Green MP Carla Denyer condemns "homophobic" heckling in the Commons

Green Party MP Carla Denyer has spoken out after being subjected to what she described as a "homophobic" heckle from a fellow MP while raising a question on inclusive relationship education in primary schools.

In her post on X, she wrote that she was “heckled by another MP while asking about inclusive relationship education in schools” and said she was “sickened but not really surprised that homophobia is alive and well on the bench behind me.” She added that the MP retorted, “They’re primary school kids,” a dismissal she criticised for erasing LGBTQ+ families: “As if no primary school kids have lesbian or gay parents!”

LGBTQ+ campaigners have long stressed that inclusive teaching is not about discussing sex, but about ensuring children from diverse households are represented.

I was heckled by another MP while asking about inclusive relationship education in schools
Sickened but not really surprised that homophobia is alive and well on the bench behind me
'They're primary school kids' he says - as if no primary school kids have lesbian or gay parents! pic.twitter.com/xPEnykdp1J

— Carla Denyer (@carla_denyer) January 20, 2026

Denyer, a well‑established record of championing equality, has supported reforms to the Gender Recognition Act and has publicly advocated for strengthening legal protections for trans people.. She is an out and proud bisexual woman and the first openly bisexual leader of a major political party in England, using her platform to push for LGBTQ+ rights and legal reform.

Before entering Parliament, she also worked with the University of Bristol Trans Students’ Network in backing an open letter to NHS England, calling for improved access to gender identity services - an issue repeatedly raised by trans rights organisations.