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Since 2008 – Progress Through Politics

How did this Happen? British LGBT Community on the Rise UPDATED

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A brief diary inspired by an Andrew Sullivan piece today What Equality Looks Like.

He notes:

When I came to America from Britain, the gay rights movement was way ahead here of the old country. No longer. Here is a list of the most powerful openly gay people in Britain. The whole list is a staggering contrast with the US.

He then quotes the list from PinkNews:

1. Spencer Livermore, 32, Director of Political Strategy, 10 Downing Street

2. Nick Brown, 57, Deputy Chief Whip, MP for Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend

3. Peter Mandelson, 54, EU Trade Commissioner. He’s back in the cabinet as Business secretary and Brown’s main spin doctor.

4. Angela Eagle, 46, Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, MP for Wallasey

5. Ben Bradshaw, 47, Minister of State for Health Services, MP for Exeter

6. Andrew Pierce, 46, Assistant Editor, Daily Telegraph. Julian Glover, Matthew Parris partner, is opinion editor al The Guardian.

Most these names won’t mean much to you (time for my revenge since a lot of US politicians mean nothing to me) but it is a staggering list compared to my youth.

Just 12 years old, with the Conservatives still in power, we were under the thrall of ‘family values’ and its many implied bigotries: women were still expect to be primarily carers (despite Thatcher), foreigners were ‘swamping us’ (lovely neutral metaphor) and homosexuality was unnatural. Same sex relationships could not even be mentioned in schools under Clause 28 of the Local Government Bill.

The effect of having a centre left government in power has been staggering, even if people doubted Blair or Brown’s agenda on the economy, or on foreign policy issues, they have effected amazing change on many social issues. Whether it’s on TV drama or comedy, or in newspapers, or in the street, expressions of same sex affection are completely normal and tolerated these days.

My own personal experience of this was my younger brother’s coming out. He waited till his early thirties, around about the time of a Labour victory, and the way my large family greeted the news of his homosexuality was completely unpredictable a few years before. There was not a word of sorrow, regret or discomfort expressed. Only joy that he felt confident enough about himself, and about us, to tell us all.

So how did this happen? The US as Sullivan points out was well ahead on LGBT issues and publicly prominent personalities like Harvey Milk. And yet, thanks to Republican rule, you’re still arguing about Civil Partnerships (we call them marriages BTW) while these are a norm now in the UK, and constitute some of the solidest marriages I know.

Is it just the presence of the Republicans, and the power of the Evangelical churches, or is there some other factor I’m missing about the relative backwardness – and the amazing contentiousness – of publicly accepted gay and lesbian men and women in the US?

UPDATE: My bad. I don’t want to make this a diary on the merits of Andrew Sullivan, or some kind of puff piece for the UK. My question is – could change happen in the US as quickly?


Categories: Uncategorized.

/ 103 Comments

103 comments

  2. dtox

    but I think Alan Duncan is very important. That there’s an openly gay Tory frontbencher says something, if you think about it.

  3. psychodrew

    …then he should go back to Europe.  I find it very interesting that he now decries the impact of the Republican rule he championed until 2004.

  5. canadian gal

    although im with drew about sully, i think that your diary raises an interesting point, however im not sure if i would equate this problem to republican rule.  rather i would argue that it stems from a higher rate of religious sentiment in the states.

    but also i find it strange that so few (none?) of the names are women.  i wonder why this is…

    lastly as your fellow moose alien, you’re right in that so many of the names mentioned on the blogs mean nothing to me either 😉

  6. spacemanspiff

    … when running for office?

    Has anybody succesfully achieved this?

    It would make for a great book.

    Yes. I’m stoned.

  7. creamer

     The conservative thought machine sucessfully co-opted fundementalist christians in the early eighties. From a governing standpoint , because of their nihlist philosophy, they never had the need to campaign on real issues. Thus they could spend their money on an intolerant hate machine.

  8. creamer

    Christian fundementalist in this country tend to believe that the bible is the literal word of God, and that God is directly responsible for everything that happens. Everything happens for a reason. Couple this with the wealth of this country and having never really tasted war on our soil, and you have this built in arrogance that comes with think God is on your side. Maybe the fact that we’ve never really experienced catastrophe on a nation wide scale allows us to think this way.

  9. sricki

    I am, lamentably, completely ignorant of your politics. I don’t know whether the US can take such large steps in overcoming prejudice in the next 8-12 years. My natural inclination is to say probably not and blame religion. Unfair maybe, maybe not.

    Maybe I’m just being an irreverent ass, but in my opinion, religion has a stranglehold on this country, which is sad to me.

  10. Strummerson

    Great diary.  I think that progress in the UK on these issues owes a great deal to the European context.  This is one of the reasons that the right in this country despises European influence.  

  11. creamer

    Huffington Post says:

    New Hampshire Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson, a vocal gay rights leader, will open President-elect Barack Obama’s inauguration with a prayer on Sunday’s kick-off event at the Lincoln Memorial.

    I’m impressed.

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