Hot on the heels of NY Mayor Mamdani announcing he has appointed Taylor Bown as rthe Director of his new Mayor’s Offce of LGBTQA+ Affairs (see here) comes the news that a new UK LGBT+ Rights Envoy has been appointed to champion equality worldwide
The UK Government has appointed Lord Collins of Highbury just as campaigners warn of increasing hostility towards LGBT+ communities in several countries, with growing restrictions on rights, tougher anti-LGBT+ laws and rising levels of violence and persecution. As Special Envoy, Lord Collins will work with governments, businesses, parliamentarians, international organisations and LGBT+ groups to support human rights and encourage legal and social change.
Lord (Ray) Collins is an openly gay Labour politician who is currently the Deputy Leader iof the Hiuse of Lords and who was the leading Trade Unionist who helped steer the TGWU into a merger with Amicus, creating Unite, one of the largest trade unions in the country. He has also served as the General Secretary of the Labour Party from 2008 – 2011 . In a statement he said he was “honoured” to take on the role, saying no one should face “violence, criminalisation or exclusion because of who they are or who they love.”
The appointment follows the Government’s announcement of a £21 million package to support LGBT+ rights internationally over the next three years. The UK is also due to host the European IDAHOT+ Forum in London in 2027, bringing together governments, policymakers and LGBT+ organisations from across Europe.
Foreign Office Minister for Human Rights, Chris Elmore, says everyone should be able to “live safely and freely, no matter who they are or who they love”, adding that the appointment strengthens the UK’s work with international partners to tackle violence and discrimination.
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