How many openly gay mps are there

Chris Smith's career. Image source, PA Media. Smith promotes British film at Cannes in I'm the Labour MP for Islington South and Finsbury, and I'm gay" Smith's unscripted announcement - which earned a standing ovation - was the first time a gay MP had chosen to come out Labour's Maureen Colquhoun - a pioneering feminist whose death at the age of 92 was announced earlier this month - had been open about her sexuality in the s, after the Daily Mail revealed she was in a relationship with another woman In , Smith was appointed culture secretary, with responsibility for the Millennium Dome, the creative industries and introducing free museum entry He later served as head of the Environment Agency, after stepping down as an MP in and entering the House of Lords.

Justine Greening says 'having people from all walks of society' improves decision-making. Related Topics. Related Stories. The Panama Canal Gets Grander. Already a print subscriber? Go here to link your subscription. Need help? A s turning points go, it was hard to beat. A young Labour MP claimed the scalp of a senior Tory cabinet minister ; the look of surprise and excitement on his face mirrored the mood of the country.

After 18 years of Conservative government, everything was to be turned on its head. But that night in Enfield in was symbolic of more than just the first Labour landslide in a generation. In fact, Portillo was the opposite: a buttoned-up member of a ruling class for whom discretion had long been the rule. His slaying felt like a cultural watershed. Habits built up over decades, the instinctive default to repression, quickly began to melt away.

Later that year, Angela Eagle came out: the first openly lesbian MP since Maureen Colquhoun , who had been deselected in the s. The years rolled by and anti-gay legislation was rolled back. The despised section 28 was ditched, and civil partnerships then equal marriage made it on to the statute books. The T, for transgender, is still missing, since none of the four trans candidates who stood in won their seat. Twelve are Conservative, 13 Labour, the rest Scottish Nationalists.

We may scratch our heads as to the meaning of these numbers: is it a surprise that there are so many out Tories? What is it about the SNP? How did a country raised on tabloid scandal end up so at ease with gay public figures? Homosexuality was decriminalised in England and Wales in by reforming home secretary Roy Jenkins Scotland had to wait until , and Northern Ireland until , but prosecutions for sexual offences continued to snare many gay men into the 90s.

In addition, a vicious press culture of blackmail and exposure made life difficult for gay people who wanted to participate in government and politics. Peter Tatchell, who stood as the Labour candidate for Bermondsey in , was the subject of a notoriously homophobic campaign by his Liberal opponents.

It was impossible for any candidate or MP to be openly gay without the fear of being demonised by the tabloids.