The US is not the only country that has a House Speaker who has tirelessly been a loyal friend and ally to the LGBTQ community.  in the UK, we have  John Bercow, originally elected to Parliament as a Conservative Party MP , who has served as the Speaker of The House of Commons since 2009.

As is the British tradition, once installed as Speaker,  Bercow had to break ties with his Party and act as completely impartial ‘referee’ to all the activities of the House.  In the past year or two they have devolved into political shenanigans which would have threatened the morality and standing of Parliament if Bercow hadn’t led with a firm and very fair hand.   

Many of his ex-Party members who expected him to be more lenient with them when they tried to usurp  the Rules of Law have been very frustrated.  However the Country in general looking from the sidelines are in awe of his efforts and appreciate his independence, fairness and his determination that Parliament rises above twisted political party bias.

Last week Speaker Bercow  reinforced his high standing in our community when accepting a Pink News Special Award  in London in recognition of his tireless support of LGBT+ issues during his 22-year political career.  He had the audience on its feet with one very simple line : Trans Rights are Human Rights‘  something we very rarely here from a politician of any hue.

Nancy Pelosi, who presented Bercow with the Award summed it up perfectly when she who called him “a steadfast ally and a committed fighter in the struggle to end discrimination and honour the dignity and worth of every human being”.