Show Me the Receipts: Kemi Badenoch’s most controversial LGBTQ-related remarks revisited

She’s tipped for future Conservative leadership. But just how committed to LGBTQ+ equality is the Minister for Women and Equalities, Kemi Badenoch? (Clue: how committed can she be when also Secretary of State for Business and Trade and President of the Board of Trade? She’s booked and busy. And not in a good way.)

Following her party’s recently pledge to amend the Equality Act so that ‘sex’ means ‘biological sex’ if they win the upcoming General Election, we look back at the MP’s most controversial moments around sexuality and gender.

2018 

Kemi uses an outdated term for trans people in an explosive rant about LGBTQ+s, with audio leaking to Vice three years later. “It’s no longer about minority rights in terms of race any more or nationality,” she said. “It’s … not even about sexuality now, it’s now like the whole transgender movement, where, OK, well, we’ve got gay marriage, and civil partnerships. So, what are transsexuals looking for?” 

9 July 2019

Kemi abstains from voting on marriage equality in Northern Ireland. Hilariously, this was her one and only opportunity to concretely vote on LGBTQ+ equality, and she declined to do so. (Jump to February 2023 for her views on marriage equality…)

13 July 2020

Kemi has an “introductory meeting” with controversial campaigning group the LGB Alliance.

July 2022

In letters seen by Vice, Kemi is accused of pressuring the Financial Conduct Authority [FCA] to drop trans-inclusive workplace policies.

February 2023

Badenoch defends Scottish politician Kate Forbes after she says she sees marriage as “between a man and a woman”. Badenoch tells Politico: “I support same-sex marriage and, like anyone, I’m disappointed when anyone disagrees with me. But if you’re asking me to condemn someone for their religious views you’ve failed to understand the basic responsibilities of being minister for equality.”

December 2023

It emerges Badenoch has not met with any major LGBTQ+ organisation since becoming Equalities Minister – but has met with The LGB Alliance and Sex Matters. The news follows Badenoch making a statement in the Commons about preventing people with overseas Gender Recognition Certificates (GRC) from having their gender legally recognised here. 

February 2024

Badenoch pits Ls, Gs, and Bs against Ts when she cites in a letter to a select committee, while referencing the Tories’ painfully long references ban on conversion therapy, “evidence that children likely to grow up to be gay [and be same-sex attracted] might be subjected to conversion practices on the basis of gender identity rather than their sexual orientation…. A young person and their family may notice that they are gender non-conforming earlier than they are aware of their developing sexual orientation. If gender non-conformity is misinterpreted as evidence of being transgender and a child is medically affirmed, the child may not have had a chance to identify, come to terms with or explore a same-sex orientation.” Hyperbole much?

February 2024

Badenoch defends Rishi Sunak after his joke about trans women made in the presence of the mother of murdered trans teen Brianna Ghey. “Every murder is a tragedy,” Badenoch writes on X. “None should be trivialised by political point-scoring. As a mother, I can imagine the trauma that Esther Ghey has endured. It was shameful of [Labour leader Keir] Starmer to link his own inability to be clear on the matter of sex and gender directly to her grief. As Minister for Women and Equalities I’ve done all I can to ensure we have take [sic] the heat out of the debate on LGBT issues while being clear about our beliefs and principles. Keir Starmer’s behaviour today shows Labour are happy to weaponise this issue when it suits them.” “Done all you can”? Come again?

Verdict

This is truly just a snippet of Badenoch’s astonishingly long list of bizarre and often offensive statements about LGBTQ+ issues. After Boris, Liz and Rishi, she’s nothing if not perfectly primed to join the Conservatives’ long line of cis-het simpleton leaders. It’s almost enough to make you miss Theresa May!