“As a whole, the debate showcased the distance we’ve travelled since the 1980s, and the central role of lesbians in driving that change. Sadly, it also illustrated powerfully how far we still have to go”
BY NANCY KELLEY, IMAGE VIA X (@KATEOSBORNEMP)
Yesterday (25 April), Kate Osborne MP made history by sponsoring a back bench debate in the main chamber of the House of Commons celebrating Lesbian Visibility Week. The debate was full of warmth and love for lesbian icons from Maureen Colquhoun and Angela Eagle to Sue Sanders and Kelly Holmes. It was also full of warmth and love for DIVA, and our publisher Linda Riley.
In her speech, Kate spoke movingly of her own experience of coming out and growing up, and her decades of activism, drawing parallels between the days of section 28, and today’s culture wars targeting the trans community and their allies.
“To go from campaigning against section 28, to stop LGBTQIA+ people being forced to hide, to holding a debate on lesbian visibility in the gayest Parliament in the world is some feat, and something that an 18-year-old me could never have imagined. However, I also could not have imagined that 40 years later I would still be challenging the same homophobic language, including comments about LGBTQIA+ people being a danger to children. It has to be said that the slurs currently being thrown at the trans community, and at me for being supportive of that community, are a carbon copy of the hate we faced in the 1980s.”
She was supported by allies including Dawn Butler MP and Christine Jardine MP and her speech was followed by a powerful and moving account from Dame Nia Griffiths MP, who spoke about her experiences as a teacher during the days of Section 28, unable to be open about who she was, or support LGBTQIA children in her classroom, only to finally come out only after the death of her partner because “it is almost impossible to hide grief.”
Responding from the Labour front bench, Ashley Dalton MP, Shadow Minister for Equalities amplified the message of lesbian visibility: “Today’s debate is a chance to usualise us, and to show that lesbians are everywhere and not in niche, discrete communities. We are in workplaces, communities, schools, churches, temples, synagogues, mosques and families, and, yes, we are in Parliament too… Without being visible, our identity is hidden, and when we are so hidden, it confirms assumptions that we are somehow shameful. That is why Lesbian Visibility Week is so important.”
Stuart Andrew, Minister for Equalities responded for the government, welcoming the debate, celebrating the community and the recognising the fact that “the UK is undeniably richer for the contributions of these women, and more LGBT role models continue to appear every day. As others have righted raised, lesbians have contributed importantly to the way of life in this country: in our armed forces, serving to keep our country safe; in medicine, helping us to make medical advances; in education; and in all walks of life. Their contributions have been extraordinary.”
The SNP front bench response from Joanna Cherry MP set a markedly different tone, challenging the inclusive nature of Lesbian Visibility Week. As well as celebrating well known “gender critical” lesbians, she also spoke at some length about “gender identity ideology” and “gender zealots” and demeaned trans women in particular. These views are not reflective of the SNP’s public position on LGBTQIA rights, so this speech from the front bench was surprising.
As a whole, the debate showcased the distance we’ve travelled since the 1980s, and the central role of lesbians in driving that change. Sadly, it also illustrated powerfully how far we still have to go, particularly when it comes to respecting the rights and inherent value of trans people. As Kate said in her closing: “Too often people seek to divide us, but as the theme of this Lesbian Visibility Week shows, we are unified, not uniform. We are here to be fabulous in our differences and to be seen, to let others know that they can be their true selves. We have to use our own experiences to help people, and to use our platforms to give LGBTQIA people spaces. That is what Lesbian Visibility Week is about.”
Read the debate in Hansard here.
Forty years on since I came out to my family to leading the first ever debate on @LesbianVisWeek in Parliament.
— Kate Osborne MP (@KateOsborneMP) April 25, 2024
I started my political career campaigning for #LGBTQIA+ rights and I will continue speaking out when it comes to equalities.
My full speech: https://t.co/RxhuRL4sVx pic.twitter.com/eudhn9WeXw
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