A friend just said to me that it doesn’t matter if or how they vote: “They’re all shit.” My heart sank, as it has so many times over the past few years, as political—and actual—attacks on queer people grow.
If you don’t vote for someone who cares about our communities, someone else will: a voter who wishes to debate or deny the reality of our lives; who will vote to attack us.
Effective activism is always multi-pronged: We organise, we lobby, we build coalitions. We make noise outside parliament, we lobby inside. We vote. We make it clear that supporting our communities is a vote-winner. We demand to remain in the light.We deny the call to draw us back into darkness.
This is how we equalised the age of consent and killed Section 28. This is how funding for HIV came on the agenda. This is how women and working people got the vote. It’s a messy business, and we all have our part to play.
This election matters. Where to start? Queer people have been turned into electoral footballs: fair, equitable access to life-saving healthcare, especially for Trans people, inclusive education, and attempts to make workplaces more welcoming have all been under attack.
I would never tell you how to vote, but I do make a plea: Make sure they have earned the privilege to represent you. Use your vote for the party and candidate that will help make you and your friends safer. Be ready with questions if campaigners knock on your door and, where possible, frame them neutrally so they don’t just tell you what they think you want to hear.
Register to vote, make sure you have the right ID.
And please, please don’t waste your vote on a protest. When we do that, we end up with worse outcomes. I’ve met many Leave voters who told me their vote was a protest but regretted the outcome. True, effective activists are focused and strategic: they call for changes to laws, policies, and political priorities.
Here are some of the questions I want answers to:
- What are your candidate’s views and policies on Gender Recognition and Self-Identification?
- Where do they stand on inclusive Sex and Relationships Education, and on schools having literature that recognizes that young LGBTQ+ people exist?
- What are their views on Anti-Hate Crime legislation?
- Where do they stand on Gender-Affirming Healthcare and Support?
- Will their candidate be for or against sending immigrants and refugees to regimes that are unwelcoming or dangerous for queer people?
- Do they support a ban on conversion therapy for LGBTQ+ people?
- Would they stop your town halls from flying a Rainbow flag during Pride, and would they let your staff wear rainbow lanyards? This may seem trivial but is hugely important in visibly demonstrating that previously excluded communities are welcome.
Make them convince you that they have your back. And if they don’t, then don’t give them your vote. Check your candidate’s voting records on They Work For You.
Register to vote, and make sure you have the right ID.
If they won’t show up for us, then don’t show up for them.
Joseph Galliano-Doig MBE is the Director and Co-Founder of Queer Britain.
