Green mayoral candidate, Hirra Khan Adeogun, pledges to "challenge" homophobia and transphobia ahead of Tower Hamlets election

Hirra Khan Adeogun, the Green Party’s mayoral and council candidate in Tower Hamlets, has pledged her full solidarity with LGBTQ+ people facing discrimination and oppression, warning of what she described as a “scary time of increasing hate”.

In a statement issued ahead of the borough’s mayoral and council elections on Thursday, 7 May, Adeogun said LGBTQ+ people were experiencing discrimination not only from individuals but also from wider systems and institutions.

She highlighted concerns about rising homophobia and transphobia and said she was committed to challenging such attitudes wherever they appeared, both personally and politically.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Hirra Khan Adeogun (@greenhirra)

“I stand in full solidarity with LGBTQ+ people facing discrimination and oppression,” she said. “In a scary time of increasing hate, including homophobia and transphobia, I strive to challenge these ideas wherever I find them.”

Adeogun said her vision for Tower Hamlets was one where nobody is left questioning whether they belong because of their identity or who they love. “We will build a Tower Hamlets where nobody has to wonder if they belong because of who they are or who they love,” she added.

Adeogun is standing as both a mayoral and councillor candidate under the Tower Hamlets Greens banner. Voters in the borough will elect a new executive mayor and all 45 councillors when polls open from 7am to 10pm on 7 May.

The intervention comes amid ongoing national debate around LGBTQ+ rights and inclusion, with campaigners warning of an increase in hostile rhetoric and hate incidents in recent years.