Bristol Pride bans political parties for ‘bad faith rhetoric’ -TGN

Bristol Pride has banned all political parties from the Saturday July 8 event due to “bad faith rhetoric”. (Daniel Mihailescu/AFP/Getty Images)

Bristol Pride has banned all political parties from attending the event on Saturday (July 8), citing “bad faith rhetoric” about transgender rights in the UK.

The organizers of the event issued a Twitter statement on Tuesday (July 4) about their decision not to allow political parties to hold a booth or march at the event.

Last week Conservative Home Secretary Suella Braverman and Labor MP Rosie Duffield were convicted of making transphobic comments.

Bristol Pride’s post highlighted its position as a protest to ensure LGBTQ+ rights are embedded in political parties in the UK, commenting that “not enough is currently being done” to tackle prejudice and hate.

“All the great work being done locally is undermined by the actions of party leaders and MPs who are unwilling or unable to stand up for their LGBT+ voters and are swept up in bad faith rhetoric, in part about transgender rights,” the statement said.

Bristol Pride is happy to be a channel of conversation in an effort to educate members of political parties and promote LGBTQ+ rights, it continued.

The decision has been met with praise, with many agreeing that it is a “strong statement” and the right thing to do.

Bristol Pride’s move follows Braverman targeting Labor leader Keir Starmer earlier this week with an anti-trans dig in the House of Commons.

In response to a question from fellow Tory MP Nick Fletcher, who referred to a viral tweet about Mika Minio-Pauello, a trans woman and mother who came under fire from anti-trans activists after taking part in an ITV News segment about the cost of living crisis, Braverman made several transphobic comments.

“While we respect all the rights of those in the trans community, it is clear that biological men cannot breastfeed,” said the interior minister. “It is remarkable that we are in a position where the Labor leader cannot define a woman. I think he said 99.9 percent of women don’t have a penis.

“On that basis, we cannot rule out his candidacy to become Labour’s first female prime minister.”

Canterbury MP Duffield, known for her so-called gender-critical views, also weighed in to criticize ITV for speaking to a trans mother.

Over the weekend she wrote on Twitter: “Dear ITV News, I am sure this is a sweet, intelligent and decent human being. This was an important piece. However, this is not a struggling ‘mother’.”

In April, Duffield, who has consistently stated she supports LGBTQ+ rights, worked with Evangelical Christian Tory MP Miriam to ensure “women’s rights are protected at all costs”.