| dc.description.abstract | This chapter argues that Theresa May’s premiership, although highly disordered after losing her majority in the 2017 general election, made some important strides for LGBT equality. Theresa May’s Cabinet included the first openly gay man in a Conservative Cabinet, and the first openly gay woman in any Cabinet. May’s interest in LGBT rights came with her publication of her LGBTQ Action Plan, which was based on a survey of over 100,000 LGBTQ individuals. It was the largest in the world, and contained 75 concrete government responses aimed at improving the lives of LGBT people in Britain and around the world. May explained that she had been most emotionally affected by the survey’s finding that two-thirds of gay couples avoid holding hands with their same-sex partner in public out of fear of a negative reaction. ‘That really struck me’, May reflected, ‘Because, for heterosexual couples, holding hands is such a simple, normal gesture that we take it entirely for granted’. Thus, this chapter examines her attitudes towards LGBT issues both as Prime Minister, and as a member of the Conservative Cabinets of her predecessors. | en_US |
