The UK Government’s advisory panel, which was set up to address issues faced by the LGBTQ+ community, has been disbanded.
The LGBT panel was established as part of Theresa May’s 2018 LGBT Action Plan. The aim of the advisory panel was to offer insight “on issues and policies concerning lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.”
According to the BBC, a government spokesman has said a replacement for the panel “will be set out in due course”.
The dissolving of the LGBT panel follows the resignation of three leading equality advisors.
The three UK government advisors quit their roles after accusing Boris Johnson’s administration of creating a “hostile” environment for the LGBTQ+ community.
The first government advisor to quit was Jayne Ozanne, a key member of the government’s LGBT advisory panel and a prominent gay evangelical Christian, citing “ignorance” on behalf of ministers about LGBTQ+ issues.
Ozanne announced she’s opted to quit in protest and accused ministers of being “ignorant” about issues that affect the LGBTQ+ community.
“I’ve been increasingly concerned about what is seen to be a hostile environment for LGBT people among this administration,” she told UK Editor Paul Brand in an interview with ITV News.
“Over the years which the advisory panel has met, we’ve seen an increasing lack of engagement and the actions of ministers have frankly been against our advice.”
Following her resignation, advisors James Morton and Ellen Murray followed suit.
In a Twitter statement, Murray said she resigned from the panel due to the “government’s persistent and worsening hostility towards our community in myriad areas,” from “conversion therapy to trans healthcare to the shameful treatment of LGBT refugees”.
She continued to say the UK Government has acted in “appalling faith”.
The BBC reported that Equalities Minister Liz Truss has written to the remaining members of the advisory panel and thanked them for their “constructive input”.
“I will also be shortly making an announcement concerning the International LGBT Conference and convening a new body that will take international LGBT rights forward,” Lizz Trust wrote in a letter seen by the broadcaster.
Solidarity with the other panel members that have resigned and best of luck to those that remain. More pressingly, solidarity to those LGBT people whose life is worse now than a few years ago. As a trans person I know that's a lot of people. I see you and I'm furious for you.
— Ellen Murray (@ellenfromnowon) March 11, 2021
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