For the past month we’ve been incensed about the lack of coverage involving women and the general election. Yes, you’d be forgiven for thinking that women didn’t have much to do with this politics business, unless of course we’re talking about the party leaders’ wives, whose sartorial choices have been picked over incessantly.
Then the election happened and we had more to get angry about, namely the fact that there are so few women in the new cabinet. As one middle-aged white man after another got the top jobs last week, people were starting to despair.
Then it was announced that Theresa May would be the new Home Secretary and Minister for Women and Equalities.
Born in 1956, May graduated from Oxford University in 1977 and worked in finance before she entered politics, going on to become a local councillor in London. Although she stood unsuccessfully in the general election of 1992, she was eventually elected as Conservative MP for Maidenhead in 1997, becoming Shadow Spokesman for Schools, Disabled People and Women in 1998.
After being appointed Chairman of the Conservative Party in 2002, she went on to hold a number of positions in the shadow cabinet. Her new appointment as one of the country’s most senior ministers makes her only the second female Home Secretary and the most senior woman in the Cabinet.
Reactions to her appointment were mixed, with some journalists reporting that it was a ‘surprise’ – although some felt she was a great choice for the role . As someone who spent the days surrounding the election glued to Twitter in a state of panic, I remember that intense discussion about her appointment started almost as soon as the news was made public – and a lot of people were concerned.
The major area of controversy surrounding May’s new role is down to her record on issues of equality. She has often spoken out in support of women’s issues and expressed a desire to get more women into government, impressing people with her performance at a pre-election debate organised by the Fawcett Society. On the other hand, her voting record on LGBT and reproductive rights has sounded major warning bells.
Since 1998 she has consistently voted against gay rights, from the equalisation of the age of consent to the repeal of Section 28, which prohibited schools from teaching children about homosexuality. She has also voted against gay adoption rights, the rights of lesbian couples to have IVF treatment and in favour of reducing the abortion time limit.
As the outrage that someone who seems so against equality should be put in charge of making the country a more equal place grew, it wasn’t long before a Facebook group - “Sack New Homophobic Equality Minister” - appeared, along with a petition and website.
As the days have gone by the campaign has really gathered momentum and it’s not hard to see why. In the run-up to the general election the homophobia of some involved in politics was big news and it’s important that this is not forgotten about now the votes are in. Many people are rightly wondering whether someone who has not showed a commitment to equality in the past is the appropriate person for the job – they have no problem with her being appointed Home Secretary.
Monday saw the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO) and I’ve seen it reported as a ‘shock’ that May released a message to mark the day. She promised that the government would take steps to tackle homophobic bullying in schools, support civil partnerships and put pressure on countries with poor human rights records to stop persecuting the LGBT community.
“This government is committed to creating a society that is fair for everyone and supports equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people,” she said.
Whatever result - if any - comes of the campaigns against Theresa May, it will be interesting to see how she settles into her new appointments for the time being.
Her voting record on LGBT rights is, let’s be honest, nothing out of the ordinary for a Tory and it’s early days yet for Prime Minister Dave and the coalition government so we can only hope that ministers are as committed to a fair and equal society as they claim.
Image via ukhomeoffice's Flickr.