It’s great to see queer MPs such as Nadia Whittome, Kate Osborne and Olivia Blake advocating for the community
BY NIC CROSARA, IMAGES VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS (FROM L TO R: DAWN BUTLER, KATE OSBORNE, NADIA WHITTOME AND ANGELA EAGLE)
A general election is looming. And with anti-LGBTQIA hate crime being steadily on the rise over the last few years and the Conservative government putting forth multiple anti-trans policies, LGBTQIA voters are sure to be contemplating who to vote for when the time comes.
It’s great to see how many women who are LGBTQIA and/or allies hold prominent positions within the party. There has undoubtedly been a boom in queer visibility within the world of politics and it has by no means been an easy road to get here. Many of these women have been open about experiencing homophobia, misogyny and other forms of discrimination over the course of their political careers.
The wider Labour party faced scrutiny back in July when it announced in a column in The Guardian, that it no longer supports self-ID for trans people, a policy it was a firm supporter of back in 2020. And while there is a lot of LGBTQIA representation within the party, there are currently no openly transgender MPs within the party. If there were to be trans representation within the party, this would surely help to move the wider party towards more consistent trans allyship.
With that said, many of the MPs listed below have loudly and frequently stood up in support of the trans community and have used their positions of power to oppose those who are focused on attacking the rights of transgender people.
During these trying times it’s great to see queer MPs such as Nadia Whittome, Kate Osborne and Olivia Blake advocating for the trans community while also bringing LGBTQIA visibility to Parliament. The party has certainly become more diverse in recent years. Join us in celebrating the LGBTQIA women and allies who are raising their voices and uplifting others.
Nadia Whittome
Labour’s Nadia Whittome is a proud queer woman of colour from a working class background and she has dedicated herself to building a better society for all in Nottingham East and beyond. She was first elected in the 2019 general election, aged 23, and became the youngest MP until the election of Keir Mather in 2023.
She has consistently celebrated the LGBTQIA community and advocated for our rights. She’s also been a resilient trans ally amid a time of alarming anti-trans rhetoric in the media, the world of politics and society in general. And has frequently affirmed that “there is no LGB without the T”.
Earlier this year, Nadia addressed Rishi Runak’s proposed trans policy that, if implemented, would’ve effectively forced teachers to out socially transitioning trans youth to their parents. “For many young trans people, their ability to socially transition is essential to their mental health and wellbeing,” she said. “Any attempt by government to prevent them from cutting their hair or using a different name and pronouns is authoritarian and discriminatory in the extreme.”
She’s the political hero our community so desperately needs. And a highlight for me at this year’s DIVA Awards was watching the Unsung Hero of the Year award go to Nadia. She certainly deserves all the flowers for the work she does for marginalised communities.
Angela Eagle
Dame Angela Eagle DBE has served as the MP for Wallasey since 1992. She is an out-and-proud lesbian, who came out publicly in 1997, becoming the first lesbian Labour minister to voluntarily come out in UK history. In a 2018 first person piece for LGBT+ History Month, Angela wrote: “As the first out UK government minister, I’m proud to celebrate LGBT History Month. It’s an important time for highlighting how far we’ve come in the fight for equality and acceptance, but pointing out that we’ve still got a lot to fight for.”
When the lesbian and trans community are so often pitted against each other in debates within most media, it’s great to see Angela speak out in support of the community. At the start of this year she wrote in a Tweet: “As a proud women, lesbian and feminist I continue to stand with my trans siblings & see no competition between their fight for rights and respect, and my own”.
She was featured in the DIVA Power List 2023, which was comprised of trailblazing LGBTQIA women and non-binary people, for her commitment to fighting for equality.
Kate Osborne
Kate is an openly gay Labour MP who has served for Jarrow since 2019. She’s a socialist and trade unionist who consistently advocates for both LGBTQIA and working class lives. Like Nadia, Kate spoke out amid the Prime Minister’s proposed trans policy, claiming it was an attempt to “flout the law” and that “Sunak should accept the legal advice, that he commissioned, that any attempts to effectively end the protected characteristic of being trans would breach the Equality Act.”
Kate’s time as a politician has been full of challenges. She’s sadly endured homophobia and sexism and has suffered much abuse. In 2022, after her own constituent was convicted of harassing her, Kate vowed to never give in to homophobia.
In her statement where she addressed the court case, she wrote: “The homophobic abuse I have been subject to has been totally unacceptable and has no place in our local community or society as a whole.”
Dawn Butler
Since being elected as MP for Brent Central in 2015, Dawn Butler has tirelessly fought for her constituents. And she’s one mighty LGBTQIA ally. She has previously been awarded Ally of the Year at the DIVA Awards and has also attended numerous UK Black Pride festivals.
Her book, A Purposeful Life, came out last month and in the insightful book, she recounts her experiences of being the third Black woman ever to be elected as an MP. In the book she covers everything from police, education and the Gender Recognition Act.
In a 2020 interview with DIVA Publisher Linda Riley, when asked how she will make sure all identities. and voices under the LGBTQIA umbrella are listened to, Dawn said: “People say, ‘I’m going to be your voice’, but actually the community doesn’t need us to be their voice. We can be strong allies. That’s cool, but actually the voices of the community need to be heard. Whenever there is a platform, we need to ensure that we amplify the voices of the community, and we do that by being good allies. We do that by saying we don’t share a platform with anybody that doesn’t believe in progress. Let’s not take the light of the community away. Let’s make sure we shine the light of the community as brightly as we possibly can.”
Nia Griffith
Featured on the DIVA Power List 2022, Dame Nia Griffith DBE is a Welsh politician who has served as MP for Llanelli since 2005. She’s also been a Shadow Minister for International Trade since 2021. She came out. asa lesbian in 2016 and has been outspoken on the impact of Section 28 on LGBTQIA lives and LGBTQIA teachers, having taught in a Welsh secondary school.
On 30 November 2022, Nia was among the MPs who demanded action on the conversion “therapy” ban amid the Conservative government’s continued delay. “Every day that the secretary of state delays this bill, LGBT individuals can be subject to this abhorrent and deeply damaging conversion therapy,” Nia Griffith said to the House. “It has now been eight months and four years since the government first promised a ban,” she continued. “So I beg the secretary of state to bring forward a bill as soon as possible.”
Cat Smith
Cat Smith is a bisexual politician who has served as MP for Lancaster and Fleetwood since 2015. She is also a candidate for Lancaster and Wyre at the next general election. She has consistently voted for equal gay rights and laws to promote equality and human rights.
As well as being an LGBTQIA advocate, Cat is greatly concerned with climate change which she views. as being the “biggest threat to humanity“. Last month, Cat was one of over 50 MPs and Peers to write to Grant Shapps urging him to not approve the Rosebank oil field.
Olivia Blake
Olivia Blake is an openly bisexual Labour politician who was elected as MP for Sheffield Hallam at the 2019 general election. She’s consistently spoken up on a range of LGBTQIA issues. Olivia is also disabled and neurodivergent and advocates for inclusive education.
At the start of this year, she was one of just 11 Labour MPs who voted against the Conservative plan to block Scottish gender bill.
Back in 2022, as protesters gathered outside Sheffield City Hall to campaign for a trans inclsuive conversion “therapy” ban, Olivia was present and gave a powerful speech, saying: “I was absolutely horrified, as a member of parliament to hear the government had U-turned on conversion therapy.
I was even more horrified when they decided that they are going to exclude one part of our community from the ban. I think that level of discrimination is abhorrent, and needs calling out.”
In recent months, the politician has also spoken out about the profoundly adverse effect immigration detention has on all refugees, particularly those who are LGBTQIA.
Charlotte Nichols
Charlotte Nichols has publicly come out as bisexual and has been an MP for Warrington since the 2019 general election. She’s used her platform to speak out on a range of LGBTQIA issues. In 2021, she Tweeted regarding a biphobic article published by Telegraph.
Charlotte has also lamented the lack of representation when it comes to gay women and trans women in Parliament. She has also spoken out in support of the inclusion of trans women in sports and earlier this year, she questioned Rishi Sunak about what support would be available to community after the murder of trans teen Brianna Ghey.
Angela Rayner
Labour leader Keir Starmer recently reshuffled the party’s shadow cabinet. The deputy leader has now been given an extra brief as shadow secretary of state for levelling up, housing and communities. She has been MP for Ashton-under-Lyne since 2015 and has a long record of supporting LGBTQIA rights.
She has also consistently spoken out in support of trans rights and has condemned the government’s “campaign of hate” against the trans community.
Ashley Dalton
Ashley Dalton is a member of the LGBTQIA community and is a former community worker, who is now an MP for West Lancashire, having succeeded Rosie Cooper.
Sharing her story on her website, she writes: “As a mum, a carer, a cancer survivor and a Lancashire lass, I have seen 12 years of a Conservative government putting every part of our lives under attack.
I’ve spent 25 years working with grassroots communities in local government. I now work part-time for a Lancashire charity. My life has been about helping residents and improving their local services, and I am passionate to do the same for West Lancashire.”
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