Do you remember how upset you Americans got when Barack Obama invited Rick Warren to give a televised prayer at his inauguration? Now imagine Obama chose Mr. Warren to be in charge of ensuring all Americans enjoy equality across the board, and you’ll have some idea of what’s going on in Britain with new PM David Cameron selecting Theresa May as equality minister.
May, of course, is not a pastor but a lawmaker. (She is also not just equality minister but also home secretary, and the second woman to hold the post.) And she used her voting power to do things like keep gay couples from adopting. So you can imagine why some gay Brits aren’t so thrilled May is now in charge of making all things equal. Not that she thinks her previous votes should indicate it’s an impossible task for her.
PinkNews breaks down her voting record:
In 1998 she voted against equalising the age of consent and in 2000, she voted against the repeal of Section 28, legislation that banned the ‘promotion’ of homosexuality by local government and schools.
In 2001 and 2002 she voted against gay couples jointly adopting children.
In 2004, like much of the Conservative front bench, Mrs May did vote in favour of civil partnerships. But in the same year, Mrs May didn’t attend Parliament for any of the four votes that led to the Gender Recognition Act.
In 2008 she voted in favour of a defeated bill which said that IVF rights should require a male role model- effectively discriminating against lesbian fertility rights.
Meanwhile, May is the second woman to hold the post.
How about we take this to the next level?
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villager
she should care about that nasty growth on her lip.
William Day
I dutifully voted Lib Dem in this election. That Clegg would just turn around and buddy up with the fucking Conservatives and allow , for want of a better word, “people” like this into power makes me want to kick him in the side of the head.
Bill Perdue
The idea that Tories, or Lib Dems for that matter, are going to advance the cause of GLBT equality, to say nothing of liberation, betrays a naiveté that’s dangerous in the extreme.
The entire history of the Tories up to and including their recent votes against Labour’s pro-LGBT legislation and their alliances with Polish and Czech ultra rightists in the EU is more than ample proof that the Tories are infested with and dominated by bigots.
The fact that the Lib Dems would get in bed with them demonstrates abject political opportunism and the total abandonment of GLBT folks.
The Tories are sharks and now, without the protection of Labour, GLBT folks are prey. Look for blood in the water any day now.
Bill Perdue
@Bill Perdue: Oops. This didn’t take the first time. [img]http://isiria.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/sand-tiger-shark.jpg[/img]
tjr101
She will fit right in with the GOP but that civil partnerships vote could be a problem. She’ll be labeled a RINO for that one.
Bill Perdue
@tjr101: Yes. But she’d also be at home in the party of Clinton who gave us DADT and DOMA and of Obama who sabotaged same sex marriage in the 2008 California fight over Prop 8.
Lamar
Is not obviously a bad choice to appoint a strongly religious person as an equality minister. It is just being ignorant if he really believes her strongly held religious beliefs will not impact her role when it comes to issues such as homosexuality, atheists etc.
William Day
@Lamar: Except she’s proven before that it does affect her political judgement regarding such matters. Please take note of her voting record, which includes voting against gay adoption, and against allowing lesbians to undergoe IVF without a father involved. So, Lamar? Think before you leap to her defense.
Paschal
@Bill Perdue: I agree that many anti-gay bigots are in the Tory Party but you shouldn’t use their E.U. alliance to support your correct claim. Both Labour and the Liberal Democrats are in the same alliances as very anti-gay bigots. Extremely gay-friendly parties in Europe including Sweedish parties are also in alliances with very anti-gay bigots. The largest parties in Germany, France, Spain, etc. are in alliances with very anti-gay parties. The Tory Party is in its current alliance because it’s not enthusiastic about the E.U., to say the least.
The Liberal Democrats will prevent the more intolerant views of Tories from having much power. Just so all those Americans know, some of Ms. May’s votes were made under a party whip, not that I’s see her as pro-gay or anything like that. All lgbt people should realise the excellent progress made under the Labour governemnt in recent years.
Bill Perdue
I was criticizing the Tories. Their alliances are just one of the reasons to fear them.
Labour is part of the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats in the European Parliament. Are they or any of their constituent parties anti-GLBT? I wasn’t aware.
The Lib Dems are very junior partners in this arrangement. If they’re capable of hopping into bed with Cameron in the first place then I’d be suprised to find they had any backbone at all.
[img]http://www.andypryke.com/twiki/pub/Andypublic/BlogApril2005/tory_u_racists.jpg[/img]
Bill Perdue
@Paschal: I’d like to answer by my comments are being censored.
Lamar
@William Day: I am not leaping to her defence I meant to say that it is obviously a bad choice to have someone with her background as equality minister. I meant to put is IT not obviously a bad choice.
Darren
You know what… after seeing whats happened in British politics over the past couple of weeks I am thinking about moving to canada…
My preteen and teenage years were under the tories… is anyone else afraid?
christina sarginson
I was really disappointed to hear that Theresa May was the minister for equality as her record has shown she has voted against equality related issues on many occassions. As an equality practitioner I have advocated for these for many years and do not want to see a u turn. This appointment has made me worried and I am watching with interest.
SM
@PASCHAL
Yeh but there’s ‘anti-gay’ parties and there’s vehemently homophobic, holocaust denying NUT-CASES. The Tories have rejected the majority of centre-right parties instead searching out anti-EU parties no matter what their ideology. Most centre-right parties in the EU are moderately anti-gay (at least in comparison to how i’d define pro-gay). The fact that their membership to the grouping recieved critique from the US administration demonstrates the level of concern over who they’re associated with
Bill Perdue
@Bill Perdue: I was criticizing the Tories. Their alliances are just one of the reasons to fear them.
Labour is part of the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats in the European Parliament. Are they or any of their constituent parties anti-GLBT? I wasn’t aware.
The Lib Dems are very junior partners in this arrangement. If they’re capable of hopping into bed with Cameron in the first place then I’d be suprised to find they had any backbone at all.