LGBT History Month is over, and Orlando Pride 2017 is in the rearview mirror, but that doesn’t mean that we have to stop talking about LGBT rights and, in general, about diversity, inclusiveness, tolerance and acceptance.
With the exposure of institutionalized sexual harassment of women, routine social media trolling of the vulnerable, and the perceived rise in intolerance and hate speech, every day seems to reinforce even more how much we need to stand up for our values and not take them for granted.
Last year the American LGBTQ community was rocked by the mass shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando. Within minutes, 49 people had been killed. The people of the United Kingdom mourned in solidarity with the American nation.
I was here in Orlando in the wake of that terrible event and was full of admiration for the way in which not only the first responders, emergency services and elected officials dealt with the immediate crisis, but also the genuine and heartwarming support shown by the community at large. Orlando in particular and Florida in general showed in the clearest way possible that the community was both proud of its diversity and united in its resolve that acts of hatred would not undermine this belief, but instead make it stronger.
It is no coincidence that the strongest, safest and most prosperous societies are those in which all citizens can live freely without fear of violence or discrimination, and where all citizens, including LGBT people, can play a full and active part in society. In the UK, a lot of progress has been made over the past few decades. We’ve had civil partnerships for more than a decade, and equal marriage since 2014.
And since 2005, transgender people have been able to change their legal gender in the UK, granting them a new birth certificate and affording them full legal recognition of their acquired sex.
In keeping with this, in 2013 Alan Turing, one of the most brilliant code breakers of World War II and a father of modern computing, was posthumously pardoned for his 1952 conviction of gross indecency. Turing’s intervention in breaking the German Enigma code shortened the war by perhaps two years, saving countless lives.
Every computer we use today can trace its roots to Turing machines. Only last year, the British government enacted Turing’s Law, which gave an amnesty to those convicted under previous legislation outlawing homosexual acts.
In public life, the UK now has the highest number of openly LGBT parliamentarians in the world: 36 members of Parliament from across the political spectrum describe themselves as gay, lesbian or bisexual. And British LGBT diplomats and government officials serve in our missions around the world, including here in the United States.
So as we celebrate 50 years since the start of the process to decriminalize homosexuality in the UK, we are committed more than ever to promoting and defending these rights in the rest of the world. We are proud to be part of the Equal Rights Coalition and its efforts to challenge for example, the detestable persecution of gay men in Chechnya. And we have dedicated more than $1 million to promoting LGBT rights through our diplomatic missions around the world.
In the U.S., we have participated in 12 Pride events across the country, and we are pleased to be bringing #FiveFilms4Freedom to Orlando this year. Created as a collaboration between the British Council and the British Film Institute #FiveFilms4Freedom is the world’s first global digital LGBT short-film program.
Joining us on Thursday at The Abbey for a free film screening and discussion will be local and UK filmmakers, LGBT advocates and the public. We have found such great partners here locally in organizations like One Orlando Alliance, Equality Florida, Zebra Coalition and the GLBT Community Center of Central Florida, and we look forward to working together on many future projects.
In a world where xenophobia and intolerance appear to be on the rise, we should celebrate how far we have come in tackling inequality for the LGBT community, recognize how much more is still left to do to empower all members of our society to be the best they can be, and resolve to work together both at home and abroad to promote the equality and inclusion that will make our communities thrive in the future.
David Prodger is the British consul-general in Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
