Has 2018 been a great year for the UK’s LGBT community?

This post has been written and contributed by Kelly Hall, and is published in accordance with content disclosure policy.

There’s no doubt it’s been a huge year for the LGBT community. The number of children adopted by same-sex couples has almost doubled since 2013 and we’ve elected a record number of LGBT politicians to parliament, too.

Although hate crimes are still a massive issue in the country, things are looking brighter as closed minds begin to open and LGBT activists continue to fight for equality.

As 2018 comes to a close, let’s take a moment and reflect on some of the main headlines and milestones for the LGBT community in 2018.

Record number of LGBT politicians in parliament

Did you know that there are at least eight new LGBT politicians in parliament? In fact, 2018 has seen a record number of LGBT people welcomed into parliament, which is great news for the LGBT community.

Altogether, there are currently 45 LGBT MPs in Parliament. Each of them has their own story, and many have now found the confidence to speak out about their experiences as LGBT politicians.

While they were handed more than a few harsh judgements from closed minded people – they also received immense support from their families, friends and members of the public.

David Mundell, the Scottish Secretary, reflected on his experience as a gay MP in a documentary.

He said: “People have a completely different outlook now,” and went on to discuss the fact that if he had come out 20 or 30 years ago, he would probably have been forced to resign from the cabinet.

The gender identity movement

Changing your legal gender was once an almost impossible quest but nowadays, anyone can legally change their gender in the UK by applying for a ‘Gender Recognition Certificate’ (GRC).

Of course, legally changing your identity requires more than a few determinations.

The BBC reports that it can take over five years to complete the legal process for trans men and women in England and Wales.

Individuals must also be aged 18 or older and have a diagnosis of gender dysphoria from a psychiatrist. This is a condition whereby a person experiences a great deal of associated distress due to an incongruity between their gender identity and their biological sex.

While the situation in the UK can definitely be improved, it’s arguably a lot more progressive here than in Donald Trump’s America, where transgender rights are under threat.

Challenges to transphobia

The way people respond to transphobia online has changed dramatically over the last year, with more people standing up for the trans community on social media and other channels online.

Recently Graham Linehan, comedian and co-writer of the sitcom Father Ted, was given a verbal harassment warning by the police following a complaint.

The complaint was brought up by a transgender activist, who reported the comedian for transphobia behaviour when he called her “he” and referred to her using names before she transitioned.

Unfortunately, not all hate crimes are handled as they should. Aaron Bianco, a pastoral assistant at the St. John The Evangelist church in San Diego was forced to resign after years of homophobic abuse.

The abuse and verbal threats came in the form of intimidating emails which caused Aaron a great deal of anxiety and stress. The abuse started shortly after homophobes in the parish and community found out that Aaron was married to a man.

However, Aaron hasn’t given up his faith and still attends the church in the hope that the abuse and mistreatment will come to an end.

Record numbers at Pride marches

2018 saw record numbers at Pride marches with over 16,000 people attending Canterbury Pride this year alone. The event attracted thousands and was led by Lord Mayor Cllr Colin Spencer.

Attendees enjoyed hours of fantastic music as the parade made its way through the city centre of Canterbury and finished with an a colourful “Glitterbomb” party at the Old Brewery Tavern in Stour Street.

There have also been hundreds of drag events launched in cities across the world, including RuPaul’s Drag Race, Christmas Queens, and even drag bingo.

Drag bingo has been described as “the love affair between the LGBT community and a modern-day game of house”. The event was founded back in the 1990s as a way to raise money for the Chicken Soup Brigade, which raised funds for people with AIDS.

It’s a popular event and was even mentioned on Sex and the City! Drag Bingo is more than just a game of bingo, it brings everyone together no matter their age, race, gender or sexuality.

Virgin launches a LGBT flight

Virgin Atlantic recently announced the launch of Pride flight with a complete LGBTQ crew that’s set to be hosted by Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’s Tituss Burgess.

The flight will be jetting off on 28th June 2019, flying from Heathrow Airport to New York. While most flights are pretty basic and predictable, this one promises eight hours of entertainment including an onboard DJ, Drag Queen Bingo and a Judy Garland singalong (to name but a few!).

If you’d like to join the party, you better get your tickets soon as The Guardian predicts there will be a great interest in the event as it coincides with World Pride and the 50th anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall riots.

What might 2019 bring the LGBT community?

There’s no doubt that 2018 has been a fantastic year for the LGBT community. 2019 promises even more joy as the movement towards equality for everyone continues.

A few upcoming events in 2019 includes Miami Beach Gay Pride in April and Disney Gay Days in Orlando in August, plus many more.

However, many people in the LGBT community face a lot of difficulties in their everyday life due to people’s irrational fears, judgements and misconceptions.

This is something the government aims to tackle in its LGBT Action Plan 2018: Improving the lives of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender people.

As part of that plan, the government is investing £4.5 million in place to deliver projects within government to help improve the quality of life for LGBT people and additional support to LGBT charities and organisations.

So in conclusion – while things are arguably moving in the right direction for the LGBT community in 2018, there’s still work to be done to support its rights going forward.