With Portsmouth Pride 2026 taking place this weekend, I would like to wish this city’s LGBTQ+ community a happy Pride.
As your MP, I am immensely proud of our party’s record in advancing LGBT+ rights. The last Labour Government did more for LGBT+ equality than any government in British history, making our country a far more open and tolerant place to live by:
- Removing Section 28
- Passing legislation allowing trans people to legally change their gender
- Introducing the Equality Act
Since coming into office, the current Labour Government has carried on this legacy, already having taken a series of bold and decisive actions to protect the wellbeing and safety of LGBTQ+ people across the UK, including:
- Publishing the HIV Action Plan
- Compensating LGBTQ+ veterans for historic wrongs
- Improving access NHS Adult Gender Dysphoria Clinics
- Reclassifying all hate crimes as aggravated offences
- Providing specialist funding for LGBTQ+ domestic abuse services
People may have also seen that, King Charles has announced this Government’s intention to ban all forms of conversion therapy through the Conversion Practices Bill, which is due to undergo the legislative process within this Parliament.
This Bill is a landmark moment for my “Ban Conversion Therapy” campaign, which I launched last summer to campaign for a ban all forms of so-called conversion therapy in full, with no loopholes or exceptions.
To back the campaign click here.
Although this Government has already achieved major progress since 2024, I understand that there is still more work to do as I work with others and hear the concerns of constituents, especially as hateful and divisive rhetoric creeps back into our public discourse.
We cannot make the mistake of thinking the battle is won, which is why Labour is committed not only defending all progress made, but also building on our proud legacy of LGBT+ equality into the future.
I know many local people remain worried about what the future holds for the LGBT+ community in this country. I want to reassure them that as their MP, I will continue to stand with them not just during Pride Month, but every single day of the year.
Stephen Morgan MP
