As
#antitrans
hate machine ramps up & misuses
#CassReview
even more, let's be honest:
I) Their focus is primarily
#transwomen
who don't 'pass'
2) They've not considered
#transmen
will now be on female wards
3) They've no thought for impact on women who 'appear too masculine'
BREAKING NEWS -
@PeterTatchell
has been arrested in
#Qatar
in the first ever public
#LGBT
protest in a Gulf State.
He was seized by the Qatari security services while demonstrating in Doha ahead of the World Cup in three weeks.
His whereabouts are unknown - please pray for him!
I was utterly appalled by
@RishiSunak
's rant against
#trans
people
It was an abuse of office, an abuse of power & an abuse of the trust so many have put in him
Trans people deserve our respect & affirmation - they suffer so much due too ignorance & hate
Today confirms my worst fears for
#LGBT
+ community - we are now witnessing the serious rollback on rights & protections that many have feared & which caused me to resign as a Government Adviser
To break your flagship promise to a community that has seen a significant rise...1/3
I've resigned from
@GEOgovuk
the
#LGBT
Advisory Panel - and decided to say exactly what I think about this administration and the way they treat LGBT people, particularly trans people.
Do watch ITV News tonight for the full interview
Wow - just wow! What a day - 3000+ people and 30+ trans speakers! There was me thinking we'd only have 100 people....thank you everyone for coming!
Trans People Are Beautiful People!
#LGBWithoutTheT
#KeepTransInTheBan
I'm resigning from
#Synod
due to the callous disregard of the harm
@churchofengland
teaching causes
#LGBT
+ people, particularly young LGBT+ people in conservative churches.
The bishops' 'unity at any cost' agenda is highly abusive, as is being told to 'love & accept' our abusers
An important statement from LGBT+ leaders, including myself
'For far too long now, we have seen trans people and communities used in a culture war, mocked by those who are in positions of power, and inaccurately portrayed as a threat to other communities'
I am totally sickened & appalled by this.
Have they no respect for international law? Do they not believe in the dignity of all? The constant attack on the
#trans
community by this government has all the echoes of
#Section28
& looks to take us back decades.
It is unforgiveable
We have provided advice to the Minister for Women and Equalities on the definition of the protected characteristic of 'sex' in the Equality Act 2010.
Find out more:
I'm sickened to my core by the all out attack by govt on
#trans
community
Rhetoric used by the media coupled with negative comments re
@stonewalluk
by
#KemiBadenoch
show a clear agenda, which is to try & turn public against trans community & their allies
This is a very dark day. I cannot believe that
@RishiSunak
has chosen this battle amongst all the other priorities he is facing!
It's yet another vicious attack on the
#trans
community - one of the most marginalised, hated & misunderstood in our society.
Sir
@RhonddaBryant
gave an incredibly powerful & moving contribution in the
@HouseofCommons
today about the impact of discrimination on a
#LGBT
Christian & the cruelty of the
@churchofengland
bishops' proposals.
It really was a Kairos moment for those in the Chamber & beyond..
Prayer isn't prayer if it causes you to hate yourself for being LGBT!
It's actually 'Hate prayer'.
It is dangerous, damaging & must be included in a bill to
#BanConversationtherapy
I know - I spent years trying to 'pray the gay away' & ended up in hospital wishing I would die
The Rt Hon Kemi Badenoch MP has been re-appointed Secretary of State for International Trade
@TradeGovUK
and President of the Board of Trade.
She has also been appointed Minister for Women and Equalities
@GEOgovuk
.
#Reshuffle
@10DowningStreet
3/3
...condemning many to untold abuse that is now sanctioned by the State.
@RishiSunak
's failure to act will be remembered for years to come, it will take generations for
#LGBT
+ people to trust his party again - indeed I know many will now clearly see just how he treats
This is bias for you writ large.
This story features on
@BBCNews
page today...
....where is the story about a +56% rise in
#transphobic
#hate
crime??!!
Please join me in (1) joining the dots and (2) calling this bias out!
I do wish Baroness Falkner would think her proposals through...her recommendations as
@EHRCChair
would lead to this illogical conclusion.
We must as a society respect
#trans
people for who they are...
I've just burst into tears...
A Christian mum of a Christian gay son has loving made & donated all these beautiful gifts to be given out at Lambeth, in the hope it will touch the bishops' hearts...what a powerful witness!
LGBTQ+ members of Synod stood in solidarity with their LGBTQ brothers & sisters in Ghana during the first debate in this quinquenium today during a speech by Canon Simon Butler
2/3
...in hate crime is a total moral failure.
To do so after 5 years of posturing, with minimal engagement with victims of "conversion therapy", shows just how callously
@10DowningStreet
treats
#LGBT
+ lives.
The government has chosen to prioritise appeasing perpetrators..
Dear
@BBC
Please explain how
#BBCCharter
enables
@BBCNews
journalist
@JustinOnWeb
to use
@BBCr4today
Paper Review to push his personal agenda & campaign against
#trans
people, which he knows causes great offence?
This is not impartial reporting but a blatant abuse of privilege!
IMHO Mae's problem was that she was representing the UK, which in the eyes of many, both here & abroad, has become very anti-LGBT. That's not going to go down well with a primarily pro-LGBT audience!
There I've said it - the votes can often be political..
Powerful words from
@BishopSarah
in her closing speech this afternoon at the end of the
#Synod
#LLF
debate
I think it was the most memorable and moving speech I have heard from a bishop in years.
I remain grateful to her for all that she has done in leading us through the
I despair!
Listening to
@EHRCChair
on
@TimesRadio
it's clear she has utterly NO idea of how her recent letter on
#trans
people has impacted their lives & the fear they feel
It's NOT 'just an opinion' - it's a targeted attack by the regulatory body that is meant to protect them!
Whatever you think of
@trussliz
& her policies, we should remember she is another human being who is under the most horrendous pressure
I've no idea why she couldn't attend today, but looking at her & the concerns shown by those near her - we should keep her in our prayers pls..
I am utterly speechless by Ms Braverman's cold-hearted, cynical grandstanding against LGBT+ people
Yet more proof of the anti-LGBT+ rhetoric this govt is determined to engage in ahead of election
The silence by supposedly pro-LGBT+ Tory MPs is deafening!
If the reports are true, it'll mean that all our work over past 5 years has been utterly in vain as the proposed legislation will have a loophole so large to render it meaningless
The govt has constantly prioritised listening to voices of perpetrators 1/2
Today I had the immense privilege of presenting
#JustLove
and research to
@Pontifex
I explained I had gone through conversion therapy after believing “that I could never be a wife, a mother or a grandmother".
He then took my hands & said “Please pray for me as I pray for you”
This interview was meant to be on the delayed ban on
#conversiontherapy
but as usual with The Times it got hijacked by an
#antitrans
agenda.
I decided to call the fake news out & highlight the harm it is causing the
#trans
community
“This is only a contested issue because of fake news and fake articles by people who don't like trans people and are trying to whip up a storm.”
@JayneOzanne
says the media must report 'more responsibly' and 'factually' on trans issues.
@StigAbell
|
#TimesRadio
@ChamberVoice
@Hilary_Cass
I found
@CBCNews
article extremely helpful, particularly on how report is "coming from a place of bias"
Evidently "there actually is a lot of evidence, just not in the form of randomized clinical trials"
It's strange
@Hilary_cass
didn't include these
This is madness - does no one see the harm that is being done?!
Fascinating that perpetrators of
#conversiontherapy
abuse get to meet with
@GEOgovuk
but not the victims..
That said NO ONE has ever campaigned for church teaching to be included in the ban
This administration will go down in history as the most anti-LGBT government in a generation.
It will take as long for LGBT+ people & our allies to trust them again - broken promises always lead to broken trust, which sadly leads to lives endangered & even tragically lost
Two weeks after we first reported it, the Times has also heard that the ban on conversion therapy is being dropped.
None of my sources in or outside govt now expect the promise to be delivered, which will be seen by many LGBT people as a real betrayal.
On the evening of Thur 9th Feb, following the vote on blessings a LGBT Synod member was brutally attacked in a homophobic hate crime. He is slowly recovering & has reported incident to police. His privacy is requested. People need to be aware of the real dangers LGBT people face!
Yes, there are disagreements - we believe
#trans
people deserve full protection under the law, that there is no such thing as 'trans ideology' & that
@trussliz
doesn't understand difference between protecting people & the ideological concept of 'fairness'!
Surprise call from
@sanditoksvig
encouraging all of us standing against discrimination in
@churchofengland
She movingly shared stories of many Christian friends who've been hurt & harmed by the Church & live in fear.
Sounds as though she had a robust meeting with
@JustinWelby
I'm so angry - we waited 5 years & 2 Queen's Speeches with
@10DowningStreet
promising 'we're working at pace' on
#conversiontherapy
ban
#Tory
party will never be trusted by
#LGBT
people, their friends & allies again
The moral failure to protect
#LGBT
people takes us back to 80s
The long-promised ban on conversion therapy won’t be in the King’s Speech.
I understand the government thinks the shape of a ban isn’t ready yet.
It’s been five years since the Conservatives first promised to ban it.
Very unlikely it’ll now be banned before next election.
"I see no incompatibility with being kind & understanding & protecting the ability for trans people to go around & live their lives with protecting my rights as a woman to privacy & dignity. A lot of these things..are a confected situation."
@PennyMordaunt
I'm truly shocked by the vile nature of many posts I've received recently
The only good thing about them is that they give clear evidence of the deep levels of transphobia & ignorance present in society & the proof needed to show why trans people need enhanced legal protections.
I am sickened by this cheap quip, which yet again seeks to target & undermine
#trans
people.
No other leader in the civilised world would stoop so low.
Prime Minister
@RishiSunak
will rue the day he decided to stoke this culture war - it tarnishes the great office he holds.
Sir
@BenPBradshaw
: "The current Prime Minister...has the worst record of all three of recent conservative prime ministers."
He states why:
- broken promises to
#banconversiontherapy
& reform the gender recognition process
- blocked Scotland's agreed gender recognition reforms
-
This is my impassioned speech during
#LLF
in
#Synod
I shared just how tired I am of these conversations & implored conservatives to "make space" for those of us who will never believe what they believe
I asked "to whom can young
#LGBT
+ people in conservative churches turn?"
Appalled to hear transphobic views being given a platform on
@BBCr4today
.
These are not 'perfectly ordinary beliefs' but clear transphobic views that go against international norms & rights. Where was the counter voice to speak up for
#trans
people and say how harmful this is?
@KirstySNP
spoke out about the demonising of
#trans
community & use of exclusionary phrase "ordinary people"
She rightly points out that there hasn't been an agreed definition of biological sex & also points out they're in a room of cis-gendered people debating trans people
Our
#trans
siblings are some of the most marginalised in UK today, experiencing horrendous hate & vitriol - especially from UK media & government
They need our support, our love & most of all they need us to stand strong with & for them
Pls remember them
#TransDayofRemembrance
#Safeguarding
is a real issue, even in
#Synod
@churchofengland
I spent the first half of
@York_Minster
service worrying that I would have to walk out during the sermon if the Archbishop of
#Ghana
said something anti- LGBT
Awful feeling, shaking throughout. Wish I'd been warned!
UPDATE -
@10DowningStreet
has backed down on Gay 'Conversion Therapy' but not on Trans 'conversion therapy', which is ridiculous given our trans friends are twice as likely to be offered and undergo it!!
🚨 U-TURN ON THE U-TURN 🚨
The Prime Minister has changed his mind off the back of the reaction to our report and he WILL now ban conversion therapy after all.
Senior Govt source absolutely assures me it’ll be in Queen’s Speech.
But only gay conversion therapy, not trans.
I am utterly speechless - yet another transphobic interview on
@BBCr4today
on
#transdayofvisibility
Where was the alternative view or voice - why give a platform just to a known transphobe during sport section
At long last thanks to Baroness
@LoelyBurt
we have a ban on
#conversiontherapy
in
@UKHouseofLords
It's truly excellent to see this legislation covering any practice that seeks to change or suppress someone's sexual orientation or gender identity
@BanCTorg
I've returned from
@LambethConf
with a heavy heart
It's clear that the Communion focus is 'unity at all costs' - with cost being paid by LGBT+ people
I can't help thinking What Would Jesus Do? I believe it would be to defend the marginalised & those most at risk - at all costs!
I am keen to understand how
#LGBT
Tories feel able to stay in their party given it's decision to break it's flagship promise to protect us from harm.
Where are the resignations that were threatened? What deals have been done? Why are they accepting this?
@LGBTCons
Today confirms my worst fears for
#LGBT
+ community - we are now witnessing the serious rollback on rights & protections that many have feared & which caused me to resign as a Government Adviser
To break your flagship promise to a community that has seen a significant rise...1/3
I've just been reduced to floods of uncontrollable tears..
At last a full heartfelt apology for the pain so many of us have gone through - the trauma runs very deep
I'm sorry you can't read all Bishop
@Steven_Croft
's paper free online but pls do read this from the Introduction!
Appalled by the platform for someone spouting transphobic views as 'orthodox christianity' on
@BBCR4Sunday
this morning.
Huge respect for Rev Sarah Jones for taking him on. I think I'd have pointed out he was breaking the law with his views that want to eradicate
#trans
people!
Well said
@PennyMordaunt
👏👏
'This is Pride Month...I’ve never found standing up for my rights as a woman incompatible with standing up for vulnerable minorities... Conservatives should know that demonising minorities never strengthens majorities'
'No Crib for A Bed' - absolutely inspired!
My little local church of
#Littlemore
has provided an incredibly moving Christmas tableau - a joint effort by our senior knitting group, our Artist Missioner (who works with asylum seekers) & our vicar Margaret, who put it all together
Impeccable?! As I made clear to Naomi I found her talk offensive and triggering, and I do not want to have anything to do with her site.
What's more, as Naomi and Maya are also very aware I spoke without a script, so this is all just posturing on their part
@LgtbqForum
@middletemple
Thank you for hosting. It was great the hear
@Nancy_M_K
@JayneOzanne
and
@legalfeminist
Naomi Cunningham talk about the proposed legislation and ask questions. This is as it should be in a democracy.
Thank you to all the officers and staff for an impeccable evening.
Today is
#TransDayOfVisibility
on which I'd like to honour & celebrate my trans & nonbinary friends, who are under sustained attack by parts of society.
I believe it is beholden on us all to stand up against transphobia & ignorance as best we possibly can
BREAKING NEWS -
@victor_madrigal
gives an excoriating verdict on UK govt & EHRC's approach to
#LGBT
+ rights after his recent UK visit:
"The expert expressed grave concern about delays in long-promised legislation to ban practices of "conversion"...1/2
1/2 There appears to be little reflection by Cass on the cultural shifts that have empowered more trans kids to feel they can speak out/come forward, only to be met by institutions who are incapable (if not downright opposed) to meeting their needs...
The total irony of
@SuellaBraverman
saying she is motivated by 'compassion' will not be lost on
#LGBT
community
She says that it's because of compassion she wants to ban allowing under 18s to transition, which will sadly cause many to consider taking their lives & others to do
So grateful to Sir
@eltonofficial
for calling on the UK government to
#banconversiontherapy
tonight in Westminster
To date we still have no explanation or apology as to why
@RishiSunak
dropped the long promised legislation that was their flagship promise to the
#LGBT
+ community
Very grateful to Tory MP,
@Gibbo4Darlo
, for speaking out:
'We need a ban on
#conversiontherapy
. It shouldn’t have any consentloopholes, because you can’t consent to abuse.'
He also told
@theipaper
that it must include
#trans
people.
Let's be crystal clear - the greatest threat to women's lives is ignorance, which my
#trans
friends sadly know all too well about as they suffer the greatest level of
#HateCrime
!
My heart went out to
@JamieWallisMP
yesterday, who left the chamber & didn't return:
"I find myself genuinely baffled as to how MPs could say out loud that they wish to have a respectful debate, then to go on & induce it to deteriorate in such a manner.”
So pleased to see this powerful letter signed by Christian faith leaders - including former Archbishop of Canterbury, ++Rowan Williams &
@SteveChalke
"to be trans is to enter a sacred journey of becoming whole: previous, honoured & loves by yourself, by others & by God"
Amen!
What an incredibly aggressive interview by
@Emmabarnett
who seemed to want to undermine
@Nancy_M_K
any which way she could on
@BBCWomansHour
& often wouldn't let her answer her questions. I thought
@BBCRadio4
were meant to be impartial..
Listen now: Stonewall CEO Nancy Kelley gives her first interview since the BBC became the latest organisation to pull out of its diversity scheme - citing concerns about perceptions of impartiality regarding transgender rights and women's rights:
It's not every day you get to tell a government Minister off for speaking "utter rubbish"
However I was so angered by the trope that banning
#conversiontherapy
is "very complex so it needs more time" & "they're working on it" that I felt it needed saying!
For all the excellent speeches made by MPs tonight in
@HoCpetitions
debate, I must admit I was appalled by the very high levels of ignorance, rudeness & unconscious bias shown by some this evening
It was telling from whom all the heckling & interruptions were coming from sadly
I've some news, for which I'd appreciate your prayers for please
I've been encouraged to apply for the (unpaid) UN Independent Expert on Protection Against Violence & Discrimination based on Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity
My application is now live
In recent weeks, I have watched as the Government has undermined Britain’s economic credibility & fractured our Party irreparably.
Enough is enough.
I have written to the Prime Minister to ask her to stand down as she no longer holds the confidence of this country.
Whilst I'll miss many friends on
#Synod
, I won't miss the vile abusive comments - many from supposed Christians
It's extraordinary they think it's OK to post this sort of stuff...
Proof (if ever we need it) that
@RishiSunak
was never to be trusted on protecting
#LGBT
people & delivering on a 6 year old promise to
#banconversiontherapy
This rollback on rights is exactly what I predicted when I resigned from Govt
#LGBT
Advisory Panel
It is impossible to prove coercion.
Also, it puts the onus of doing so back on the victim not the perpetrator.
This is a government that as we suspected wants to protect certain perpetrators & won't listen to victims' lived experience
No other country has sought to do this!
Reliable source confirms Times scoop this morning - the ban on conversion therapy is back on.
It includes both sexuality and gender.
But at present it only covers “coercive” practices where people are forced, with safeguards for parents & clinicians.
Don't you just love
@sanditoksvig
...so glad she has spoken out what so many people know to be true:
“The lives of LGBTQ+ people are at stake here,” Toksvig wrote. “Jesus doesn’t mention sexuality at all. It clearly wasn’t a big deal for him.”
@guardian
This is absolutely appalling behaviour by
@10DowningStreet
As I told
@PaulBrandITV
"How on earth are we ever to trust those in power when they renege on any promise that's been made & don't seem to understand the harm that so many are people facing right now in Britain today?"
EXCLUSIVE: The government has ditched its promised ban on conversion therapy.
A briefing document leaked to
@itvnews
states "The PM has agreed we should not move forward with legislation to ban LGBT conversion therapy".
It breaks 4 years of promises.
I'm glad
@PinkNews
has picked up on this story as most of the General Public will be rightly horrified by it. Yet another reason to see
@churchofengland
as homophobic & hypocritical when it preaches 'love for all'.
Silence of anyone in purple deafening..
I can't believe this...
The vast majority of the public will read this story & conclude, rightly, that the
@ChurchofEngland
is a hypocritical, unloving & cruel institution, which most don't want anything to do with! No wonder we are haemorrhaging people!
Extremely concerned that the government is allowing 'informed consent' for adults - it's a major loophole & will leave thousands at risk. Sadly, the desires of perpetrators have been priortised over the needs of survivors in relation to religious practices
This was my final
#Synod
speech
To date no church leader has ever apologised for the trauma that I went through, which I summoned up courage to share here
It was this indifference that confirmed it was time to leave....few care about the pain they know church teaching inflicts!
"Do we believe in love? Do we see marriage as a good thing? Then if we do, why don't we make it free & available for all?"
Does
@BpBurnley
not see the total irony of what he is saying regarding those of us who yearn for
#equalmarriage
?!
@campaign_cofe
Well that was manic! 1 hour & virtually all gifts gone - now there are lots of African bishops with Pride facemasks, with Pride pens & taking rainbow gifts home to their children!
Lots of great conversations too!
I'm thrilled to say I have been appointed to the
@WelshGovernment
's Working Party on
#Conversiontherapy
.
I am impressed that they are determined to ensure these practices are stamped out in
#Wales
and that survivors are given the support they need. 1/2
25+ years ago I braved coming into this bar, the
@QueensHeadW1D
, for a
#lesbians
only night. I stood in the car petrified & then went home.
Always look out for those making their first brave steps...for me it would take 2 breakdowns before I finally came out..
For those who want to see evidence of the type of pile-ons & abuse that principled MPs like
@KirstySNP
have to endure, please just read the comments on this thread. Their tone says it all - those MPs who represent them should hang their heads in shame
@KirstySNP
spoke out about the demonising of
#trans
community & use of exclusionary phrase "ordinary people"
She rightly points out that there hasn't been an agreed definition of biological sex & also points out they're in a room of cis-gendered people debating trans people
Excellent piece by
@PinkNews
on my departure from
#Synod
, including the upsetting incident at Lambeth Palace with Justin.
I said I was 'saddened and relieved' at leaving, adding:
'I pray that they will one day see the damage and trauma they have caused.'
I know that too many people in the LGBTQI+ community are worried and afraid about their future and their safety.
I want to send a message to the entire community – especially to transgender children.
You are loved.
You are heard.
You are understood.
You belong.
There was NO govt self-ID policy - what they wanted was to research public views on demedicalisation & how to reduce bureaucracy so as to help FRAME future policy
@PennyMordaunt
is speaking truth - there was no policy -
@trussliz
&
@KemiBadenoch
are spinning facts
@Channel4News
I think it's about time some folk had a proper biology lesson.
'The popular belief that your sex arises only from your chromosomal makeup is wrong. The truth is, your biological sex isn’t carved in stone, but a living system with the potential for change'
I fear the arc of the moral universe has paused in time.
I'm weeping for my
#Ugandan
#LGBT
+ siblings & am so angry with those "Christians" who pushed for this in Uganda.
Why haven't
#GAFCON
condemned the Church of Uganda for backing the death penalty?!
Just under 20 years ago I stood in this chamber at this same podium & read a suicide note (my own) to
@synod
about the anguish I was in between my faith & my sexuality.
Tonight I was able to apologise to the
#LGBT
+ community for the harm religion causes so many!
A long journey!
Shocked & saddened to learn of the sudden death of my dear friend
@alantlwilson
Bishop Alan was an absolute giant for all committed to an inclusive church. His prophetic witness cost him dearly, yet he remained undeterred
RIP +Alan, thank you for all you gave, inspired & led ✝️