This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/aug/31/you-are-a-danger-to-civilisation-gay-mps-share-their-experiences
The article has changed 9 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 7 | Version 8 |
|---|---|
| 'You are a danger to civilisation': gay politicians share their experiences | 'You are a danger to civilisation': gay politicians share their experiences |
| (11 days later) | |
| MPs from across the political spectrum have spoken about their experiences as gay politicians, including the Scotland 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 the Scotland secretary, David Mundell, who said he believed he would have been forced to resign from the cabinet had he come out 20 years ago. |
| The recently departed Scottish Labour leader, Kezia Dugdale, who had never spoken before about her experience, said she was forced to speak publicly about her sexuality following 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. | The recently departed Scottish Labour leader, Kezia Dugdale, who had never spoken before about her experience, said she was forced to speak publicly about her sexuality following 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 said she had asked for the comments not to be included in an interview with the Fabian Review last year. “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,” she said. | Dugdale said she had asked for the comments not to be included in an interview with the Fabian Review last year. “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,” she said. |
| “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.” |
| Mary Riddell, the journalist who conducted the interview, defended her piece, rejecting the idea the she already knew about Dugdale’s sexuality before the interview. | Mary Riddell, the journalist who conducted the interview, defended her piece, rejecting the idea the she already knew about Dugdale’s sexuality before the interview. |
| She went on: “At no point during the interview or afterwards did [Dugdale] ask me not to publish her comments, which were recorded with her agreement. Nor has she ever complained to me that her on-the-record comments relating to her relationship had been published.” She offered to release her tape of the interview as evidence of her claim. | She went on: “At no point during the interview or afterwards did [Dugdale] ask me not to publish her comments, which were recorded with her agreement. Nor has she ever complained to me that her on-the-record comments relating to her relationship had been published.” She offered to release her tape of the interview as evidence of her claim. |
| In the documentary about the experiences of LGBT MPs, Mundell, who came out last year having previously been married with children, said he had found acceptance from colleagues, voters and his family. | In the documentary about the experiences of LGBT MPs, 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.” | “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.” |
| The foreign minister, Alan Duncan, said he believed his sexuality had been seen as a barrier to his promotion by Tory whips, when in 2002 he became the first Conservative MP to publicly say he was gay. | The foreign minister, Alan Duncan, said he believed his sexuality had been seen as a barrier to his promotion by Tory whips, when in 2002 he became the first Conservative MP to publicly say he was gay. |
| Even before he came out, Duncan said, he had been the target of suspicion. “When I was first [an] MP, a senior officer in the party took me out to lunch and was probing ... but didn’t ask directly,” he told the SNP MP Hannah Bardell, who presented the documentary for the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire programme on Thursday. | Even before he came out, Duncan said, he had been the target of suspicion. “When I was first [an] MP, a senior officer in the party took me out to lunch and was probing ... but didn’t ask directly,” he told the SNP MP Hannah Bardell, who presented 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. |
| Four Labour politicians were interviewed for the programme by Bardell, including Dugdale, who said she had been pleasantly surprised by the coverage of her relationship with an SNP MSP, which centred on the fact that they were from different parties, rather than two women. | Four Labour politicians were interviewed for the programme by Bardell, including Dugdale, who said she had been pleasantly surprised by the coverage of her relationship with an SNP MSP, which centred on the fact that they were from different parties, rather than two women. |
| “It’s fascinating, people were not bothered that it was two women who were together,” Dugdale 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,” Dugdale said. “They were more intrigued it was people from two different parties and that divide was a much bigger deal than sexuality.” |
| The Labour MP Chris Bryant, a former Church of England priest, said he had struggled with his faith and sexuality, and had encountered damaging homophobia as an MP, including being told he was a threat to civilisation. | The Labour MP Chris Bryant, a former Church of England priest, said he had struggled with his faith and 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.’” |
| The 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. | The 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 the Labour peer Chris Smith, the first MP to publicly say he was gay and the first to declare that he was HIV-positive, who said he had wanted to show young people it was possible to be honest about their sexuality in public life. “The ones that meant the most were ones that said: ‘Thank you, it’s made it easier for me,’” Smith said. | Others who spoke to the programme included the Labour peer Chris Smith, the first MP to publicly say he was gay and the first to declare that he was HIV-positive, who said he had wanted to show young people it was possible to be honest about their sexuality in public life. “The ones that meant the most were ones that said: ‘Thank you, it’s made it easier for me,’” Smith said. |
| The SNP MP Joanna Cherry, who said she had ambitions as a young woman to be a Labour MP, revealed that 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. | The SNP MP Joanna Cherry, who said she had ambitions as a young woman to be a Labour MP, revealed that 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 women 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 women 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,” Cherry said. | “I didn’t come into politics to be a professional lesbian, I came to achieve social justice and independence for Scotland,” Cherry said. |
| LGBT rights | LGBT rights |
| House of Commons | House of Commons |
| Inequality | Inequality |
| Alan Duncan | Alan Duncan |
| Chris Bryant | Chris Bryant |
| Kezia Dugdale | Kezia Dugdale |
| news | news |
| Share on Facebook | Share on Facebook |
| Share on Twitter | Share on Twitter |
| Share via Email | Share via Email |
| Share on LinkedIn | Share on LinkedIn |
| Share on Pinterest | Share on Pinterest |
| Share on Google+ | Share on Google+ |
| Share on WhatsApp | Share on WhatsApp |
| Share on Messenger | Share on Messenger |
| Reuse this content | Reuse this content |