As Andy Burnham has been unanimously named as the next UK Prime Minister by the media before the race has technically started, it seemed only right that we look at his track record on LGBTQ rights to date. From where we are sitting, it looks like it’s one of the best among the current members of Parliament.
The most impressive part is the longevity of Burnham’s allyship, which stretches back to 1988 when, as an 18-year-old student activist, Burnham marched against Margaret Thatcher’s Section 28 legislation, which prohibited the “promotion” of homosexuality in schools. He later said opposition to the law helped shape his political outlook.
He would go on to vote to repeal Section 28 in England and Wales, helping bring an end to one of the most notorious pieces of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in modern British history, plus vote in favour of the Civil Partnership Act, giving same-sex couples legal recognition for the first time. In 2008, He voted to extend IVF rights to lesbian couples even though it caused tensions with some members of his Catholic family.
He voted for the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act, helping legalise equal marriage in England and Wales. Burnham backed reform of the Gender Recognition Act and supported simplifying the process for trans people to obtain legal recognition. He publicly defended trans inclusion, arguing that trans women should be able to use women’s toilets and dismissing efforts to turn the issue into a divisive culture war. His comments drew criticism from gender-critical campaigners but were welcomed by many LGBTQ+ activists. As Mayor, he formally apologised for decades of discrimination against LGBTQ+ people by Greater Manchester Police, describing the historic treatment of gay and trans people as “shameful”.
From where we are sitting, as a queer ally, Burnham’s record on LGBTQ+ issues is overwhelmingly supportive (and nearly perfect for a politician that is…..) and he is exactly what the country and the community need and deserve right now
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