Well done to everyone involved in today’s Community Pride in Plymouth events across the city.
It is superb weather to celebrate LGBT equality. Visibility matters and after the big pride event was cancelled I’m so pleased our city has come together to organise community pride. Good work everyone.
We have come a long way. I remember being a closeted spotty teenager wondering whether I’d ever be able to walk down the street with the man I love or be true to myself. Growing up gay in the 80s and 90s wasn’t easy. I know many remember those years and the times before.
Equal marriage, lifting the ban on LGBT people serving in our forces, equalisation of the age of consent and scrapping Section 28 are all milestones we should rightly celebrate. They were battles and arguments we fought and made and ones we won. There’s a lesson there for today’s challenges too.
Although we have made huge progress there’s still a lot of hate out there, too much discrimination and the risk of roll back of our rights. I know because I see it in the way Sydney and I are described by trolls online, in the abuse directed towards trans and non-binary people, in the causal disregard still all too common for the bisexual community and the abuse lesbians, gay people and in fact every member of our community can face. In these divided times, prides are a place for us to come together to share our stories and recognise we are stronger together.
I posted about Plymouth Pride on X earlier today and the torrent of abuse under that tweet reminds me that for all the progress there’s still a fight to be had.
Prides are political. I think they should be. Equality didn’t just happen, we had to fight for it. And we still do. Can I encourage folks not to fall into the trap of seeing some people comfortable and free from discrimination does not mean this applies to everyone. Plymouth Labour didn’t have a stand today but we did have a presence in our councillors and volunteers attending events. I’ve been so pleased to see the Labour-run council promoting pride without hesitation. Thank you.
As Plymouth’s first out MP I see the abuse I still get and know it’s many times greater for especially our trans and non-binary friends at the moment. I remain proud to speak out in support of all the communities in the big LGBT+ family but especially the dignified and united approach shown by our city’s trans community especially with the rising hate directed towards them.
I’ve spoken frequently in Parliament about my experiences and platforming other members of our Plymouth LGBT community. I will continue to speak up for my community.
I’m also grateful to everyone who has signed my petition to introduce a trans-inclusive ban on conversion therapy. I’ve spoken to Government ministers who have confirmed this remains a firm commitment and I look forward to that law being introduced soon.
The community events today helped show Plymouth at its welcoming best. I loved the way local businesses adorned their shops on the Barbican with pride flags and created a genuinely safe and inclusive atmosphere. I missed the big pride event which was cancelled this year but hope that the organisers can find a way of resuming these in the future.
But I also know that for all the steps forward there are steps back on the horizon if we get this wrong. Hearing Nigel Farage say introducing equal marriage was “wrong” worries me. Love is love and I hope Reform UK will recognise that LGBT people deserve equality under the law as much as any other community. In fact I hope the way LGBT people are debated is done more carefully and kindly than I’ve seen in recent years.
But back to today, and thank you to all the volunteers, businesses, organisations, charities and groups who have stepped up to make this community pride a great day. And for those staying out to party, have a great time. Thank you.
