Protestors slam Suella Braverman’s LGBTQ comments as ‘cheap dogwhistle politics’
"This is not a game"
Protests have taken place in London and Manchester following recent comments by the UK Home Secretary, Suella Braverman.
They were organised by Pride in London and African Rainbow Family after Braverman said “being gay” shouldn’t be enough for people to claim asylum.
In the capital on Sunday (1 October) people gathered at Parliament Square from mid-afternoon with several people making speeches to the crowd.
Among them, one church leader led calls of “gay rights are human rights” and “refugees are welcome here.” He also called on everyone to stand in solidarity with LGBTQ refugees and asylum seekers.
“In my ministry, I say to people that g-a-y stands for God Adores You! he said to cheers.
At times speeches were heavy with a palpable sense of anger, mainly at Braverman, as people recounted personal stories of escaping discrimination and persecution for a new life in the UK.
One person who fled Pakistan decried Suella Braverman’s anti-LGBTQ stance while others shared stories of being able to proudly claim their LGBTQ identities in the UK.
“You will lose”
LGBTQ activist Kevin Humphreys, who was with African Rainbow Family, recounted being in Parliament Square to support the miners in the 1980s, campaigning against Section 28, and campaigning for an equal age of consent. He noted it was always against a Conservative government.
“There were three words we used in the 80s and the 90s that sound as true then as they do today, and I say them as much from my heart as I did back when I was a teenager in the 80s: F***the Tories!”
Later they told Attitude exclusively that the “hateful” comments from Braverman were a “dogwhistle call as a leadership bid but at the level of utter hatred.” He also warned Suella, and the Tories more broadly, that “you will lose” if they continue with this approach citing history as an example.
Yemisi Ilesanmi, the founder of Nigerian LGBTIs In Diaspora, said they stood in solidarity with LGBTQ refugees. She also recounted leaving family, friends, memories, and even economic stability for her freedom.
“For that freedom, I will fight, and fight for the rights of people who are still there,” she said.
“This is not a game”
Actor Cyril Nri, who is gay and whose family left Nigeria as refugees in 1968, said Braverman’s comments were “an attack on humanity.”
He continued: “It is playing politics. It is playing cheap dogwhistle politics with people’s lives,” he further lambasted. He said it was a tactic that pre-dated Braverman, evoking Enoch Powell.
“This is not a game,” he then continued passionately.
Meanwhile, Gift Ololo, who also came to the UK from Nigeria said the comments from Braverman had been “heartbreaking.”
“Coming from a country where we face persecution and coming here to seek safety and hearing that being who I am is not enough [of a] reason to seek safety, it broke my heart and is something that shouldn’t even be said.
She also said that Braverman had given people “more power to do whatever they want to do to us knowing we can’t even find safety anywhere. It really broke my heart to hear that.”
In a speech in Washington DC on Tuesday (26 September) Braverman called on world leaders to update the 1951 UN Refugee Convention.
She said, “We will not be able to sustain an asylum system if in effect simply being gay, or a woman, and fearful of discrimination in your country of origin is sufficient to qualify for protection.” Braverman later doubled down on her remarks.
The comments have been strongly condemned with Sir Elton John as well as Sir Ian McKellen leading criticism.