Politics

UK

Speak Up For Trans Rights: Stonewall encourages people to respond to EHRC consultation

During Pride season, LGBTQ+ rights charity Stonewall has released a new ‘explainer’ to support individuals responding to the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) consultation on its draft Code of Practice for services, public functions and associations.   The Code was updated following the Supreme Court ruling on 16 April. The

By Graham Robson • 2 min read

UK

Gender-critical Green Party councillor booted from party

Dr Pallavi Devulapalli, a West Norfolk councillor and former Green Party parliamentary candidate, has been expelled from the party following a nine-month investigation into comments she made about trans issues during a 2024 election hustings. Dr Devulapalli, who was the party’s national health spokesperson at the time, expressed support

By Graham Robson • 1 min read

Politics

Labour to formally declare “trans women are men” and ban trans women from all-women shortlists

The Labour Party, led by Sir Keir Starmer, is set to formally declare that “trans women are men” and ban trans women from all-women shortlists in the wake of the Supreme Court‘s anti-trans gender ruling, which will affect the lives of trans people up and down the country. Stats For Lefties, which pu

By Graham Robson • 1 min read

Politics

Dylan Tippetts – one of Labour’s only trans councillors – has quit the party, accusing it of “throwing trans people under the bus”

Dylan Tippetts – one of Labour’s only trans councillors – has quit the party, accusing it of “throwing trans people under the bus”. The councillor, who has sat on Plymouth City Council since 2022, wrote in a post on X: “I cannot continue to represent a party that does not support my fundamental righ

By Graham Robson • 1 min read

Politics

Reform UK vows to ban Pride and Trans Flags from council buildings it controls

Reform UK has vowed it will ban Pride and Trans Flags from council buildings it now controls after the local elections on Thursday, 1 May. Writing on the X social media platform, the party said: “Reform UK councils will only fly the Union Jack, St George’s flag and County flags. We are proud of our

By Graham Robson • 1 min read

Community

Equality and Human Rights Commission leadership under fire as anti-trans agenda reshapes Britain’s human rights

The EHRC’s no longer serves its stated purpose of protecting all marginalized groups. Instead, it advances policies that many equality experts and human rights organizations have identified as discriminatory.

By Scene Editorial Team • 3 min read

LGBTQ+ News

Stonewall responds to the news that Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government will be slashing the UK’s foreign aid budget

LGBTQ+ rights charity Stonewall has responded to the news that Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government will be slashing the UK’s foreign aid budget, saying it “risks further destabilising communities and groups that are often already on the periphery”. The move by the Labour government, which came

By Graham Robson • 1 min read

Politics

Consultation on creating a new Mayoral Combined Authority for Sussex starts today

Consultation on creating a new Mayoral Combined Authority for Sussex starts today, Monday, February 17, and runs till April 13. On February 5, the Deputy Prime Minister announced a major package of devolution, with six new areas confirmed to join the government’s Devolution Priority Programme. The G

By Graham Robson • 1 min read

LGBTQ+ News

Pro LGBTQ+ groups connected to the Labour Party speak out after the formation of anti-trans splinter group, Labour LGB

Pro LGBTQ+ groups connected to the Labour Party have spoken out after the formation of a splinter group, Labour LGB, which aims to “defend and enhance the rights of LGB people” whilst also calling for protections for single-sex spaces and “supporting the principles that same-sex attraction is real a

By Graham Robson • 2 min read

Politics

Ashley Dalton MP, a vocal supporter of trans rights, appointed as new health minister

Sir Keir Starmer has appointed Ashley Dalton MP, a vocal supporter of trans rights, as new health minister following the sacking of Andrew Gwynne from the key role over alleged offensive posts in a WhatsApp group. During a discussion on Twitter in 2016 Ms Dalton – who was elected as MP for West Lanc

By Graham Robson • 1 min read

Politics

Lloyd Russell-Moyle has membership restored after being suspended from the Labour Party

Lloyd Russell-Moyle, former MP for Kemptown and Peacehaven, has had his membership restored after being suspended from the Labour Party. Just before the 2024 General Election, Russell-Moyle, who is openly gay, was forced to stand down as MP of the constituency after after a “vexatious and politicall

By Graham Robson • 2 min read

Politics

“Labour are taking a huge gamble with our city’s future.” Brighton & Hove Greens call for city to have its say on devolution plans

This Thursday (January 9), the Labour Cabinet on Brighton & Hove City Council will make a decision on behalf of the city, asking the Labour government to fast-track a move which would see Brighton & Hove come under the control of a Sussex-wide mayoralty. A white paper on devolution was released by t

By Graham Robson • 1 min read

Politics

Sarah McBride becomes first trans person elected to US House of Representatives

Delaware state senator Sarah McBride has made history as the first out trans person elected to the US House of Representatives. “Thank you, Delaware! Because of your votes and your values, I am proud to be your next member of Congress,” McBride wrote on X. “Delaware has sent the message loud and cle

By Graham Robson • 1 min read

Politics

JD Vance says there’s a ‘good chance’ Donald Trump could win the ‘normal gay guy vote’

Republican US vice presidential candidate JD Vance has said he thinks there’s a good chance Donald Trump could win the ‘normal gay guy vote’ in next week’s presidential election. Speaking to Joe Rogan, 40-year-old Vance said he ‘wouldn’t be surprised’ if his ticket won the traditionally left-leaning

By Graham Robson • 2 min read

Politics

“We welcome today’s announcement and the additional investment in public services.”

Labour councillor Bella Sankey, Leader of Brighton & Hove City Council, has responded to today’s (Wednesday, October 30) budget announcement. Councillor Sankey said: “We welcome today’s announcement and the additional investment in public services. “After more than a decade of underfunding, this cou

By Graham Robson • 1 min read

Politics

Sarah McBride expected to make history as the first openly trans person elected to US Congress

Democrat Sarah McBride is expected to make history as the first openly trans person elected to US Congress. In 2016, McBride became the first openly transgender person to address a major US political convention and in 2020 became the first to serve in a US state Senate. “The fact that the candidacy

By Graham Robson • 1 min read

Politics

Boris Johnson struggled to contain ‘amusement’ after Penny Mordaunt said gender recognition, and trans rights, was ‘the most important issue of our times’

Former Equalities Minister Penny Mordaunt, who lost her seat in the 2024 general election, said that gender recognition, and trans rights, was ‘the most important issue of our times’, according to a new book by Boris Johnson. Johnson disclosed the details of the event in his memoirs Unleashed, stati

By Graham Robson • 2 min read

Politics

#TransWomenAreWomen: Labour MPs seeking to lead influential Women & Equalities Committee state that trans women are women

Luton North MP Sarah Owen and Jarrow & Gateshead East MP Kate Osborne have stated that trans women are women as they seek election to lead the Women & Equalities Committee – one of the most influential groups in the House of Commons. In a tweet marking Transgender Awareness Week in November 2020, Ow

By Graham Robson • 1 min read

Politics

Sian Berry, Green Party MP for Brighton Pavilion, responds to scrapping of winter fuel allowance for millions of pensioners

Sian Berry, Green Party MP for Brighton Pavilion, has responded to the news that the House of Commons has approved the scrapping of the winter fuel allowance for millions of pensioners in the UK. While MPs signed off the controversial measure by 348 to 228 this afternoon, around 50 Labour members ab

By Graham Robson • 1 min read

Politics

Green Party suspends health spokesperson, Pallavi Devulapalli, for calling reports of rising LGBTQ+ hate crimes “mischievous”

The Green Party has suspended its health spokesperson, Pallavi Devulapalli, for calling reports of rising LGBTQ+ hate crimes “mischievous”. At a general election hustings in June, Ms Devulapalli said she had “yet to meet anyone” who denied a person’s right to “dress” and “be addressed as they please

By Graham Robson • 1 min read

Politics

Sarah McBride set to become the first openly trans person to be elected to Congress

Sarah McBride, who is expected to become the first openly trans person elected to Congress in November, told LGBTQ+ delegates to the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday, August 21 that her candidacy marked a milestone for trans representation. McBride, a candidate for Delaware’s US House sea

By Graham Robson • 1 min read

Politics

Anti-trans campaigner Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull, aka ‘Posie Parker’, to lose her deposit after receiving just 0.5% of the vote

Anti-trans campaigner Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull, who also goes by the name ‘Posie Parker’, is to lose her deposit after receiving just 0.5% of the vote. Keen-Minshill shifted her attention to Bristol Central for the General Election, after threatening to stand as an independent for the Brighton Kempt

By Graham Robson • 1 min read

Election Special

From gender-affirming care to conversion therapy, where do the main political parties stand on LGBTQ+ rights?

As the UK prepares to go to the polls on July 4, the nation’s two main parties – the Labour Party and the Conservatives – have released their manifestos, with LGBTQ+ issues and policies featuring in both. Key topics – such as gender-affirming care, conversion therapy and single-sex spaces – have bee

By Graham Robson • 4 min read

HIV

Labour commits to new HIV Action Plan in election manifesto

The Labour Party has announced it would “commission a new HIV Action Plan in England, in pursuit of ending HIV cases by 2030” in their General Election manifesto. The announcement follows Tory commitments to ending new HIV cases by 2030 and justice for those impacted by the Infected Blood Scandal. H

By Graham Robson • 3 min read