Comment: Gays think about more than just gay rights

Friday, 03, Apr 2009 11:33

By Tom Hewitson

When Margot James, the lesbian vice-chair of the Conservatives, told an excited party conference last year "gays have a duty to vote Tory" she could scarcely have envisaged the electoral landslide that is now ensuing. A new survey, by Channel 4 and gay dating website Gaydar, has destroyed conventional wisdom by revealing that Cameron's Conservatives now hold a 12 point lead over Labour when it comes to gay votes.

This result is sure to cause much head scratching and teeth gnashing within the Labour ranks. How, despite numerous anti-discrimination laws, the repeal of Section 28 and the introduction of civil partnerships, could the government have lost the pink vote?

Whilst gay voters are as prone to short memories as anyone else, the obvious reason is that many of them think about more than just gay rights when picking a party. When Ms James made her infamous comments she wasn't claiming the Tories are better for gay rights than Labour, she was simply stating that gays should punish the government for its economic failings.

However, the fact that the swing in the gay vote towards the Tories is smaller than the national swing suggests that they are not home and dry yet. The figures show that roughly one in ten gays are still refusing to vote Conservative when they should. Whilst it is more than likely that this number is far lower than in the past, it suggests that the old 'nasty party' image may still make some gay voters think twice.

And this is where the smaller but far more interesting change is taking place. Since Cameron became leader, a miniature revolution has been taking place within the Conservative party. Not only has the rhetoric changed, with Cameron using his first party conference speech as leader to support civil partnerships, but also the grassroots of the party has seen an influx of influential LGBT people and candidates.

This transformation has caused major debate within the gay community with some questioning just how much is spin and how much is sincere. Despite this it is hard to deny things have changed. The Conservative party now has a lesbian vice-chairwoman and two out gay men in the shadow cabinet, something that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago.

Labour claim this conversion is only skin deep, most recently with openly gay Labour MP Chris Bryant claiming "the DNA of the Tory party is anti-gay", without realising that it is their success in changing public opinion that has driven the Conservative transformation. In the past, many gay Tories had to choose between their ideology and their sexuality, and whilst a gap may still exist, it appears a lot narrower than it was.

For the rehabilitation to be complete there are still some things to do. Within the Tory party there are still too many backbench MPs prepared to take a swipe at gay rights under the banner of political correctness. These MPs often do just enough damage that when it comes to polling day some gays may decide they can't risk a Conservative government. To secure the pink vote the party has to pull these agitators into line.

However, if the message from the top can filter down then the Tories may well succeed. "Respect for gay people is one of the hallmarks of David Cameron's Conservatives," said Nick Herbert, the openly gay shadow secretary of state for food and rural affairs. "The Conservative party is changing and we're not going back."

Who knows, by the time the next general election is called, it is possible that gays will be able to vote without needing to consider sexuality at all, and that can only be a good thing.

Tom Hewitson is a freelance journalist and gay rights campaigner who has previously worked for several gay publications interviewing political figures from Harriet Harman to Peter Tatchell. You can find more of his work at www.tomhewitson.com.

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