‘Our newly elected MPs need to work to protect Bristol’s LGBTQ+ community’

Hate crimes against the LGBTQ+ community are on the rise nationally. Stonewall data showed hate crimes on the basis of sexual orientation have risen by 112% in the last five years.

In Bristol, last summer a Pride billboard was set on fire and a trans pride picnic was shot at with bb guns.

This year, there was a homophobic assault outside Seamus O’Connells.

This Pride billboard was vandalised in 2023 – photo: Bristol Pride

The community was most recently rocked by an incident on St. Thomas Street in Redcliffe on August 11. Three men made homophobic comments and punched two people, before attacking one of them with a knife.

The police have recently released images of men they would like to speak to in connection with this crime.

So where has this rise in anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment come from?

14 years of Conservative rule damaged our country in so many ways. We saw from the recent far-right riots that the government’s words have power. In my eyes, those riots were a direct result of over a decade of anti-immigration policies and headlines.

The same can be said for these recent hate crimes against the queer community. Towards the end of their rule, the Conservatives chose a strong anti-LGBTQ+, and specifically anti-trans, stance.

The 2023 Conservative Party Conference saw party members  to speak about fighting ‘gender ideology’. Whatever that means.

Rishi Sunak faced calls to make an apology after he made a joke about the Labour leader’s stance on trans women.

Sunak ridiculed Keir Starmer in the House of Commons while the mum of murdered teenager Brianna Ghey – who was transgender – watched on from the public gallery.

The continued success of Trans Pride South West – now Trans Pride Bristol – shows Bristolians are passionate about protecting the city’s trans community – photo: Rob Browne

Former Equalities Minister Kemi Badenoch promised to change the Equalities Act so that the definition of sex would mean biological sex. If they had won, the Tories appeared to intend to ban trans people from single-sex spaces.

The Conservative manifesto aimed to ban any discussion of gender identity in schools. Teachers would have also been asked to forcibly out any students to their parents that were questioning their gender.

The only other section of their election manifesto that mentioned the LGBTQ+ community boasted that, while the Tories were in power, same sex marriage was legalised. This was passed when the Tories were in a coalition with the Liberal Democrats. A majority of Conservative MPs voted against the legislation.

This persistent, anti-LGBTQ+ stance from the Tories had an effect in that it emboldened people with similar views.

J.K. Rowling, for example, is now one of the most outspoken anti-trans voices.

I see the rise in hate crimes against the queer community as a direct result of these homophobic and transphobic views being amplified.

The effects of the Tories’ anti-LGBTQ+ stance

We’ve seen, in real-time, the effects of this push against the queer community. Nationally, Brianna Ghey’s murder made headlines last year. There was a vigil held for Brianna in Bristol.

When I attended the vigil, you could feel the weight this attack had on the city’s community. Even though it didn’t happen in Bristol, an attack on one member of the trans community is an attack on the entire community.

Bristol’s queer community is resilient and has continued to blossom. Despite a lack of funding, and this rise in anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment, new spaces are constantly being created.

Bristol’s reputation as an LGBT-friendly city has grown, we need to protect this reputation – photo: Rob Browne

A message to our new MPs

But how do we protect our community from further attacks? I believe the answer lies with our new community leaders, our MPs. Consider this a direct message.

As a gay man I looked forward to the end of 14 years of Conservative power. I counted down the days. I smiled when I saw the Conservatives were going to get annihilated in the polls.

Although there were issues with other parties, the Tories were doubling down on their anti-LGBTQ+ stance. There was no way that this wasn’t going to end in a way which harmed the queer community.

In my opinion, it’s no coincidence the last five years saw a rise in hate crime statistics.

The Greens and Labour have a tough job to gain back the trust of Bristol’s queer community. They now need to not just be tolerant, they need to champion our community. They need to be active allies and show that they stand with us.

I want to see Carla Denyer, Kerry McCarthy, Damien Egan, Darren Jones and Karin Smyth be active advocates for their respective constituencies.

This could look like attending Trans Pride Bristol events or pointing constituents in the direction of LGBTQ+ mental health support groups like Changes Bristol. A good place to start would be openly taking a pro-LGBTQ+ stance and denouncing the recent hate crimes in Bristol.

The election of Kaz Self – Bristol’s first councillor to be elected while openly trans – is a step in the right direction – photo: Andy Leake

The general public could also do more. The city’s queer community needs your allyship. Do your research, Bristol24/7’s LGBTQ+ page is a great place to start.

There are so many community groups that need your support. From sharing their posts on social media, to donating funds to trans individuals needing gender-affirming care.

Bristol proved in its response to the far-right riots that we will not be defined by hatred.

We have a reputation as a liberal city, at the forefront of socially progressive change, so let’s prove it.

With your help, and your allyship, Bristol can continue to grow and flourish into one of the UK’s leading queer cities.

This is an opinion piece by Andy Leake, Bristol24/7’s LGBTQ+ editor. 

Main Image: Rob Browne 

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