As the Labour party prepares to vote on its next leader, we look at the four candidates to see what their gay-friendly credentials are like.
Andy Burnham
Burnham has been an MP since 2001, in that time he has good voting record on LGBT+ issues, except Votes on adoption in May 2002, for which he was absent, because of the birth of one of his children and in 2008 he voted for bills which put forward: ‘fertility treatment requires father and mother’ and ‘fertility treatment requires male role model’. Explaining his voting he said to Pinknews in 2010: “Everyone should be able to draw on a father figure and a mother figure. That isn’t to say I don’t support IVF for lesbian couples.”
Jeremy Corbyn
Corbyn has been an MP since 1983. He has consistently voted positively for LGBT+ laws and policies. However in 2003 he was absent for the vote on Local Government Bill — Maintain prohibition on promotion of homosexuality (Section 28), he was absent for a vote on Relationships (Civil Registration) and a vote on Adoption and Children Bill (Programme) — Consideration and Third Reading
Liz Kendall
A relative newcomer as an MP for the Labour party. Kendall has voted positively for LGBT+ rights since 2010. The same-sex marriage bill is the one major piece of law making she has voted on – for which she voted positively.
Yvette Cooper
Cooper has voted positively on every piece of legislation affecting the LGBT community in her time as an MP. She was absent in 2001 for a vote on Relationships (Civil Registration), she was also absent for a vote on Civil Partnerships Bill [Lords] — Third Reading.
