Angela Rayner has accused the government of using the LGBTQ+ community to create social division in the UK.
At a Labour Conference fringe event for LGBTQ+ activists on 28 September, the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party said the government is guilty of creating a “campaign of hate” at the expense of transgender people.
“Hate crimes have been soaring, bullying, discrimination, anti-LGBT hate,” Rayner shared.
“There is a mental health crisis that is hitting our LGBT communities especially hard.
“I have to say that there is a campaign of hate coming out of this government.
“Ministers are looking at vulnerable people, they’re looking at our trans community, they are looking at people’s identities and they see it as an opportunity to divide people. That is disgusting, that is disgraceful.”
Rayner, who has been the Member of Parliament for Ashton-under-Lyne since 2015, also called for improved media reporting on trans issues.
She said: “I’m afraid to say that there is what appears to be a campaign in some parts of the media too.
“I have never seen so much inaccurate reporting. I’ve heard and seen so many panel discussions where trans people are being talked about and accusations are being made, but there isn’t anyone representing trans.
“I stand with Stonewall and what you said about the treatment of these issues in the media.”
Rayner also committed to updating the Gender Recognition Act if she were in government, as well as reminding her audience that it was Labour who abolished section 28 – a clause introduced by Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government which prohibited the “promotion of homosexuality”.
“All of us in politics, in public life and the media have an absolute duty of care to how we talk about these issues,” Rayner added.
“We are the party that is committed to achieving a world free of all forms of bigotry and discrimination.
“So we will update the Gender Recognition Act to create a process of self ID.
“We are the party that abolished section 28 and we will fight this section 28 moment again.”
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