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| 'You are a danger to civilisation': gay politicians share their experiences | |
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| MPs from across the political spectrum have spoken about their experiences as gay politicians, including Scottish secretary David Mundell, who said he believed he would have been forced to resign from the cabinet had he come out 20 years ago. | MPs from across the political spectrum have spoken about their experiences as gay politicians, including Scottish secretary David Mundell, who said he believed he would have been forced to resign from the cabinet had he come out 20 years ago. |
| Speaking in a documentary about the experiences of LGBT MPs, foreign minister Alan Duncan said he believed his sexuality had been seen as a barrier to his promotion by Tory whips, when he came out as the first openly gay Conservative MP in 2002. | Speaking in a documentary about the experiences of LGBT MPs, foreign minister Alan Duncan said he believed his sexuality had been seen as a barrier to his promotion by Tory whips, when he came out as the first openly gay Conservative MP in 2002. |
| Duncan said even before he came out he had been the target of suspicion. “When I was first MP a senior officer in the party took me out to lunch and was probing ... but didn’t ask directly,” he told SNP MP Hannah Bardell, who is presenting the documentary for the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire programme on Thursday. | Duncan said even before he came out he had been the target of suspicion. “When I was first MP a senior officer in the party took me out to lunch and was probing ... but didn’t ask directly,” he told SNP MP Hannah Bardell, who is presenting the documentary for the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire programme on Thursday. |
| “It was like having a secret criminal record. Someone on the conventional right of politics just needed to bust this,” he said. “And of course the Daily Mail was always [writing] ‘the permanently bouffant Alan Duncan’ and what’s the point of that?” | “It was like having a secret criminal record. Someone on the conventional right of politics just needed to bust this,” he said. “And of course the Daily Mail was always [writing] ‘the permanently bouffant Alan Duncan’ and what’s the point of that?” |
| Duncan said he was “blackballed by the whips” during the John Major years for being “too high-risk” because of his sexuality. | Duncan said he was “blackballed by the whips” during the John Major years for being “too high-risk” because of his sexuality. |
| Mundell, who came out last year having previously been married with children, said he had found acceptance from colleagues, voters and his family. “People have a completely different outlook now,” he said. “If I was at this point in my life 20 or 30 years ago, it would have been a much more difficult situation. Maybe 20 years ago I might have had to resign from the cabinet.” | Mundell, who came out last year having previously been married with children, said he had found acceptance from colleagues, voters and his family. “People have a completely different outlook now,” he said. “If I was at this point in my life 20 or 30 years ago, it would have been a much more difficult situation. Maybe 20 years ago I might have had to resign from the cabinet.” |
| Four Labour politicians interviewed for the programme by Bardell, including the recently departed Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale, all said they had mixed experiences coming out in public life. | Four Labour politicians interviewed for the programme by Bardell, including the recently departed Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale, all said they had mixed experiences coming out in public life. |
| Dugdale had never spoken before about her experience coming out, which was prompted by a story in a national magazine. “It was really difficult, I didn’t have complete control and it was in the middle of an incredibly intense election campaign in 2016,” she said. | Dugdale had never spoken before about her experience coming out, which was prompted by a story in a national magazine. “It was really difficult, I didn’t have complete control and it was in the middle of an incredibly intense election campaign in 2016,” she said. |
| “It wasn’t the first time I had been asked about my sexuality or relationship and I would answer journalists honestly and then say I would prefer they didn’t use that information. | “It wasn’t the first time I had been asked about my sexuality or relationship and I would answer journalists honestly and then say I would prefer they didn’t use that information. |
| “Up until that day, everyone had respected that until that one journalist decided it was a story. I had to suck it, make the best of it. I regret that, it was unfair.” | “Up until that day, everyone had respected that until that one journalist decided it was a story. I had to suck it, make the best of it. I regret that, it was unfair.” |
| However, Dugdale said she was pleasantly struck by the coverage of her relationship with an SNP MSP, which centred on the fact they were from different parties rather than two women. | However, Dugdale said she was pleasantly struck by the coverage of her relationship with an SNP MSP, which centred on the fact they were from different parties rather than two women. |
| “It’s fascinating – people were not bothered that it was two women who were together,” she said. “They were more intrigued it was people from two different parties and that divide was a much bigger deal than sexuality.” | “It’s fascinating – people were not bothered that it was two women who were together,” she said. “They were more intrigued it was people from two different parties and that divide was a much bigger deal than sexuality.” |
| Labour MP Chris Bryant, a former Church of England priest, said he had struggled with his faith and his sexuality, and had encountered damaging homophobia as an MP including being told he was a threat to civilisation. | Labour MP Chris Bryant, a former Church of England priest, said he had struggled with his faith and his sexuality, and had encountered damaging homophobia as an MP including being told he was a threat to civilisation. |
| “There will always still be moments of coming out. And someone says ‘how’s your wife?’. Do you say ‘fine thank you’ or do you say, ‘well, she’s a man,’” he told Bardell. | “There will always still be moments of coming out. And someone says ‘how’s your wife?’. Do you say ‘fine thank you’ or do you say, ‘well, she’s a man,’” he told Bardell. |
| “And that is what I did say once to the Papal Nuncio and he said ‘is she very butch?’ and I said I was married to a man. He said to me, here in parliament, ‘you are more danger to civilisation than climate change’.” | “And that is what I did say once to the Papal Nuncio and he said ‘is she very butch?’ and I said I was married to a man. He said to me, here in parliament, ‘you are more danger to civilisation than climate change’.” |
| Shadow defence secretary Nia Griffith said she had realised how unable she was to discuss her sexuality after the end of a long-term relationship, which prompted her to come out. “I couldn’t cope with the grief, not being able to tell somebody. Bizarrely, that was the moment I came out,” she said. | Shadow defence secretary Nia Griffith said she had realised how unable she was to discuss her sexuality after the end of a long-term relationship, which prompted her to come out. “I couldn’t cope with the grief, not being able to tell somebody. Bizarrely, that was the moment I came out,” she said. |
| Others who spoke to the programme included Labour peer Chris Smith, the first openly gay MP, who was also the first to declare he was HIV positive, said he had wanted to show young people it was possible to be honest about sexuality in public life. “The ones that meant the most were ones that said ‘thank you, it’s made it easier for me’,” he said. | Others who spoke to the programme included Labour peer Chris Smith, the first openly gay MP, who was also the first to declare he was HIV positive, said he had wanted to show young people it was possible to be honest about sexuality in public life. “The ones that meant the most were ones that said ‘thank you, it’s made it easier for me’,” he said. |
| SNP MP Joanna Cherry, who said she had ambitions as a young woman to be a Labour MP, revealed she had initially been put off a career in politics because of fears about homophobia, prompted by the anti-gay campaign against Peter Tatchell when he stood as a candidate in Bermondsey. | SNP MP Joanna Cherry, who said she had ambitions as a young woman to be a Labour MP, revealed she had initially been put off a career in politics because of fears about homophobia, prompted by the anti-gay campaign against Peter Tatchell when he stood as a candidate in Bermondsey. |
| “I thought to myself a career in politics isn’t going to be open to me, it would be really difficult,” she said. The MP said she hoped she could be a “role model to young woman” as a lesbian in public life but said she did not want it to be only her sexuality that defined her. | “I thought to myself a career in politics isn’t going to be open to me, it would be really difficult,” she said. The MP said she hoped she could be a “role model to young woman” as a lesbian in public life but said she did not want it to be only her sexuality that defined her. |
| “I didn’t come into politics to be a professional lesbian, I came to achieve social justice and independence for Scotland.” | “I didn’t come into politics to be a professional lesbian, I came to achieve social justice and independence for Scotland.” |