“We are proud to represent the LGBTQ+ community in London, and we find strength in diversity, not in the division”
BY ELLA GAUCI, IMAGE BY WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
LGBTQIA activists such as Lisa Power and Sue Sanders have signed an open letter to Richard Holden MP expressing their concerns about the Tory London mayoral candidate Susan Hall. For the last eight years, this role has been held by Labour MP Sadiq Khan.
Susan Hall has previously shared her vocal support for ring-wing politicians like Donald Trump, and has said that she is against trans women competing in women’s sports, calling it “unfair”. In an interview on Talk TV, she continued to say: “Trans people deserve to have their rights protected… but this has got to be balanced with the rights of women. We have been watching our rights diminish.”
Signatories such as Linda Riley, Jen Brister, and Bimini Bon Boulash have all condemned the Tory candidate. Other notable signatures came from Jeanette Winterson, comedian Sofie Hagen, and drag queen Ginger Johnson.
We are writing to express our dismay and anger at Susan Hall’s candidacy for London Mayor and to request clarity on how she would work to ensure LGBTQ+ people are safe in the capital. We believe a Susan Hall mayoralty would increase division in our society and has the potential to cause a surge in hate directed towards LGBTQ+ people in London.
You can read the full letter here.
London’s LGBTQ+ community want answers: Does Ms Hall support the Prime Minister’s U-turn on his commitment to ban conversion therapy in the UK? Conversion therapy is one of the most harmful and degrading practices perpetrated against LGBTQ+ people. Refusing to commit to banning it lets down survivors, allows abusers to continue unhindered, and leaves us all at risk.
We believe there is no better place for LGBTQ+ people than London – one of the most diverse and inclusive cities in the world. Yet, we cannot be complacent, and we are already under threat.
Just last year we saw a brutally violent crime perpetrated against members of our own community in Clapham. One in five LGBTQ+ people has experienced hate crimes on public transport in London in the last year. Susan Hall paid lip service to this, and weaponised hate crime as a way to score political points against her rivals. It is irresponsible for an issue as important as hate crime to be manipulated in this way. Her words following that incident seem hollow in light of her previous actions.
Susan Hall has used her platform to share anti-trans rhetoric and mock famous LGBTQ+ people. She has even endorsed a picture of a rainbow-coloured swastika posted on X by far-right extremist Laurence Fox – comparing the LGBTQ+ community to Nazis.
We’re not asking for an apology. Susan Hall showed her true colours when she thought no one was watching. A Susan Hall victory would send a dangerous signal that hatred against LGBTQ+ people can be rewarded with the London Mayoralty.
We are proud to represent the LGBTQ+ community in London, and we find strength in diversity, not in division.
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