Make no mistake - Labour is the only UK wide political party that has taken gay rights forward in any meaningful way. It's vital that as a community LGBT people send a clear message to politicans about the importance of furthering equality and not rolling it back as we have seen recently in many countries throughout the world.

The previous Tory equalities minister was none other than Kemi Badenoch, the MP for Saffron Walden and current Tory Leader. She did precisely nothing to further gay rights during her time in office. In fact, many of her actions have made life worse for vulnerable minorities. Kemi Badenoch:

• secretly met with the anti-trans campaign group LGB Alliance
• mocked trans women in a leaked recording describing them as "men"
• pressured the Financial Conduct Authority to drop trans-inclusive workplace policies
• failed to ban conversion therapy because she wanted to "scrutinise" proposals one more time
• and, stated she wanted to restrict gender recognition for those who move to the UK

So why are elections important for gay men?

The last Government was a total failure - we all know that, but if you are LGBT you lost out even more than the average person. Our feature called 14 yrs of LGBT commitments, none of which were kept by this failed Tory Government highlighted the shortcomings of the last administration, and all the commitments that the Tories failed to keep.

The Conservatives became deeply unpopular, and the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was every bit as unpopular as his party. Election polls were proved to be entirely correct and predictions by commentators in magazines like The Economist came true. They said it was going to be political "lunacy" for Sunak to go to the country, and clearly it was.

Despite having won an 80-seat majority in the last election, Boris Johnson's shambolic "cheeky chappy" demeanor was attractive to some, but others saw straight through it. His administration imploded with more than 60 ministers resigning their positions, and the Prime Minister left standing on the steps of No.10 bumbling on about some obscure ancient roman. Johnson destroyed the electoral prospects of the Tories - with partygate scandals, a failure to deliver what many people had voted for in terms of Brexit, and completely losing control of the Covid Pandemic which caused the death of hundreds of thousands of British people.

His successor was Liz Truss who managed a feat of great political rarity - she made a bad situation much worse. Her 49 days in office in September and October 2022 brought new meaning to the phrase "crash and burn", with a radical free-market budget that proved utterly calamitous. She was forced to resign, making her the shortest-serving Prime Minister in British history. Famously her time in office was shorter than a rotting blonde-wigged iceberg lettuce, invented by the Daily Star newspaper, which became a viral sensation as it outlived the newly failed PM in the battle of survival.

Then came Rishi Sunak. Nobody voted for him, and nobody wanted him. He'd already lost the party leadership vote to Liz Truss, but in desperation the Conservatives put him in charge. He and his party never recovered from the Johnson/Truss debacle. A majority of British voters blamed his party for making the cost of living crisis more painful than it should have been. £30 billion had been wiped off the economy by Tory incompetence. Their failed plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda was beset by legal problems and cost us yet another £720 million. Money that was just wasted.

And what of Sunak himself? He announced the election on the steps of Drowning Street, in the pouring rain. He claimed he had a plan - although clearly that didn't involve an umbrella. He made panic announcements of National Service for young people, and tax cuts for pensioners which did nothing to improve his fortunes in the polls. Then there was the political disaster of having 15 of his closest aides, including his own Parliamentary Private Secretary, betting on the date of General Election. They have now all been charged with offenses by the Gambling Commission. Just to round things off Sunak decided to abandon British Veterans at the D-Day commemoration in Normandy, just so he could do a recorded TV interview.

Photo: matt hrkac
CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

But does it really matter? These are just local elections?

Well, it's vital that all gay men make their voices heard. Local elections can make a real difference to how you live your life. Just remember what happened in London last year. Labour Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan made a point of attending Pride in London and whilst there said:

When it comes to local democracy, don't forget it was a serving Tory councillor who tweeted that LGBT Pride is "not a virtue but a sin"; another suggested that his party "may as well legalise marriage with animals" now that we have same-sex marriage; whilst one candidate claimed the "LGBT lobby" aims to "reduce the age that children receive sexual education to seven including the promotion of a homosexual lifestyle".

It is vital that everyone comes together to vote out these people with their extreme views, whether they be prospective Members of Parliament, someone who is standing to become a Mayor, or be a part of your local council. It's vital that we all go to the polling station on May 1st and vote for candidates proud to defend the equalities that we have fought for and won.

REMEMBER: You must take Photo ID with you in order to vote - so a passport, driving licence or other statutory document as listed on the Electorial Commission Website.

The Labour Party has never done particularly well in the areas up for election on 1st May and so may escape any severe electoral punishment - it does not have many seats to lose. However, the party’s tumultuous nine months in government, fall in the polls, and leaking of support to Reform UK, the Lib Dems and the Greens mean it is unlikely to see any significant gains.

Remember, local government elections are held in different parts of the country at different times. So, you can’t compare the outcome of the election last year with anything that happens this time around. The turnout tends to be much lower at local elections than at a general election.

Voters, particularly those in the West Midlands, may choose who to vote for based on how good their local authority has been at collecting their rubbish. The Green Party in Brighton and Hove was punished at the 2023 local elections for its poor record on waste collection, but kept hold of the Brighton Pavillion seat at the 2024 general election.

The Liberal Democrats are known for outperforming their national support and doing very well at local elections, often as a result of running hyper local campaigns. The party did very well at the 2024 locals, winning more council seats than the Conservatives and gaining control of two councils. Yet it did not go on either to win all the parliamentary seats in those areas or outperform the Tories overall.

The Labour Party has delivered monumental change for the LGBT+ community. They have a dedicated timeline on their website where they remember our history, celebrate the brave people who came before us and look towards a brighter future for LGBT+ people across the world. Labour is committed to living up to this legacy and will continue to fight for LGBT people during the term of this Labour government.

More Info: LGBT+ Timeline

Don't forget that you have the opportunity to express your political view in the upcoming local elections on Thursday 1st May. REMEMBER TO TAKE YOUR PHOTO ID and go to your local polling station to use your votes wisely. Don't leave it to others - Make your voice heard!