Jasper David Chaplin, West London Socialist Party
Socialist Party members participated in London Pride. Like other years, the march was huge, over 30,000 people.
Our Socialist Party leaflets were especially well-received by young people, and prompted regular cries of “Fuck the Tories”. We made it clear that Keir Starmer cannot be trusted with our rights either.
Many people attending identified strongly with socialist values, and know that neither the Tories nor Labour will stand up for LGBTQ+ rights, especially given Rishi Sunak’s vile anti-transgender comments. The positive political discussions we had with people who stopped to chat shows the desire for a workers’ political alternative is strong in people’s minds.
Pride is political. Both main capitalist parties have made it clear during their election campaigns that their policies are not for us, and won’t result in any material improvement in the rights of LGBTQ+ people.
Both Tory and Labour politicians’ involvement in the ‘transgender culture war’, and their failure to properly condemn conversion therapy, speaks volumes about their inability, and unwillingness, to make real, positive change for LGBTQ+ people.
LGBTQ+ liberation and workers’ struggle go hand in hand. The rights of both groups would not be as they are today without mass organising and campaigning by the working class.
Capitalist politicians will not gift us our rights to marriage equality, bodily autonomy, fair pay, and decent living standards, we need a workers’ movement that will stand up and fight for them. The Socialist Party is part of that movement – fighting for the needs of the working class, and a society where LGBTQ+ people are free to be themselves.
