Activist claims local Labour party is homophobic
A Labour activist from Birmingham has accused his local party of homophobia and complained to Jeremy Corbyn.
Luke Holland has claimed he was forced to quit his role as a Labour candidate for last year’s local election because he had been a victim of discrimination over his sexuality.
He stood as an independent.
He has alleged that some candidates have been blocked from standing simply because they are gay or lesbian and added that some councillors are hostile to homosexuals.
He also claimed that if he wanted to move forward in the party, he had to hide his sexuality in certain meetings.
“Some councillors and some areas don’t do gay,” he said.
The allegations are now subject to a party inquiry.
The 18-year-old publicly resigned from his position on Twitter, while at the same time sending an email to the leader of Birmingham City Council, John Clancy, saying he would quit the Labour Party if his concerns were not addressed.
He said: “I can no longer keep quiet on the issue of homophobia in the Birmingham Labour Party.
“It is with regret that today I will be resigning from my post as Youth/Students Officer on the Hall Green Labour Party Executive. It has been a hard decision and I have thought about it for a long time, but now I feel the time is right.
“The Labour Party stands for Fairness, Justice and Equality and I am proud to be party of a party that represents that. But sadly since joining the Labour Party last year, it has been obvious that a minority of members don’t share our ethos.
“I have tried on numerous occasions to raise the issue on homophobia in the city and it has sadly fallen on deaf ears. In doing this publicly, I hope the issue can be tackled.
“I am willing to provide information regarding those members and councillors who have behaved in a manner that I have perceived as being homophobic.”
