The King’s Speech opening the new session of Parliament includes the legislation a government proposes to bring forward in the coming months.
As such today’s is an important indication of what might happen on bi and wider LGBT equalities over the next few years. It is the first such speech from Labour since 2009, when the Brown government was running out of ideas and money. Since then we have had speeches from Conservative-Lib Dem governments (LGBT content: same-sex marriage law, blood donation ban repeal), Conservative-DUP governments (LGBT content: never mind that, we’ve got to make sure that Brexit Means Brexit) and Conservative majority governments (LGBT content: don’t ask about that, don’t you know we have to Get Brexit Done).
On behalf of new Prime Minister Keir Starmer the King announced there will be a ban on so-called ‘conversion therapy’. This has been a running promise from government since the days when Theresa May was PM – but with the new parliamentary maths perhaps stands a better chance both of passing and of being inclusive of outlawing coercion of transgender people to pretend to be cis.
There are measures on the ‘pay gap’ promised – but only on race, not the LGBT pay gap. Most likely because so many more people keep their sexuality private at work than their racial background. Despite this being in a bill whose title references “race and disability”, there is not yet a sign of it including pay discrimination against disabled people.
There is also a bill looking at renters’ rights, which may disproportionately impact bi people due to our lower average pay rates meaning we are less likely to be able to afford to buy homes.
For now these are just the headlines: the devil may yet be in the detail. But with a majority of nearly 200 it should all be delivered long before this parliament is out.