On Saturday I will be marching with Pride at Pride. I will be spending half of the march as Government together with Nick Herbert, the openly gay Conservative Minister for Policing – and half with DELGA the Liberal Democrat’s LGBT group. While I am with them – Nick Herbert will be with the LGBTory group. I am looking forward to it tremendously.
And to herald Pride tomorrow, today I am going to speak at the TUC’s annual lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans conference in London. The TUC has done phenomenal work in changing the landscape for LGB&T people in the workplace and I am really delighted to be able to go there today to say so.
Lynne Featherstone 
To be strictly accurate, the Lib Dem contingent on the London Pride march tomorrow isn’t being organised by DELGA – it’s being organised by London Liberal Democrats.
While DELGA obviously approve of and support Pride marches, we feel it’s important that local Lib Dem parties engage with their local LGBT communities, rather than rely on the party’s LGBT wing to do so for them. Being there at a local level for people regardless of their background is a key part of being a Lib Dem, and we don’t want to detract from that!
Nitpicking aside, it’s great to see our minister engaging with one of the country’s biggest Pride events in this way! Shame you couldn’t make Manchester 😉
Will Theresa be joining you?
You cannot achieve ‘equality’ by creating difference therefore your proposal to allow gays to have religious content in civil partnership ceremonies can only be very wrong and ranks alongside Tatchells attempt to allow gays to have sex anywhere. You either apply your proposal to everyone or no-one. Preferably the latter.
You must be particularly careful not to create a culture where anyone who speaks out against gay activities and principles is branded a homophobe and vilified. This country was known for its tolerance and free speech. Don’t change that.
I know several homosexuals who I consider genetically disposed that way. They don’t support these parades. However, recently ,in Truro, a ‘Pride’ march featured individuals dressed only in leather thongs simulating sex in public streets. To my mind they should have been arrested for indecency. I hope you agree.
The majority of the population of this country are not gay and a majority of them are not comfortable with the level of overt homosexuality hurled at them by the media. You as an elected officer of our government MUST represent the majority first.
Hey Lynne- one of your coalition supporters posting just above this this (probably voted for the other bit of it). Talk about pride, you must be swelling. Of course you will want to be careful not to be swelling in public to avoid arrest.
Honestly what can you expect when you jump into bed with (oops sorry did it again) a party largely composed of homophobes who don’t think gay people ought really to stay in B&B’s with decent people and who want to reward “normal” married heterosexual people with tax benefits.
I do love the idea though that you will be spending half the march as one thing and the other half as something else. I simply couldn’t sum you up better than that.
Consider this whilst you are marching. Your glittering prize is a referendum on AV. Which the prime minister in your coalition will be campaigning against and using the full weight of his party machine to defeat. Er define coalition? Is it that you get used to do the really nasty stuff because you are deeply stupid and desperate and then get dumped. Oh, sorry I seem to have defined extinction instead instead of coalition.
I am not gay but my grandson is.Anything that educates the public and stops Homophobic attacks is welcomed.Attacking someone just because they are Gay is a obscenity.
So on this count,although I had a go on the Assessing Incapacity,here I welcome your approach.
I just wish you would dump your Tory friends.Even so I hope the day goes well for you.
Glad to see you supporting this cause Lynne and others I hope the Home Secretary is also supporting the equality issues as you are.