After so many politicians have turned their backs on LGBTQIA+ rights, is Zack Polanski a turning point for queer advocacy in the UK?
BY KLARA FERRAIOLI-SCHUBERT, BY ROB BROWNE/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Since his landslide appointment as leader of the Green Party in September, politician Zack Polanski has quickly emerged as a pivotal voice in the UK’s political scene. Shortly after his appointment, he declared that the party would “take the fight to Labour”, announcing to Keir Starmer’s government: “We are here to replace you.”
As of 19 October, the Greens have amassed over 126,000 members for the first time since the party’s formation, with nearly an 80% increase since Polanski was elected. In doing so, the Greens have more than surpassed the Conservative Party, making them the third-largest political party in the UK.
“The old two-party system is broken,” said Polanski. “The Green Party is growing because we speak to the real challenges of this moment […] people can see that politics can be a force for good.”
As an openly gay, Jewish man, Zack Polanski is a distinct and refreshing political candidate, and the same can be said for many of his party’s policies.
At a time when the rights of trans people in the UK are increasingly under threat, Polanski has made powerful statements in support of the trans community, asserting that under his leadership, solidarity with trans people is “non-negotiable”.
The Green Party has pledged its support in reforming the Gender Recognition Act (GRA) to allow trans people to self-identify and to improve policies on trans healthcare to provide fully-funded gender-affirming care and support. The Greens have also openly condemned the EHRC’s interim guidance, issued following the Supreme Court’s ruling that gender is based on sex assigned at birth.
Where several other political figures in the UK have initially advocated for LGBTQIA+ rights, only to later back track completely, many feel that Zack Polanski represents the voice of real change for the queer community.
In 2015, the UK was the leading country in Europe for LGBTQIA+ rights. Now, according to the ILGA-Europe rainbow map, we don’t even make the top 20. What went so wrong in the past decade?
A recurring issue that the UK has been facing is that its politicians claim to want to fight for LGBTQIA+ rights, yet consistently backpedal when it comes to trans inclusion. Health Secretary Wes Streeting is a key example.
Streeting is an openly gay politician who has often spoken about his struggles growing up queer. After the current government took office, Wes Streeting announced in December 2024 that the temporary ban on puberty blockers for under-18s with gender dysphoria would be made indefinite. This came into effect on 1 January 2025.
To many in the trans community, this move felt like a profound betrayal, emblematic of a political climate that has grown increasingly hostile to trans people in the UK.
Current PM and Labour leader Keir Starmer has faced similar scrutiny. Labour was once considered the left-wing party in the UK, leading the way for human rights and LGBTQIA+ advocacy. This is no longer the case.
In 2020, Starmer supported reforming the GRA to allow self-identification for trans people: “The GRA is in desperate need of reform to introduce self-declaration for transgender people.”
“Trans people are still facing daily oppression and discrimination,” he continued. “That isn’t acceptable.”
“We must stand together against homophobia, transphobia and discrimination wherever it rears its head.”
By 2023, his stance had reversed. Starmer instead claimed that self-identification was not the “right way forward.”
In June 2025, Starmer instructed public sector institutions, including hospitals and schools, to adhere to the Supreme Court’s ruling, which would exclude trans people from single-sex spaces.
Several LGBTQIA+ charities, including Stonewall and Scottish Trans, wrote to Starmer in May 2025, urging him to address the crisis of transphobia in the UK, citing rising hostility and calling for urgent dialogue. Starmer has not publicly responded.
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