The UK just elected a record number of LGBTQ people to Parliament
The UK has elected a record number of LGBTQ people to Parliament, election guru Professor Andrew Reynolds reports.
45 out LGBTQ MPs were elected on June 8, a net gain of six.
The 45 represent 7% of the new House of Commons and is the highest level of representation ever in Britain and the world, representing a rise from 2015.
19 CONSERVATIVE (6%)
19 LABOUR (7%)
7 SNP (20%)
There are eight new LGBTQ faces in parliament. All men. Five Labour, three Tories.
Dan CARDEN – Liverpool Walton LAB
Gerard KILLEN – Rutherglen & Hamilton West LAB
Sandy MARTIN – Ipswich LAB
Luke POLLARD – Plymouth, Sutton LAB
Lloyd RUSSELL-MOYLE – Brighton Kemptown LAB
Damien MOORE – Southport CON
Lee ROWLEY – Derbyshire North East CON
Ross THOMSON – Aberdeen South CON
Two incumbent LGBTQ MPs were ousted: John Nicolson of the SNP in East Dunbartonshire and Tory Ben Howlett in Bath.
As in 2015 out LGBTQ candidates again look to have outpolled their straight colleagues. The Tories only made eight gains outside of Scotland and two of them were by LGBTQ Tory candidates. LGBTQ SNP MPs were more likely to hold their seats than their straight colleagues. LGBTQ Labour made four gains.
31 of the MPs are from England, 10 from Scotland, and 4 from Wales. Scotland continues to lead the way in the inclusion of LGBTQ voices in politics at 17%.
The 45 MPs do not reflect the diversity of the UK LGBTQ community. There are 36 men and 9 women – all are white. None are transgender.
Conservative (19)
Stuart ANDREW – Pudsey
Crispin BLUNT – Reigate
Nick BOLES – Grantham & Stamford
Conor BURNS – Bournemouth West
Alan DUNCAN – Rutland & Melton
Nigel EVANS – Ribble Valley
Mike FREER – Finchley & Golders Green
Nick GIBB – Bognor Regis & Littlehampton
Justine GREENING – Putney
Nick HERBERT – Arundel & South Down
Margot JAMES – Stourbridge
Daniel KAWCZYNSKI – Shrewsbury & Atcham
Mark MENZIES – Fylde
Damien MOORE* – Southport
David MUNDELL – Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale & Tweeddale
Lee ROWLEY* – Derbyshire North East
Iain STEWART – Milton Keynes South
Ross THOMSON* – Aberdeen South
William WRAGG – Hazel Grove
Labour (19)
Angela EAGLE – Wallasey
Clive BETTS – Sheffield South East
Nick BROWN – Newcastle upon Tyne East
Ben BRADSHAW – Exeter
Chris BRYANT – Rhondda
Dan CARDEN* – Liverpool Walton
Stephen DOUGHTY – Cardiff South & Penarth
Nia GRIFFITH – Llanelli
Gerald JONES – Merthyr Tydfil & Rhymney
Gerard KILLEN* – Rutherglen & Hamiton West
Peter KYLE – Hove
Gordon MARSDEN – Blackpool South
Sandy MARTIN* – Ipswich
Luke POLLARD* – Plymouth, Sutton
Steve REED – Croydon North
Lloyd RUSSELL-MOYLE* – Brighton Kemptown
Cat SMITH – Lancaster & Fleetwood
Wes STREETING – Ilford North
Stephen TWIGG – Liverpool West Derby
Scottish National Party (8)
Hannah BARDELL – Livingston
Mhairi BLACK – Paisley & Renfrewshire South
Joanna CHERRY – Edinburgh South West
Angela CRAWLEY – Lanark & Hamilton East
Martin DOCHERTY – West Dunbartonshire
Stuart McDONALD – Cumbernauld, Kilsyth & Kirkintilloch
Stewart McDONALD – Glasgow South
2015 – 39 – 17 CON: 14 LAB: 8 SNP
2017 – 45 – 19 CON: 19 LAB: 7 SNP
The LGBT Representation and Rights Research Initiative at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is the first academic program focused exclusively on the link between the representation of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and the legal and political rights afforded to those groups.
Andrew Reynolds is Professor of Political Science at UNC Chapel Hill. He tweets at@AndyReynoldsUNC.
