How Wales can fulfil its mission to be the most LGBTQ+ friendly nation in Europe

A rather desperate Rishi Sunak announced his war on “woke nonsense” at the end of last month, saying that if elected his government would review the 2010 Equality Act and ensure that children are “shielded from inappropriate material”. For LGBT individuals such as myself, a Conservative saying that the key protections for queer rights should be up for reform and placing a big focus on ‘protecting the children’ should raise some red flags. After all, it’s only been almost two decades since the repeal of section 28, which censored LGBT-friendly education in schools, and it seems that the modern Conservative Party aims to continue down this route.

Unlike in the past, however, the Conservatives are required to be a little more nuanced in their discriminatory practices: aiming to pit feminists and LGBTQ+ activists against each other, for the purpose of oppressing both.

For some of the more socially conservative readers, the reform of the Equality Act may not seem like such a strange thing to propose. For a ‘small-government conservative’, it may seem ideologically consistent to remove anti-discrimination laws, having as little government intervention in public life as possible. But this opens the door to dangerous situations whereby not just queer individuals, but women, BAME individuals, working-class people and those with or without religious beliefs can all be discriminated against. Setting a precedent of removing rights is dangerous for all minorities, regardless of intention.

Much like the Human Rights Act, protection of minorities goes against the ideological messaging of the modern Conservative Party, which has frequently shown distain for working-class movements such as strikes and protests, despite both being protected under the European Convention on Human Rights. Rhys ab Owen MS recently wrote of the importance of securing these rights in Wales, both from a constitutional and social standpoint, and I would like to boost his call on the Welsh government to secure a Welsh Human Rights Act.

Of course, this is not how this argument has been presented by Tory politicians. I recently spent some time at the Senedd, during which Conservative MS Laura Anne Jones came out against the Welsh government’s LGBTQ+ action plan, stating that while she wished to see the rights of trans people extended, it should be “not at the expense of women and girls’ rights”. First Minister Mark Drakeford swiftly struck the argument down, noting that extending rights of one group did not erode those of others, which was met with applause both from the Siambr and public gallery.

The argument seems to have travelled over from across the pond in the US, where anti-trans and so-called ‘don’t say gay’ bills are becoming more and more frequent. This is a sign of a right-wing that has lost touch with voters, focussing on bizarre culture war issues and ‘preserving traditional values’ rather than aiming to improve the material conditions of the populace.

In July last year, the Welsh government set out its intention to make Wales “the most LGBTQ+ friendly nation in Europe”. Since then, however, the spread of anti-LGBT talking points and scare headlines has increased throughout the UK. Just a few weeks ago, a drag queen in Reading was harassed for reading a story book to children in a library. It is important that the Welsh government, and the Labour Party throughout the UK, act fast and act immediately before anyone comes to further harm. I would suggest that:

• There should be a total ban on conversion therapy, including for trans people, which the First Minister of Wales has already suggested;
• The legal recognition of non-binary individuals should be established, as is in place in Canada and New Zealand; and
• The gender recognition process in Wales should be reformed to ensure patients are dealt with safely and with dignity, within a timely manner.

If Wales aims to be the most LGBTQ+ friendly nation in Europe, it must take steps to ensure that all members of our community feel welcome and should take steps where the UK government is afraid to, helping advance equal rights for all.

This article mistakenly suggested that the LGB Alliance has worked with US think tanks the Heritage Foundation and the Witherspoon Institute when first published. Will Davies and LabourList apologise for this error, which has now been corrected.