Reform UK and Restore Britain failed to attend a special LGBTQ+ mayoral hustings in Manchester on Tuesday night, leaving Labour, Green and Liberal Democrat candidates to answer questions on issues affecting the community ahead of the Greater Manchester mayoral election.
Candidates took part in the event at The Church in Manchester's Gay Village on Tuesday, 21 July, which was organised by LGBT Foundation. However, Reform UK's Sian Astley and Restore Britain's Marlon West were absent despite being invited, according to organisers. Independent candidate Marcus Farmer and Conservative hopeful Phil Eckersley sent apologies after being unable to attend.
The hustings saw Labour candidate Bev Craig, Green candidate Geraldine Coggins and Liberal Democrat Richard Kilpatrick answer questions on issues affecting LGBTQ+ communities across Greater Manchester, including Pride funding, housing, conversion therapy and trans rights.
Opening the event, Craig reflected on moving to Manchester as a teenager and finding a place where she felt able to be herself.
"It's nice that we're having this in the Gay Village because like so many in our community, I came here at 18," she said. "When I came here, I quickly found a home and a place where I could be myself."
The Labour candidate also spoke about the prejudice she has encountered during her political career. "I've spent my life in politics being told maybe I should grow my hair or be less gay," she said. "But the reality is, as your mayor, I'll always stand up for what's right and I'll always stand up for what I believe in."
The three candidates found common ground on many of the issues raised throughout the evening, expressing support for banning conversion therapy, backing local Pride events and improving protections for LGBTQ+ residents.
Asked about the importance of Pride, Craig described it as both a personal and political issue, recalling attending Pride marches in Belfast and elsewhere in Europe where participants faced hostility and abuse.
"For me, pride is personal," she said. "It reminds me of the day I knew I wasn't alone."
Green candidate Geraldine Coggins also reflected on her first Pride event, recalling attending San Francisco Pride as a teenager from Dublin in the 1990s. "That's what it means to me, it's about joy, it's about inclusion and it's about visibility," she said, while outlining plans for a £10 million community development fund to support local groups.
Meanwhile, Liberal Democrat candidate Richard Kilpatrick described Pride as both a celebration and a protest, arguing there was still progress to be made on equality. "I think a democracy should be judged by how it treats its minorities," he said. "I think there's an opportunity for this city to lead from the front."
One of the most passionately discussed topics of the evening was trans rights. Responding to a question about anti-trans rhetoric and the perception that lesbians are often portrayed as being opposed to trans inclusion, Craig rejected attempts to divide communities.
"As one of the most visible lesbians in politics, [this] has weighed on me really heavily," she said. "People try and put my community against one of the most marginalised and demonised communities that we see in society at the minute and it's just not right."
Coggins and Kilpatrick echoed support for the trans community, with the Green candidate calling for stronger action against online hate and far-right rhetoric, while Kilpatrick said Greater Manchester Police should face greater scrutiny to ensure hate crimes are properly recorded and prosecuted.
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