UK Parliament / Open data

LGBT History Month

Proceeding contribution from Angela Eagle (Labour) in the House of Commons on Thursday, 2 February 2023. It occurred during Backbench debate on LGBT History Month.

I thank my hon. Friend. I am not sure about him standing on my shoulders; I am not sure I could quite cope with that, but I understand absolutely the points he made and, unlike my response to them, they are very serious. They are a serious cause for concern and should concern everybody in this House.

Returning to the transformative work of the last Labour Government in this era, I recall that we needed to invoke the Parliament Act, no less, to equalise the age of consent in the face of massively ferocious opposition and ongoing vetoes from the House of Lords. This was the heavy lifting and it was done because it was the right thing to do. These progressive gains have made our society a better and more supportive place for everyone, and they finally allowed LGBT+ people to be respected and included and to enjoy equal rights before the law.

I see the effect of these gains especially in the increased visibility of LGBT+ people and their willingness to live their authentic lives in the open at last.

About this proceeding contribution

Reference

727 c506 

Session

2022-23

Chamber / Committee

House of Commons chamber
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