PinkNews Q&A: Submit your questions for Lib Dem leader Tim Farron
Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron is the first party leader to take part in a Q&A with PinkNews, ahead of the 2017 General Election.
Mr Farron became leader of the Liberal Democrats in 2015 replacing Nick Clegg, who had been a fierce champion for LGBT rights.
The Liberal Democrat party pioneered much of the early calls for LGBT rights, and is expected to make a number of pledges on equality in its upcoming manifesto.
Mr Farron has been facing questions about his religious beliefs about LGBT people in the past week. The leader insists he does not think it is a sin to be gay, but it took him a week of interviews to eventually confirm he doesn’t think gay sex is sinful.
Ahead of the June election, Mr Farron is the first party leader to agree to answer questions from PinkNews readers.
You can submit your questions for Mr Farron below.
The former leader of the Liberal Democrats, Nick Clegg, first backed same-sex marriage in his 2010 Q&A with PinkNews – the first time the leader of a major political party backed marriage equality.
Mr Farron rose to the leadership position with a mixed voting history on LGBT rights – but he has become an outspoken and consistent supporter of equal rights since becoming party leader.
Earlier this month, Mr Farron was leading calls against the persecution of gay people in Chechnya, lobbying Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson on the issue.
He told PinkNews: “These reports from Chechnya are truly horrifying, and represent an extreme manifestation of increasing homophobic brutality and intolerance in Putin’s Russia.
“The UK government must strongly condemn this disgusting violence, and use every possibly opportunity to raise this with the Russian government, as well as in the UN and other international bodies.”
Through his time in Parliament Mr Farron has lobbied on a number of other issues, championing transgender equality and criticising the blanket ban on blood donation by men who have sex with men.
He also personally intervened in Parliament to help secure the safety of a transgender woman who has been sent to a man’s prison.
Two out transgender women are expected to stand as Lib Dem candidates in June’s election.
