The post Exclusive: FL State Senator Shevrin Jones says ‘when you come for one marginalised person, you come for all’ appeared first on GAY TIMES. Go to Source Author: Conor Clark
Read MoreThousands of people took to Downing Street on 10 April to protest the UK government’s decision to exclude trans people from a ban of so-called ‘conversion therapy’. “Trans rights are human rights” and “LGB with the T” were among the many phrases chanted by the crowd, which tripled in size in the space of around 30 minutes. GAY TIMES attended the demonstration, which was so big that the police had to redivert Whitehall’s traffic around it due it spilling onto the street. An array of LGBTQ+ activists and celebrities showed…
Read MoreKeir Starmer has criticised the government for “flip-flopping” on ‘conversion therapy’ and said it should be banned “in all its forms”. A commitment to ban the practice was first made by Theresa May’s administration in 2018, though is yet to actually happen. Last week, it was revealed that the government had made a U-turn on its decision to ban ‘conversion therapy’ in its entirety, though after fierce backlash it made another U-turn and opted just to ban its use on gay people – but not transgender. “Recognising the complexity of…
Read MoreThe UK government’s first-ever global LGBTQ+ conference has been cancelled after it backtracked on a promise to ban ‘conversion therapy’. A commitment to ban the practice was first made by Theresa May’s administration in 2018, though is yet to actually happen. Last week, it was revealed that the government had made a U-turn on its decision to ban ‘conversion therapy’ in its entirety, though after fierce backlash it made another U-turn and opted just to ban its use on gay people – but not transgender. “Recognising the complexity of issues…
Read MoreThe UK government is reportedly “not budging” on its decision not to ban trans ‘conversion therapy’, despite widespread calls to do so. On 31 March, a leaked document seen by ITV News confirmed that the UK government was no longer planning to ban so-called ‘conversion therapy’ despite promising to do so since 2018. However, mere hours after the news broke, the government made a U-turn on its decision in the wake of public outcry at it – including from fellow Conservative politicians. Despite this, the renewed plans reportedly do not…
Read MoreThe UK government is set to reveal a new strategy for LGBTQ+ rights, including the prioritisation of improving NHS gender services. The new strategy is set to cover an array of other issues such as IVF, sex work and homelessness, The I newspaper reported. Equalities Minister Mike Freer is set to announce the measures in April before they are fully launched at the government’s LGBTQ+ conference later in the year. “The big part of the portfolio that Liz [Truss] has asked me to do is […] to work across government,”…
Read MoreLiz Truss said the government “has no interest” in banning transgender people from using spaces that align with their gender identity. In a letter sent to Baroness Kishwer Falkner, head of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), the Minister for Women and Equalities stated that the government would not accept guidance that changed allowing trans people to use the single-sex spaces that they feel most comfortable in. In the letter, which was sent on 18 February and shared exclusively by the i, Truss said: “The Equality Act makes it…
Read MoreA petition demanding reform to the Gender Recognition Act has triggered a debate on self-identification in the House of Commons. It is scheduled for 21 February after 137,271 people called on the UK government to make it easier for transgender and non-binary people to self-identify. “Reform the GRA to allow transgender people to self-identify without the need for a medical diagnosis, to streamline the administrative process, and to allow non-binary identities to be legally recognised,” part of it stated. The petition, which ran for six months and closed on 24…
Read MoreTory MP and party co-chair Oliver Dowden called out what he referred to as “woke” ideology for weakening the West. In a speech to the Heritage Foundation, a right-wing US think tank, this week, the former culture secretary said we should stop “obsessing over pronouns”. He added that being “woke” was a “dangerous form of decadence” hurting us at a time when “our attention should be focused on external foes”. “Rogue states are seeking to challenge the international order. And at the precise point when our resolve ought to be…
Read MoreChantale Wong has made history by being confirmed as the United States Director of the Asian Development Bank. She becomes the first openly lesbian, Senate-confirmed ambassador in America’s history after a bipartisan confirmation vote. Writing on Facebook on 8 February, the day of her confirmation, Ambassador Wong shared her “pride and humility” over the honour. She said: “22 years ago, Pres. Clinton appointed me to the Board of the ADB as the Alternate Executive Director. I was young and impressionable and had so much to learn. “Tonight the US Senate…
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