robert MacBryde, often referred to as “the Two Roberts”, arrived at the Glasgow School of Art from Ayrshire. They went on to become renowned artists and shared a lifelong romantic relationship at a time when gay relationships were illegal. There are histories of LGBT+ artists, writers and musicians, but there are histories too—not recorded and not told—of LGBT+ shop assistants, delivery drivers and joiners. These histories need to be written and told.

As we recall and retell LGBT+ history this month, we celebrate progress but also recognise the difficult times. I was a teenager and became an adult in the 1980s, when the world was faced with what is now referred to as the AIDS crisis. At the time, I recall the newspaper headlines referring to “the gay plague”. I still remember clearly reading a news story about how schools were cancelling swimming lessons at a local authority swimming pool because gay men had been swimming there. I also remember a story about a café owner who reassured his customers by telling them not to worry, as he had smashed and got rid of the crockery and cutlery used by a gay customer and deep cleaned the café. There was a clear popular narrative that gay equals illness equals death. Even by 1996, when the film “Beautiful Thing” was released, it was still possible to shock by having a mainstream film with gay characters who end the film alive, well and happy.

LGBT+ History Month is an opportunity to recall history, to celebrate and to pay respects. It is also an opportunity in this place to reflect on how legislative change has not just been the result of cultural-societal change, but also how legislative change can be a tool to drive cultural-societal change. It is an opportunity for us in this place to reflect on that and to acknowledge the importance of the leadership that can be taken through legislative change. Ultimately, it is a call for us to act.

History moves on. It is our job to make the next legislative change. I look forward to hearing from the Minister about the progress that is being made to bring forward comprehensive and inclusive legislation to ban conversion practices outright. We need to bring forward that legislation, quite rightly, in response to calls for it, but also because it is our duty in this place not just to respond but also to lead progressively. It is for us to take action and to legislate to reflect the changes in society, but it also our duty to use the powers that we have to change society for the better. In this LGBT+ History Month, let us remember the history that has brought us to where we are, but also remember our responsibility to help shape the history that is still to be written.

13:55

[Rachel Blake (Cities of London and Westminster) (Lab/Co-op)]

I thank my hon. Friends the Members for Nottingham East (Nadia Whittome) and for Jarrow and Gateshead East (Kate Osborne) for securing the debate and for their powerful remarks. I also pay tribute to my hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow North (Martin Rhodes) for his powerful speech calling for the change that we need. He reminded us of the horrors of the 1980s and the way that the LGBT community was represented at that time. I remember that really clearly, and I think it will take us a long time to recover from the horror put into young people at the time and the damage done over decades.

I am here as a proud friend and ally to the LGBT community, and to talk about what LGBT+ History Month means for my constituency and my constituents. The purpose of the month is to celebrate, reflect, learn, and plan what we need to do to secure rights going into the future. I am grateful to hon. Members for talking about struggle and about joy. I want to talk about the joy that I know takes place in my community and my constituency every day, and some of the struggles that we face.

I am so proud to represent a constituency with such historic ties to the LGBT community. It is home to London Pride, G-A-Y, the City of Quebec—the oldest LGBT venue, we think; I invite any historians in the Chamber to challenge me on that—and She Soho, and has been home to historic figures including Oscar Wilde, Alan Turing and Vita Sackville-West. I have had the joy of representing and talking to my constituents in the Westminster LGBT+ Forum, and I want to give a shout-out to that forum for the kindness that I have experienced—I have worked with Professor Pippa Catterall, its chair—as well as to Pride in the Square Mile. I also want to celebrate the Bishopsgate Institute and its incredible archive of LGBT history. If anyone has time over recess, I strongly recommend a visit; everyone here would be welcomed. We are incredibly proud, too, to host 56 Dean Street, an inspiring sexual health service based in Soho that has a pioneering approach to securing excellent sexual health services.

It has been truly inspiring to hear about the progress that has been made over the years; support for gay marriage has gone up from 54% in 2010 to 78% in 2023. We have also heard this afternoon of incredible stories of sacrifice. It is less than 30 years since the horrendous attack at the Admiral Duncan pub. Many of us will remember that week and what it felt like to live in a city where people could be attacked—where people could be murdered—for who they were. I pay tribute to the National Hate Crime Awareness Week team, who are friends of people who lost their lives in the Admiral Duncan attack, to the Rev. Simon Buckley and to Councillor Patrick Lilley—the Westminster LGBT champion and lead member for Soho—for the work that they do at the annual remembrance event for the victims of the Admiral Duncan attack. I do not think there has ever been singing in the Chamber, but I cannot articulate how powerful it is to listen to the Pink Singers sing “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” at that annual remembrance service. All Members are welcome to join me there to show respect and celebrate the joy, but also to remember the terrible struggles that people have lived through.

Six months ago, a homophobic group marched through the very centre of Soho, attacking people for who they are and chanting hate. That is still very live for us.

We are also now facing an attack on trans rights. My constituents, like those of many other Members here, have contacted me in deep pain about what they are experiencing in the horrific culture war that we are living through—that many of us are fighting to get through. We cannot allow the current level of attack on trans people to continue, and we cannot allow the interim guidance to stop people living their life as who they are.

We in this Chamber are united in wanting to rally towards a position where people can live freely as who they are. We all deserve dignity in struggle. We all deserve dignity in love. We all deserve dignity in joy.

14:01

[Rachel Taylor (North Warwickshire and Bedworth) (Lab)]

I am so proud and pleased to be taking part in this debate. I pay tribute to my hon. Friend the Member for Nottingham East (Nadia Whittome). She may be young, but she is a fearless, knowledgeable and compassionate champion of our movement. I also pay tribute to all my other wonderful colleagues, both those from my community and the proud allies, who have spoken in this debate. I was particularly moved by my hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow North (Martin Rhodes), who shared stories that vividly brought back to me what it was like living through the 1980s. I thank him for that.

LGBT history in this country is shaped by courage, service, resilience and, far too often, injustice. The history of discrimination against LGBT people runs through our armed forces, our healthcare system, our laws, the way that our courts treated lesbian mums, and our communities. It is a history that reminds us that progress is not inevitable and that if equality is not defended, the progress we have fought for can be destroyed far too easily.

I attended my first Pride in 1986, not long after the great work of Mark Ashton and Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners. It was a celebration of how far we had come and a protest that we still faced injustice. I never could have predicted that section 28 would be introduced just two years later. That year, I attended Pride alongside angry and distraught friends.

Section 28 was an attack on the right of people like me to live openly. It stigmatised lesbian, gay and bisexual people. In just two years, the progress that I had seen as a student had been ripped away from us. That is a reminder that equality is an ongoing battle. Today, I see the same people who supported section 28 trying to row back on rights for trans people. That is why LGBT+ History Month matters, because it reminds us that progress cannot be taken for granted.

This LGBT+ History Month, I want to remember all the LGBT soldiers and veterans who have served the United Kingdom. Even when the armed forces rejected them, they proudly served our country. Many had their careers ended, their ranks stripped and their sacrifices and service erased simply because of who they were and who they loved. That treatment was a moral stain on our nation.

As a Labour MP, I am proud that it was a Labour Government who lifted the ban on LGBT people serving in the military. We can never undo the harm that was done to veterans, but we can take responsibility for it. That is why it is important to implement the recommendations of the Etherton review so that LGBT veterans get compensation, have their ranks restored and have their records corrected. Only by implementing those recommendations will we restore dignity, pride and historical truth.

It was truly an honour to see the King unveil the memorial to LGBT military personnel at the National Memorial Arboretum, which is not far from my constituency. I spent a wonderful day on Boxing day with my partner, Dawn, visiting and thinking at that memorial.

Turning to the present, in the coming weeks, the amendment to hate crime laws, which I called for in the House last year, will be brought forward in the House of Lords. I worked with my hon. Friends the Members for Penistone and Stocksbridge (Dr Tidball) and for Burton and Uttoxeter (Jacob Collier), and over 100 other MPs, to equalise the law on hate crime. It will make all hate crimes aggravated offences so that disabled and LGBT people receive the same support as victims of other hate crimes and have the same time to report those distressing, vile, degrading and often violent crimes. That will mean that their experiences are treated with the same severity as those of people suffering hate crimes because of their race or religion. That was a manifesto promise from the Labour party, and I am proud to be part of a Government who are delivering on that promise and who turn up on these Benches when these issues are debated and LGBT history is celebrated.

LGBT+ History Month is not just about the past; it is about highlighting how discrimination persists today. Homophobia and transphobia still destroy lives. I was pleased to welcome the Premier League With Pride launch this week, which uses the power of sport to promote inclusion and respect. Hopefully, in the not-too-distant future, we may see premier league players coming out as gay and being supported.

LGBT people have long faced barriers to healthcare, from the stigma faced by gay men during the AIDS crisis to lesbians being denied help with painful periods and reproductive health problems and trans people trying to navigate a system that often meets them with suspicion instead of care. History teaches us that inaction is not neutral; it only allows harm to continue. That is why I welcome the steps that this Labour Government are taking to improve LGBT people’s access to healthcare. The HIV action plan is groundbreaking and will support the goal of ending new transmissions by 2030. I applaud the excellent work done by the Terrence Higgins Trust. Thousands of people will benefit from improved HIV testing and treatment. That is the change that a Labour Government can make.

I have one final point to make: we must be bolder when it comes to standing up for the rights of trans people. Culture wars have polluted online social media platforms with vitriolic hatred towards trans people, who make up less than 1% of the population. When I speak with them, I hear the same story: all they want is access to the healthcare that they need and to live their life without fear of discrimination. The parents of trans children who come to see me in my surgery want the same thing. At the same time, we see a minority, who claim to represent the views of women, calling for trans people to have their rights eroded.

I believe that we can stand side by side. I know that most people want to live and let live. Now more than ever, the LGBT community and our wonderful allies must continue to stand against all homophobia and transphobia. We must learn from our history, so that we never allow our progress to be taken from us. We are proud of our history, we are proud of who we are, we are proud of who we love, and we are never going underground.

14:08

[Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Clapham and Brixton Hill) (Lab)]

I start by congratulating my faves, my formidable hon. Friends the Members for Nottingham East (Nadia Whittome) and for Jarrow and Gateshead East (Kate Osborne), on securing this vital debate and on their brilliant speeches. I know that this debate means a lot to members of the LGBT+ community in my constituency and across the UK.

I am pleased to hear the reflections on and recognition of the incredible achievements of LGBT+ people throughout history, and about the remarkable fight for equality and an end to discrimination. Sadly, we all know that that fight is not yet over and there is still a substantial way to go before LGBT+ people are free to live and love without prejudice.

I also congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Jarrow and Gateshead East on her victory at the Council of Europe in passing the report on banning conversion therapy, because one step to end discrimination that the previous Government—and, so far, this Government—have failed to take is the introduction of a complete trans-inclusive ban on LGBT+ conversion therapy, a vile practice better described as a form of torture of LGBT+ people. We said:

“So-called conversion therapy is abuse—there is no other word for it—so Labour will finally deliver a full trans-inclusive ban on conversion practices, while protecting the freedom for people to explore their sexual orientation and gender identity.”

I was pleased to take those words in our 2024 manifesto to the electorate, and I was proud to hear the promise reiterated in the King’s Speech, yet almost two years on, we are still awaiting the draft conversion practices Bill.

For every day that the legislation is delayed, LGBT+ people are subjected to medical, psychiatric, psychological, religious and cultural and other abusive interventions that seek to change, “cure” or suppress their sexual orientation and/or gender identity. A person’s sexual orientation or gender identity is not something that needs to be cured, nor should it be suppressed. There is nothing wrong with being lesbian, gay, bi, trans or queer, or identifying in any other way that comes under the LGBT+ umbrella. It seems like we are taking steps back on equality when we have to state that in 2026, but it is necessary because conversion practices have not been banned in their entirety, and those undertaking them seek to say otherwise. They seek to tell LGBT+ people that their identity is wrong when that is simply untrue.

It is not uncommon for individuals to question or explore their sexual orientation or gender identity and seek guidance and support from their friends, family or even religious leaders, but it has always irked me when people attempt to use faith in these arguments, especially when I think of Jesus’s final commandment: quite simply, to love one another. I have never understood how you can love someone while at the same time discriminating against them.

Conversion therapy is not supportive, not affirming and not therapeutic. It is a one-directional practice that seeks to force LGBT+ people to change their sexual orientation or gender identity through pseudoscientific counselling sessions, threats, corrective rape, being prayed over as a form of “healing”, and even exorcisms. These practices do nothing to make a person straight or cisgender; in fact, all they do is cause immense psychological and physical harm. For every day that the legislation is delayed, these vile conversion practices continue, and LGBT+ people are at risk of having them offered to them or forced on them.

The previous Government promised to bring in a ban, but they delayed and U-turned and, ultimately, failed to introduce one. I am sure it is not a spoiler to say that I am sure the Government will deliver on their manifesto commitment, and I look forward to the Minister’s response to the debate, particularly because I know that she has long campaigned on these issues, but the urgent question that I would like her to answer is: when?

14:12

[Tom Hayes (Bournemouth East) (Lab)]

It is a pleasure to speak in a debate that was opened with such excellent speeches by my hon. Friends the Members for Nottingham East (Nadia Whittome) and for Jarrow and Gateshead East (Kate Osborne).

It is also an honour to speak having listened to my hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow North (Martin Rhodes), whose mention of “Beautiful Thing” got me thinking about the different ways that queer culture has been depicted in our culture. He reminded me of a social media post a few weeks ago by the TV critic Scott Bryan, who said that over his lifetime, LGBT+ and queer storylines have gone from

“being a rarity or…too controversial”

decades ago, to being in soaps, where they were often depicted as a moral outrage,

“to being occasionally mentioned but never explored (aka the gay best friend)”.

In other words, LBGT+ characters were presented but their storylines were never developed. Later, there would be some exploration, but typically there would be a tragic ending and the character would die. Later still, a gay or LGBT+ character might be explored, but only after the watershed, and really only to be embraced by an LGBT+ audience. In more recent years, we have seen the creation of queer shows, which may be targeted at younger people to tell them that everything is going to be okay, or, as we saw with “Heated Rivalry”, something altogether different—I think I will leave my description at that.

In thinking about that, I realised that what we are talking about are largely lesbian and gay TV shows, not trans TV shows. In turn, that made me realise that, although Pride is primarily of, by and for the people who dance under the same rainbow, it is also about liberation for everyone from prejudice. Really, we can only open our eyes to a safe and more compassionate society if we listen to trans people and protect them.

I want to reflect what some of my constituents who are trans have said to me. They have told me that they believe that too often their identities, their rights and the care that they receive are separated completely from what they need, and politicians do not listen to what they have to say. We do not realise that, although we talk in debates about the difficulties that trans people face, the predominant narrative is not universally true. It is not the case that all trans people are constantly suffering, depressed or impoverished. Susannah, who lives in my constituency, said:

“I am a very happy person leading an ordinary, productive and caring life. I am loved by my family, loved by friends. Trans people are doctors, accountants, crafts people, nurses, teachers, pilots, shopkeepers, carers… we are good and decent people spread across the country, leading productive lives.”

When we tell stories like my constituent’s, we are telling stories about real people and real families, and we are talking about the harms and the opportunities that society chooses to prevent or permit. In telling these stories, I also want to pay tribute to the parents of trans children; when society at large seems to have it out for their kid, that often takes a toll on them. They have fierce, unwavering love, but often that is ignored and their concerns go disregarded. I want them to know that I am listening to their views, just as I am listening to the views of their trans children.

That is particularly important because, although we do not choose our sexual orientation or gender identity, being openly gay or trans very much is a choice. I could no more be straight than a trans person could make themselves cisgender. The alternative is to stay in the closet and feel shame wash over you—a shame that can lead to anxiety, depression and sometimes even suicide. Being gay or trans is about choosing yourself—that is the choice. When our opponents try to make the cost of choosing yourself too severe to bear, when they try to make transgender people cisgender by denying them care or surgery, when they say that they seek to spare young people from medical care or surgery, they are effectively implying, although they do not say it, that people can be cured of being transgender—that all it takes to convert them is the denial of gender-affirming medical care or surgery.

That is important to dwell on given that Parliament will—very soon, I think—be considering a ban on conversion practices. We can ban the practices, but we have to realise that the rhetoric itself can be used to attempt to convert. Opponents do not care at all about the danger involved in forcing a transgender person to be cisgender, and they do not care that it will not work. Just as they would not see that forcing a gay person to be straight is dangerous and will not work, so they do not realise it about transgender people.

I choose to support trans young people in making their own decisions about transition, from early and more reversible options such as changing a name or pronouns, or starting puberty blockers, to less reversible options such as surgery, which usually come later. I choose to support trans youth in deciding their own identity and future, because it is wrong to force them to identify with the sex they were assigned at birth.

In fact, all of us here would choose to support anyone and everyone, in deciding their identity, to choose themselves, whatever that means and whatever it may be. When politicians in this place, on issues affecting trans people, divide us with rhetoric that inflames, unconcerned by whether the things they say can be backed up by evidence, they are pursuing a politics based on scapegoating, not science. Those who say that this move can be contained to trans people should know this: trans people can never be sidelined or sacrificed, because every human is entitled to dignity and respect. That comes through in the words of my constituent Antonia, who says:

“As a trans woman all I want is to receive the same health care, freedom and be able to live my life the same as everyone else. We work, pay bills, go shopping, watch TV and have friends. We’re not a cult or a freak show.”

In the words of Mich,

“The phobia whipped-up towards the trans and gender non-conforming is so disproportionate to the small numbers of us and how unthreatening we are — we’re just trying to live our lives”.

On its own terms, the argument falls apart. When trans people are attacked, it is not just harmful to trans people; it is about attacking trans people today, potentially with a view to attacking other minorities tomorrow. History warns us what happens when the way is paved and the bar is lowered for all minorities to be attacked. Too many of us who are not trans or gay simply are not free in our society and our country to choose themselves in their everyday life, and that is a problem.

We must all support trans young people. When we do not, it continues a problem that we have in our society of ignoring young people full stop. Whether it is about sexual orientation, gender or something else entirely, younger people go unlistened to. When that happens, it has a hugely negative impact on them. We should all choose to support trans and gay young people, but we should especially choose to support children and young people.

If we listened to many young trans people and enabled them to choose, we would listen to what they have to say about puberty blockers. Puberty blockers are reversible, but puberty is not. Puberty blockers can stop the harms of an unwanted, irreversible puberty, as children watch their bodies change in ways that might be difficult or impossible to undo later. That is why it matters that young people do not miss the window in which blockers can prevent the irreversible physical changes of puberty while simultaneously extending the diagnostic period. In other words, blockers are a way to buy time and enable young people to have the choice and freedoms to explore their identity without the added stress of pubertal changes. With blockers, children report feeling less anxious and more comfortable with themselves. Liberated from the constant dread of puberty, they can bring their focus back to the things that matter in childhood and everyday life—learning, socialising and simply being kids. We know that pubertal suppression can help the mental health of trans children.

I said that we need to think about the science; at least eight recent studies have linked pubertal suppression to improved mental health, including a UK study that found improvements in overall psychological functioning. Those who oppose or query what I say should look at Rosalia Costa’s piece in the Journal of Sexual Medicine from 2015. Similarly, a study by a Harvard medical school research group found that adolescents who received puberty blockers had lower odds of experiencing suicidal ideation later in life compared with those who desired blockers but were unable to access them. There was an article by Jack Turban in Pediatrics in 2020 that is comprehensive on that point.

This goes to the point that we need all policy decisions to be led by the clinical evidence, but we also need to be clear-minded about what that means. In clinical medicine, it can never be known for sure what an outcome will be for patients. Medicine is always a field of probabilities, not certainties, and that will be true of puberty blockers. It is because they are so hotly politicised that we have to be careful to hold puberty blockers to the same standards as all other medication; we cannot allow the debate to fixate only on the risks and unknowns from medications that are emotionally charged and heavily politicised in our country. We need to do that, because gender dysphoria is real. It can show up in serious ways, including eating disorder symptoms and other mental health struggles. When we allow younger people and children to experience those harms, we are doing them and our society a disservice.

I hope that all politicians in this place will be led by the science and by compassion. I hope that with this Labour Government, we will see not just the conversion practices ban come forward in the time before the next King’s Speech, but, over the course of the first term of this Labour Government, a movement towards a trans persons’ civil rights Act.

14:19

[Steve Race (Exeter) (Lab)]

I thank my indefatigable hon. Friends the Members for Nottingham East (Nadia Whittome) and for Jarrow and Gateshead East (Kate Osborne) for leading this debate so well.

Let me start by celebrating how far we have come. I was 14 when Labour came to power in 1997, and I already knew that I was gay. From 1997 onwards, I recognised that politics had a direct impact on my life. The John Major Government had already lowered but not equalised the age of consent in 1994, but it took a Labour Government to lift the ban on lesbian, gay and bisexual people serving in the military in 2000; to equalise the age of consent in 2001; to repeal section 28 in 2003; to pass the Civil Partnership Act 2004 and the Gender Recognition Act 2004; to equalise adoption rights for same-sex couples in 2005; and to pass the Equality Act 2010.

The 1997 election saw out gay politicians elected for the first time, including my predecessor as the MP for Exeter, Sir Ben Bradshaw, who was the second elected, by around an hour, after the former Member for Enfield Southgate. He faced the most appalling homophobic campaign in Exeter, but the people of Exeter saw through that and soundly elected him to be their MP. A corner was truly turned for our community in British society.

Although all the legislative changes come from this place, we must always remember that it is activists, campaigners and ordinary people—LGBTQ people and their families, friends and allies—who have always had to make the case for equal rights from the outside in. As with many other communities, it is my job in this place to listen and act to ensure that we continue on the path of equality.

In Exeter and across the south-west, that community network still thrives. The Intercom Trust is a south-west LGBT+ charity that last year served more than 4,000 service users from Exeter, Plymouth and Truro offices, providing a free phone helpline, one-to-one support and advocacy, a domestic abuse and sexual violence support service, hate crime support, school groups, counselling and much more.

The first Exeter Pride event was held only in 2008, during LGBT History Month. The founders, Alan Quick and Michael Hall, hosted the event at the central library—another very good case for why libraries are so important in our communities—featuring art displays, games for children, panel discussions and stalls. Alan still plays a vital role in the life of our city, not only by publishing newspapers, but as a trustee of Inclusive Exeter. Indeed, I saw him just last Sunday, at our fantastic Hongkonger community celebration of the lunar new year.

However, we know that while progress has been rapid in the UK, it is not all one way. As my hon. Friend the Member for Luton North (Sarah Owen) referenced, hate crimes based on sexual orientation are up by 44% in the last five years. If we add trans people, the statistics are worse—an 88% rise in hate crimes. The leader of Reform, the hon. Member for Clacton (Nigel Farage), has stated that he did not support equal marriage at the time; he declared it a “wrong” thing to have done and to have been brought in.

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Judith Cummins)]

Order. I assume that the hon. Gentleman has informed the hon. Member for Clacton (Nigel Farage) that he was going to mention him.

[Steve Race]

I absolutely did, Madam Deputy Speaker; I sent the hon. Gentleman an email before this debate.

In the wake of the Supreme Court judgment and a relentless campaign waged against trans people in some quarters, with funding from outside this country flooding in to stoke division, it has never been more important for people like me in positions like mine to say: I see trans people, and I recognise your contribution in all areas of our society. Trans people have always existed and will continue to exist, and I will do everything that I can to stand with you to ensure that you can live your lives as equal citizens in our country.

That is why I am proud to be a Labour MP. While the political consensus fragments in some quarters, in this place and beyond, in the pursuit of headlines and knee-jerk politics, I know that this Government continue to stand on the side of equality and fairness. We will soon see draft legislation on a trans-inclusive ban on conversion therapy, thanks to the work of the Minister. My hon. Friend the Member for North Warwickshire and Bedworth (Rachel Taylor) has ensured that we will legislate to make crimes motivated by prejudice against people because they are LGBT, because they have a disability or because of their gender identity, an aggravated hate crime.

We are improving the experience of LGBT+ personnel and veterans in the armed forces and delivering financial recognition to LGBT veterans as per the Etherton review. We are tackling HIV transmissions to meet our target of no new HIV transmissions by 2030. We are improving access to healthcare and providing nearly £500,000-worth of specialist funding for LGBT+-focused domestic violence services. We will continue to reject the politics of division and hate, and we will build on Labour’s long history of fighting for equality.

However, we must look at the international situation. I thank the Elton John AIDS Foundation and Kaleidoscope for their work and support in this area. Since 1983, 84 countries have decriminalised consensual same-sex relations, and 65 have recognised marriage equality. Countries across Asia have legalised same-sex marriage, including Taiwan in 2019, Nepal in 2023 and Thailand in 2025, and same-sex relations have been decriminalised in Africa by Botswana in 2019, Mauritius in 2023 and Namibia in 2024. New Zealand became the first country to recognise non-binary gender markers on passports, and India, Pakistan and Bangladesh recognise hijra, or third-gender individuals. Globally, we have also seen positive trends in adoption rights and legal gender recognition. In 2016, after sustained campaigning by activists worldwide, the UN voted to create a mandate for the independent expert on sexual orientation and gender identity, which was a landmark moment in international human rights protection.

However, 65 nations, which is nearly a third, still classify LGBTQ+ people as criminals, and homosexuality is punishable by death in 12 countries. In the last two years alone, several countries have passed harsh new laws targeting LGBT+ people. In 2024, Georgia banned gender transitions, legal gender recognition, Pride events and LGBTQ+ symbols. For the first time, Mali criminalised homosexuality with a punishment of up to seven years in prison in 2024. In the United States, over 500 anti-LGBTQ+ Bills were introduced, aiming to restrict trans rights and LGBTQ+ education.

Burkina Faso’s Government passed a law in September 2025 banning homosexuality, with those found guilty facing two to five years in prison, according to the state broadcaster. The draft law was unanimously passed by 71 unelected members of the country’s transitional Government, who have been in place since the military seized power. In late 2025, Ghana parliamentarians reintroduced a Bill to criminalise identifying as LGBTQ, with penalties of up to three years in prison. Funding or forming an LGBTQ-related group would be punished by up to five years in prison.

I recently met LGBT activists from Hong Kong and Botswana who talked to me about the repression that communities in those places still face, as well as the support they receive from Kaleidoscope and the funding for programmes that comes from the FCDO’s official development assistance, which are vital to some communities around the world. LGBT rights are not just a nice to have; they are fundamental to human rights, and they are fundamental to healthy societies too.

For the first time since UNAIDS began reporting on punitive laws a decade ago, the number of countries criminalising same-sex sexual activity and gender expression has increased. An analysis of data from 10 countries in sub-Saharan Africa found that HIV prevalence among men who are gay, bisexual or have sex with other men in countries that criminalise same-sex relations is five times higher than in non-criminalised settings.

I am proud that the UK is leaning in yet again and supporting the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria with a new £850 million pledge. However, as Elton John and David Furnish pointed out in a recent independent op-ed:

“the force which enabled Aids to become a global catastrophe was not immunological; it was fear and apathy.”

Stigma, homophobia and transphobia play as big a role in health epidemics as the virus and the healthcare system itself. That is why Pride still matters, and that is why LGBT History Month still matters.

While we have achieved so much in the UK, we still need to fight to retain our rights here, because around the world homophobia and inequality still exist, hurting individuals and communities. The UK has a vital role to play, partly because of the historical context of colonialism, in supporting the progress towards a more equal world, and I am proud to say that I believe we will continue to do so.

14:33

[Marie Goldman (Chelmsford) (LD)]

I start by thanking the hon. Members for Nottingham East (Nadia Whittome) and for Jarrow and Gateshead East (Kate Osborne) for securing this really important debate, and for their amazing contributions—the hon. Member for Nottingham East gave a particularly passionate and powerful opening speech.

I also thank some of the other Members who have contributed to the debate. I will not speak about all of them, but I want to single out the hon. Member for Luton North (Sarah Owen) as she spoke incredibly passionately. While I was listening to the debate, I could see her empathy and compassion for this subject, and I want to thank her for that. The hon. Member for Glasgow North (Martin Rhodes) spoke about lived experience and history, but he also reminded us that history is not done yet. We still have a long way to go, and we are creating it every single day.

Several Members have pointed out that progress is not permanent, and what we have seen in recent years completely underlines how important it is that we carry on fighting and never take anything for granted. I also thank the hon. Member for Bournemouth East (Tom Hayes) for reminding us of something that should be obvious: we cannot change people. People are who they are, and to pretend otherwise is harmful and cruel, and we must fight against it.

As equality and inclusion are being undermined both at home and abroad, it becomes ever more important to reflect on and celebrate the historic achievements of LGBTQ+ individuals, and LGBT+ History Month gives us the chance to do exactly that. As Members have noted with great pride, British history features a remarkable diversity of gender and sexuality. The theme of this year’s LGBT+ History Month, science and innovation, encourages us to celebrate the many contributions of LGBTQ+ people in shaping the modern world—from the infamous computer scientist Alan Turing, who literally changed technology forever, to John Maynard Keynes’ enormous contribution to economic thought.

We also recognise those closer to home, such as Barbara Burford, who is recognised this LGBT+ History Month for innovation in public service and healthcare leadership. As a medical research, writer and equality champion, her work helped shaped the NHS’s approach to diversity and inclusion, showing that genuine innovation also emerges through systems, policies and organisational culture. LGBT+ History Month also reminds us of the historical harms inflicted on the community through the medicalisation and pathologisation of their identities.

I also want to take the opportunity to highlight that this month coincides with Football v Homophobia Month, originally established by the Justin Campaign to tackle anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination in football, in memory of the UK’s first out professional footballer, Justin Fashanu. The month remembers and celebrates those who have been trailblazers in the beautiful game, while encouraging fans and clubs to share the “Football for Everyone” message and reaffirm their commitment to create safe and welcoming spaces in which LGBTQ+ people can flourish. It is only in the past 30 years, owing to the tireless advocacy of LGBTQ+ individuals and campaign groups, that we have come to recognise and correct these injustices. It is by acknowledging this history that we can build ethical medical practice and inclusive institutions for the future.

I am proud to say that my party, the Liberal Democrats, has a long legacy of leading the fight for LGBTQ+ equality. It was the Liberal Democrats, for instance, that led the repeal of section 28, introduced by the Conservatives in 1988, which prohibited the promotion of homosexuality by local authorities in schools, and had been stifling LGBTQ+ representation for 15 years. The Liberal Democrats were also instrumental in securing the legislation of same-sex marriage during the coalition Government. We designed the Alan Turing law, as part of the Policing and Crime Act 2017, which granted posthumous pardons to more than 49,000 men convicted of gross decency.

It is the Liberal Democrats that continue to push, agreed cross-party, for an immediate, full and inclusive ban on conversion therapy, covering both sexual orientation and gender identity without loopholes. We have always been a champion of LGBTQ+ equality, which is one of the many reasons why I am proud to be in this party. That was again brought home to me last year during the Essex Pride parade through the high street in my Chelmsford constituency. It was an honour, as I had done in previous years, to be at the front of the parade, carrying one of the rather large balloon sculptures that formed the words “Essex Pride”, and to be part of such a joyful celebration of human diversity and of the advances made towards LGBTQ+ inclusion.

However, despite past progress towards LGBTQ+ equality in Britain, the community still experiences discrimination and harassment on a daily basis, and there is evidence that it is getting worst. As the hon. Member for Nottingham East highlighted, with divisive extremist rhetoric on the rise, we are slipping backwards in this country. In 2025, the UK fell six places to 22nd on ILGA-Europe’s LGBTQ+ rights ranking. To put that in context, we were No. 1 in 2015. As was referenced by the hon. Member for Luton North, hate crimes have nearly doubled over the past five years. Research from Stonewall conducted by Opinium found that in 2025, less than half of LGBTQ+ people felt safe holding their partner’s hand in public. In the workplace, it is a similar story; research found that almost 40% of LGBTQ+ employees hide their identity at work. Meanwhile, around two thirds of trans people experience harassment and violence simply because they were identified as trans. That is appalling.

Indeed, it goes without saying that this past year has been a difficult time for the LGBTQ+ community, and an especially worrying and upsetting period for our trans and non-binary friends here in the UK, following last April’s Supreme Court ruling. Like many other Members, I have received heartbreaking stories from trans and non-binary constituents fearful of even being able to participate in public life. It is simply not acceptable that the rights of everyone, trans and non-binary included, do not appear to be deserving of the same respect and recognition. That is why Liberal Democrats have been clear that the leaked Equality and Human Rights Commission code of practice was deeply flawed, and have since called for new, inclusive and workable guidance. That guidance should also be subject to full parliamentary scrutiny, including debate and a vote.

[Liam Conlon (Beckenham and Penge) (Lab)]

I thank the hon. Member for making that point. When we talk about issues of trans rights, it is so important to consider the very real trans people behind the statistics and arguments. Last year, I met my constituent Hannah, a trans woman, to discuss her experience of transitioning. She told me about the very real impact that the erosion of trans rights would have on her, including the indignity, shame and difficulty it would bring, yet too often, voices such as hers are shut out of our conversation in favour of those who can shout the loudest. Does the hon. Member agree that we need to find mechanisms for voices such as Hannah’s to be given the prominence they rightfully deserve in this conversation, so that all our trans constituents can continue to live dignified lives?

[Marie Goldman]

I thank the hon. Member for his intervention, and for reminding us that this is about people. They are not statistics—they are people, whose everyday experiences and lives are being harmed by the decisions that are being made right now and by the awful, appalling, divisive rhetoric that is coming from some parts of the community, and some parts of the political community in particular. We must fight against it, and I thank the hon. Member very much for reminding us that this is about people and that their voices must be heard.

As we celebrate LGBT+ History Month and reflect on the historical achievements of LGBTQ+ individuals, we must also look forward, challenge prejudice wherever it appears, and recognise our responsibility as Members of Parliament to continue to push for LGBTQ+ equality.

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Judith Cummins)]

I call the shadow Minister.

14:42

[Mims Davies (East Grinstead and Uckfield) (Con)]

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker—it is always a pleasure to speak on behalf of His Majesty’s loyal Opposition. With it being LGBT History Month, I particularly welcome this debate on this year’s important theme of science and innovation, which was highlighted by many Members this afternoon. Those sectors are absolutely vital to our economy and to the wellbeing of us all, from technology to business, our environment and—crucially—our healthcare. Today, we celebrate all LGBT people, past and present, who contribute so much. I too am a proud ally and friend, particularly to my hon. Friend the Member for Hamble Valley (Paul Holmes), of course. [Interruption.] Well, he cannot sit in the Chamber all afternoon and not get a mention.

In that spirit, I welcome the positivity with which the hon. Member for Nottingham East (Nadia Whittome) opened the debate. She highlighted the international situation, which it has been crucial to raise this afternoon. The hon. Member for Jarrow and Gateshead East (Kate Osborne) talked about being an out and queer woman; it was lovely to hear her words once again. Funnily enough, just to let Members know, I saw Uncle Frank—the former East Grinstead mayor and long-serving Conservative councillor—last night.

Today’s debate has focused on science and innovation, so it is absolutely right that Alan Turing has been mentioned. He was a man who diligently served his country and who used his great mind to crack the Enigma code, along with many others, helping us to win the war. People say that his work and that of others in Bletchley shortened the second world war by years, saving many lives. He was a true war hero, and what was his reward? He was prosecuted simply for being gay, and very sadly went on to take his own life. His death shames our country’s history. Today, he is rightly celebrated on our £50 note—if anyone has seen one of those recently. In 2017, under the Conservatives, the Alan Turing law was passed, which pardoned men who were cautioned or convicted under historical legislation that outlawed homosexual acts. I am very proud that it was the Conservatives who acted and delivered that important change. Other highlights have also been raised this afternoon.

The Chair of the Select Committee, the hon. Member for Luton North (Sarah Owen), rightly celebrated queer icons. She also made some comments about my hon. Friend the Member for Bridlington and The Wolds (Charlie Dewhirst); I am keen, as is he, to put on the record that when he was in this Chamber, he realised that his diary needed him to be in Westminster Hall—that was his frustration. Compassion is not confined to any one party, nor should it be.

The hon. Member for Stratford and Bow (Uma Kumaran) talked about a full, happy and dignified life for all, which is exactly what we are celebrating this afternoon. The hon. Member for North Warwickshire and Bedworth (Rachel Taylor) rightly spoke about equality being an ongoing battle; she spoke powerfully, particularly about servicepeople, veterans and our armed forces community. We all have constituents who this matters particularly greatly to—those who have served and given so much. The work of Fighting With Pride is to be welcomed, as is that of the Royal British Legion.

Football has been mentioned today. I am sure that many of us will have been utterly shocked and disgusted to see that the German referee Pascal Kaiser was assaulted in his own home just a week after his public proposal to his boyfriend. The day before he was attacked, he received threats and his address was leaked. We have talked about the international situation; that attack is a terrible reminder of the threats, intimidation and acts of violence that people face, in sport and across society, for being who they are and celebrating who they love. That proposal was a joyous celebration—an act of love and real commitment—but it was shortly followed by homophobia and hatred from others. I am sure that everyone in the House would want to send our regards to Pascal Kaiser and his fiancé. Our thoughts are with them, and we wish them well for the future, with happiness in their marriage and their life together.

I am proud that it was the Conservative Government who brought in the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013. There is nothing more Conservative than bringing together families and people to make a solemn promise of love and commitment to each other. We want everyone to be true to themselves—to love who they love without the state getting in the way—and we made a significant positive impact on the rights and lives of gay men, lesbian women and bisexual people, so that they can make a public commitment in front of their friends and family, showing their love and commitment to each other. That is something that we on the Conservative Benches should be very proud of—indeed, it is something that we should all be very proud of.

It would be remiss of me to be at the Dispatch Box and not talk about Jed and Elliot’s marriage. It is 4 July this year—it is definitely happening.

[Paul Holmes (Hamble Valley) (Con)]

We’re going.

[Mims Davies]

We’re all going, aren’t we?

One of the best things to happen to me over Christmas was to be at the celebration of Brad and Tom’s wedding.

[Tom Hayes]

The shadow Minister is talking about the introduction of same-sex marriage, and I want to emphasise that that was a moment of cross-party history. The Liberal Democrat Baroness Featherstone worked as part of the coalition Government with the Conservatives to introduce that legislation, which was carried overwhelmingly by Labour MPs. Does the shadow Minister recognise that as an example of cross-party consensus behind LGBT rights, which we should celebrate?

[Mims Davies]

I am delighted that it was the Conservative Prime Minister who I came into the House under who drove that legislation through. It truly was cross-party— I very much agree. Today is not about one-upmanship; it is about celebrating our party, our place and all the work we do where we can.

I had the joy of headlining and co-DJing the LGBT Conservatives’ closing party at party conference in 2025. It was the 50-year celebration. People described it as a cross between DJing and a Peloton class. The Terrence Higgins Trust reception is another staple of our party conference calendar. We hear at those events from members of our party—I am sure this has happened across many parties—who had to meet in secret. Those are now some of our most popular events at conference, and that shows deep pride in the change that we have all seen.

The first HIV testing was funded under a Conservative Government, and I am pleased to say that I got tested—as, I am sure, did many others—here in Parliament this week. It was quick and easy, and it was important to remind people that they can show their status, and get treatment and peace of mind for themselves and their loved ones. It rightly tackles the stigma that remains; the hon. Member for Glasgow North (Martin Rhodes) mentioned “the gay plague” and the previous stigma.

I encourage people to sign up to get a test online and have it delivered to their door, whether they are in my constituency, in Sussex or in the rest of the United Kingdom. Being rural or far away from a sexual health clinic should not hold people back from getting tested and staying safe. I welcome the updated HIV strategy, which builds on previous heavy lifting by the Conservatives. In 2014, we legalised self-testing kits for HIV, and they were rolled out in 2015. We then had the PrEP trial in 2017. This gives me the opportunity to point out that women, older people and ethnic minorities are all more likely to get diagnosed late, so they should look after themselves by taking the test.

I thank all the charities and campaigning groups, because we all want to say the same thing: love who you love and make sure that you take advantage of the opportunities that are out there. It is key that we get more ambitious with PrEP usage in order to get to the goal to which we are all committed: ending new HIV cases.

Finally—I have said this previously, especially to my constituents, but it is especially true as we head towards Valentine’s day—we all need to be clear that no matter what political party people support, where they live or who they love, they should never feel unsafe or worried about who they are. We will always work together to strive for dignity, inclusion and compassion.

[Rachel Taylor]

I thank the shadow Minister for talking passionately about the things that her party helped to introduce. Will her party support moves to make sure that hate crime against all LGBT people is treated as an aggravated offence when that measure comes forward in the other place?

[Mims Davies]

My understanding is that people are already charged and hate crime should be acted on, no matter who it happens to. I do not think we should see it in any other way. That brings me to my final comments, which I hope the hon. Lady will find helpful: this is no time to step back when it comes to supporting equality and it is no time for division.

14:53

[The Minister for Equalities (Olivia Bailey)]

I am proud to be able to contribute to this important annual tradition, and to do so as the Minister for LGBT+ equality. I thank my hon. Friends the Members for Jarrow and Gateshead East (Kate Osborne) and for Nottingham East (Nadia Whittome) for sponsoring the debate, and I applaud them both for their tireless work advocating for the LGBT+ community and for their powerful and important speeches this afternoon.

This has been a fantastic debate, packed with pride and heartwarming stories. In the words of the motto of the LGBT Foundation, which I visited earlier this week in Manchester and promised I would get on the record, it has been a debate full of “queer hope and joy”. My hon. Friend the Member for Jarrow and Gateshead East talked about Out North East and the new ONE Centre in her constituency, which I am looking forward to visiting, just as I am looking forward to visiting the “Osborne room”.

My hon. Friends the Members for Stratford and Bow (Uma Kumaran), for Glasgow North (Martin Rhodes) and for Cities of London and Westminster (Rachel Blake) told wonderful stories about LGBT history and the wonderful LGBT spaces in their constituencies. I say to my hon. Friend the Member for Cities of London and Westminster that I was asked the other day to reflect on my favourite queer space, and I sadly realised that as a firmly middle-aged lesbian with two children, my favourite queer space is now my living room.

My hon. Friend the Member for North Warwickshire and Bedworth (Rachel Taylor) told some wonderful stories and remembered the King opening the armed forces memorial, which was a really powerful moment. My hon. Friend the Member for Exeter (Steve Race) gave us a powerful reminder of the difference that progress has made to his life and to the lives of his constituents.

[Liam Conlon]

I thank the Minister for celebrating and acknowledging the contributions that other Members have made. Graham and Vinny, from Kings Hall Road in Beckenham and Penge, hold a Pride street party every summer, and it gets bigger and bigger every year. Among the entertainment this year, they had the London Gay Men’s Chorus and several cardboard cut-outs of Kylie Minogue, and well over 1,000 people attended. As well as being a day of fun, I believe that it sends a really powerful and important message of tolerance and inclusion. Does the Minister agree?

[Olivia Bailey]

I absolutely do agree. I thank my hon. Friend for sharing that with us, and I congratulate Graham and Vinny on all their work.

There has been a consistent theme in the contributions this afternoon: the stories that many Members have told of the fear, shame and anxiety being felt by many of their LGBT+ constituents, particularly their trans constituents. My hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Tom Hayes) made a powerful speech on the cost of being yourself and the importance of listening to young trans people. My hon. Friend the Member for Luton North (Sarah Owen) made an important speech about the political weaponisation of our identities, with some people saying that families like mine are less stable. Such stories are painful to hear, and I want to say very clearly that I recognise the fear and anxiety that LGBT+ people are feeling at the moment. I feel it too, but this Government will always stand with LGBT+ people against the politics of division and hate, and we will protect and extend LGBT+ rights.

We heard a wide range of other contributions this afternoon. A number of colleagues mentioned the EHRC guidance and asked for an update on timings. The Government are considering this issue very carefully and will bring forward an update as soon as we are able to do so. My hon. Friend the Member for North Warwickshire and Bedworth, who has been a powerful campaigner, talked about the Government’s proud commitment to address the issue of hate crime; I am looking forward to the Government equalising the hate crime laws in the House of Lords.

My hon. Friend the Member for Clapham and Brixton Hill (Bell Ribeiro-Addy) gave a powerful speech on the damage done by conversion practices. Let me be clear: they are a form of abuse, and this Government will ban them. On the timelines, I am working on the legislation with the urgency that every Member of this House expects of me, and will bring it forward as soon as possible.

[Perran Moon (Camborne and Redruth) (Lab)]

Will the Minister take this opportunity to congratulate the hon. Member for Jarrow and Gateshead East (Kate Osborne), who took a very delicate and sensitive report on abusive conversion practices through the Council of Europe two weeks ago and managed to receive support from pretty much all Members from across the Chamber, with the exception of the hard right? She did it with such sensitivity and skill, and perhaps this is an opportunity to thank her for that.

[Olivia Bailey]

I am extremely grateful to my hon. Friend for giving me that opportunity. I have congratulated my hon. Friend the Member for Jarrow and Gateshead East on her important work on this vital topic, and I do so again on the record.

I also take this opportunity to thank my hon. Friend the Member for Llanelli (Dame Nia Griffith)—I have been in trouble on my pronunciation of her constituency before—for her phenomenal work as my predecessor in this role. She rightly challenged me to make the most of the European IDAHOT conference that we will host next year, and I would like to take that challenge from her and say that we will absolutely commit to doing so. I will say some more about that in a moment.

On days like today I am reminded of the consequence of this place. As we have heard, it was hon. Members like us in this very Chamber who decriminalised homosexuality, scrapped section 28 and legalised equal marriage, but it was also here in this Chamber that those laws were first made. For me, that is an important reminder of the fragility of our progress and the importance of our role. In this place, we must never forget how important it is to make the case for our rights, and hon. Members have done that brilliantly today.

I am very proud to be a member of the gayest Parliament ever and to be a member of a Government who will advance LGBT+ rights. We have righted the historical wrongs committed against LGBT veterans, funded LGBT+ violence against women and girls services and pledged to end HIV transmissions by 2030. This morning, I visited the fantastic 56 Dean Street, in the constituency of my hon. Friend the Member for Cities of London and Westminster, to take an HIV test myself to mark National HIV Testing Week. I thank the staff at 56 Dean Street for their fantastic work, and I urge all hon. Members to encourage their constituents to go online and get a free HIV test this week.

While I am proud of the things we have done, I am most proud of the things that we will do, including fulfilling our manifesto commitment to equalise hate crime laws, bringing forward our trans-inclusive ban on conversion practices and supporting LGBT+ rights on the world stage. We are funding global LGBT+ partnerships, and we will be proudly hosting the 2027 European IDAHOT forum, taking our place on the world stage in the fight for LGBT+ equality. I am looking forward to doing all this in partnership with those in our wonderful LGBT+ sector, whom I was delighted to invite to Downing Street to meet the Prime Minister the other week.

In LGBT History Month, we are encouraged to remember the iconic trailblazers who fought for our rights such as Mark Ashton, Maureen Colquhoun, Chris Smith, Roberta Cowell, the Tower Hamlets Lesbian and Gay Group and the others we have heard about today. I also think it is important that we remember the people who did not make it into the history books, because our history is one of everyday resistance and courage—people choosing to link hands in the street, people choosing to stand up for their community and people choosing pride over shame. I think it is important that we remember that everything we do in this place is built on that courage, and that courage is needed now more than ever.

[Mark Pritchard (The Wrekin) (Con)]

The Minister will no doubt want to pay tribute to the late Lord Etherton and the excellent work he did in his 2023 review, in which there were 49 recommendations. What progress are the Government making on those recommendations? I have received permission from the right hon. Member for Islington South and Finsbury (Emily Thornberry) to mention that, because as the Minister will know, we are working on a cross-party basis to get a new review of the UK intelligence community, as the Etherton review did not look at the intelligence agencies. It may well have touched on defence intelligence, but not on other parts of the UK intelligence community. Could the Minister update us on the 49 recommendations, and will she join me, in a cross-party spirit, in hoping that the Government will somewhere have the space to look at the courageous men and women who served in our intelligence community between 1967 and 2000, and get justice for them?

[Olivia Bailey]

I thank the right hon. Member for that intervention. I do pay tribute to Lord Etherton, and the Government are driving forward on all the recommendations of that review. I would be delighted to meet the right hon. Member to discuss the important points he makes and to work on a cross-party basis on this important issue.

As I was saying, that courage is needed now more than ever. Around the world, hostility and violence are rising and hard-won protections are being rolled back. For the first time in recent years, the number of jurisdictions that criminalise LGBT+ people has risen—from 62 to 65 in the past year alone. In this country, LGBT+ people are facing new and evolving challenges. I have spoken to LGBT+ organisations across the country about the rise of dangerous chemsex, online harassment, mental health concerns and overwhelmed support services. In our politics, we are contending with the rise of a populist right that thrives on the politics of division.

We will stand against the politics of division and hate, because our history teaches us that our stories are our own, claimed and retold by us, not just to remember but as a rallying call to never lose hope that love and pride will conquer fear and prejudice. We will honour the courage of those who have come before us and leave this place better for those who come after us. I will be very proud to work with all hon. Members to do just that.

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Judith Cummins)]

I call Nadia Whittome to quickly wind up.

15:05

[Nadia Whittome]

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. I had no idea I was expected to wind up.

[Madam Deputy Speaker]

There is no need to wind up, if the hon. Member does not want to.

[Nadia Whittome]

I just want to thank everyone so much for taking part in the debate. Everyone made incredibly powerful contributions, particularly my hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Tom Hayes). I hope that the Government—and, indeed, everyone—heed his words.

[Madam Deputy Speaker]

As I am sure Members will agree, that was the best wind-up ever.

Question put and agreed to.

Resolved,

That this House has considered LGBT+ History Month.