A Legacy of LGBT+ Activism

The Labour Party and those in our movement have delivered monumental change for the LGBT+ community time and time again. Below is a timeline where we remember our history, celebrate the brave people who came before us and look towards a brighter future for LGBT+ people across the world. timeline

Labour is committed to living up to this legacy and will continue to fight for LGBT people in opposition and in the next Labour government.

1975 - The Gay Labour Caucus was formed by a number of Labour Party members who were previously active within the Young Socialists and the Campaign for Homosexual Equality. Through their organising and lobbying they began to give the community a voice within the Party and the Labour movement. This organisation later became the Labour Campaign for Lesbian and Gay Rights, and eventually LGBT+ Labour.
1976 - Maureen Colquhoun became the first openly LGBT+ MP after being outed as a lesbian by the national press. Once outed, her local party deselected her, but this decision was overruled by the parties National Executive Committee. However, sadly this made little difference at election time, with no support from her local party she went on to lose her seat in the 1979 election.
1984 - Chris Smith, then Labour Member of Parliament for Islington South and Finsbury spoke publicly about his sexuality and becomes the first openly gay MP. He later said, "I think more is achieved for the sense of self-worth of lesbians and gays in society by one person who comes out voluntarily than by 100 who are forced out."
1985 - Labour Party Conference votes for a resolution committing the party to Lesbian and Gay rights. This move was following the solidarity shown by Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners during the miners' strikes and was successful, in part, down to the block vote of the National Union of Mineworkers.
1989 - Alongside Sir Ian McKellen and Lisa Power MBE, former Labour politician Lord Cashman CBE co-founds Stonewall in response to the introduction of the pernicious Section 28 by the Thatcher government. Stonewall is now the largest LGBT+ rights organisation in Europe.
1997 - On the night of the general election, Stephen Twigg unseats Defence Secretary Michael Portillo and becomes the first MP for any political party to be selected and then elected as an openly gay candidate. Ben Bradshaw, who also ran as an openly gay candidate, was also elected 21 minutes later.
1997 - During an interview in the Independent, Dame Angela Eagle MP came out as a lesbian - becoming the first woman MP to voluntarily come out, and the first out lesbian UK government minister. Dame Angela is now the Co-Chair of the LGBT+ Parliamentary Labour Party.
1997 - The New Labour government introduces the Unmarried Partners Concession, which committed the UK to ending discrimination against gay and lesbian couples for immigration purposes.
1997 - The Labour Government signs the Treaty of Amsterdam on behalf of the UK, which gave the EU powers to end discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation.
1998 - Lord Waheed Alli became the first openly gay member of the House of Lords, and one of a few openly gay Muslims in national politics. Waheed is a trailblazer for gay men of colour in UK politics.
1999 - Lord Michael Cashman CBE, co-founder of Stonewall becomes the first openly gay UK member elected to the European Parliament. During his time in the European Parliament, Michael was Labour's spokesperson on human rights and he now sits as a cross-bench Peer.
2000 - Following a ruling from the European Court of Human Rights, the Labour Government lifted the ban on lesbians, gay men and bi people serving in the armed forces. This move had been fiercely opposed by many in the armed forces and in the Conservative Party.
2001 - Labour passed The Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act, lowering the age of consent for those in same-sex relationships from 18 to 16. Equalising the age of consent was tried by Labour in 1998 but was defeated by Peers led by Conservative Baroness Young in the House of Lords.
2003 - Labour repeals Section 28. The homophobic clause introduced by the Thatcher govt banned councils & schools from “promoting homosexuality”. Despite vehement opposition by the Tories, including Theresa May, Labour persisted and after two attempts we repealed Section 28.
2003 - Labour introduced the Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations, making it illegal to discriminate against LGB people in the workplace and in vocational training. This is the first time that protections for LGB people in the workplace were enshrined in UK law.
2004 - Labour passes the Civil Partnership Act, granting civil partnerships in the UK. The Act gave same-sex couples mostly the same rights as married straight couples. It was the first time that the legal status of same-sex relationships was fully acknowledged in law.
2004 - Labour produced and implemented the Gender Recognition Act, allowing Trans people to have their true gender recognised in law. Whilst the Act was groundbreaking in its time, Labour recognises that the GRA is now outdated and has policy to update and reform it.
2004 - Through Section 146 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003, the Labour Government empowered UK courts to impose tougher sentences for offences motivated by the victim’s sexual orientation, or their presumed sexual orientation.
2005 - The Adoption and Children Act, passed by the Labour Government in 2002, comes into force. The Act allows unmarried couples, including same-sex couples, to apply for joint adoption. Two Tory Prime Ministers since 2010 voted against adoption rights as opposition MPs.
2006 - Alongside 53 other nation-states, the Internationalist Labour government launched a campaign in the UN for the Decriminalisation of Homosexuality, focusing on the nine countries where it is still punishable by death.
2007 - LGBT Labour launches Dorothy's List, the first dedicated fund for supporting candidates from the LGBT community. Renamed the Chris Smith List, the fund has supported candidates across the UK. As a result, Labour now has the largest number of LGBT MPs in Parliament.
2007 - Labour created the Equality & Human Rights Commission to promote & enforce our laws on equality. Since 2010 the EHRC has had significant budget cuts. With the rise of the far-right, the govt should be protecting the nation's equality watchdog, not cutting its funding.
2009 - The Labour government awarded statutory rights for fertility treatment for lesbians and bi women on the NHS. Despite the Tories' attempts to modernise their image on LGBT rights, David Cameron led his party to vote against IVF treatment for these couples.
2010 - Labour introduces the Equality Act. The Act simplified, strengthened and harmonised the existing legislation to provide Britain with a new discrimination law which protects individuals from unfair treatment and promotes a fair and more equal society.
2013 - Labour supports the Coalition Government's Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013. Despite PM David Cameron supporting the bill, more than half of Tory MPs present voted against it. If it wasn't for the Labour vote, we wouldn't have same-sex marriage today.
2014 - Councillor Osh Gantly is elected to Islington Council and during her term, she came out as trans. Then in 2016 Councillor Anwen Muston was elected to Wolverhampton Council, after running as an openly trans candidate. Cllr Rachael Webb was the first trans Labour Councillor and she was elected to Lambeth in 1986.
2015 - Emily Brothers stood in the Sutton and Cheam constituency in the 2015 General Election. She is the first openly transgender Labour Party candidate to run to be a Member of Parliament for the United Kingdom.
2018 - Lloyd Russell-Moyle is the first MP to reveal his HIV status in the Commons Chamber. Lloyd follows in the footsteps of Chris Smith, who revealed his HIV status as an MP in 2005. Lloyd revealing his status in the chamber was a pivotal moment in tackling HIV stigma.