Anti-Brexit campaigner Gina Miller attacks Boris Johnson in passionate speech on empathy while honouring Ruth Hunt
Gina Miller awarded Ruth Hunt the PinkNews Campaigner of the Year Award. (PinkNews)
Anti-Brexit campaigner Gina Miller gave a moving speech on empathy at the PinkNews Awards 2019, and said that without it we could “write off the human race”.
She ditched her pre-prepared speech in favour of an improvised and passionate address, and called on the government to take more action to protect LGBT+ people from discrimination and hate crimes.
She said: “Equality, fairness, loving each other is just what’s right. It’s that simple, stop making it so complicated. Just get on and do the right thing.
“Do not use it as a political football, do not keep on saying ‘we value you’.
“Where is the LGBTQ+ member of the cabinet? Boris Johnson, do you remember what he said? ‘Tank top bum boys.’”
She shared her personal experience of discrimination, but insisted that we are “actually… all the same.”
She continued: “I faced abuse every single day because apparently I’m different. Many people in this room, many people you know, your friends, face abuse because you’re different.
“We all bleed the same, our tears are exactly the same colour. It’s actually the wrong way round, we are all the same. And that is why campaigning must never stop until people understand that other people matter, and that fairness what makes us human.
“Empathy is what makes us survivors on this planet and without it you might as well write off the human race.”
Gina Miller awarded Ruth Hunt Campaigner of the Year at PinkNews Awards.
Miller, with the help of trans couple Jake and Hannah Graf, also announced that the winner of PinkNews Campaigner of the Year award was former Stonewall CEO Ruth Hunt.
Hunt oversaw Stonewall’s inclusion of transgender people into its campaigning remit in 2015.
She was given a peerage in Theresa May’s September honours list for her services to the LGBT+ community, and will be the fourth lesbian to join the House of Lords, out of 300 members.
She could not be at the PinkNews awards in person, but gave her acceptance speech by video message, and said the award was a “real honour”.
She added: “We’ve seen a relentless attack on trans people and I’ve been proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with PinkNews as battled against some of the misinformation, lies and propaganda against our siblings.
“I stood down from Stonewall this year and I know that the organisation will continue to fight the good fight and I hope that I will be continue to campaign as Baroness Hunt of Bethnal Green.”
Jake Graf said that Hunt had “moved on the acceptance of transgender people exponentially”.
This is the seventh annual PinkNews Awards, sponsored by Amazon, and taking place at Church House, headquarters of the Church of England.
