Being the out gay Councillor
1997
“I am the Labour Party Councillor for Longbridge Ward, there are
precious few lesbians and gay men in Longbridge, and my activity with
the lesbian and gay community doesn’t win votes for me; I guess there’s
an argument that it might lose votes, I’m not particularly worried
about that. I’ve always been acutely aware that I never wanted to be
‘the gay councillor’ though there are occasions where I have been. The
upside is that has achieved me some status within the gay community,
and I hope to continue to benefit from well meaning individuals who
have been sterling support for my election campaigns because they think
I am a useful person to have on the Birmingham City Council and they have wanted
to see me stay there”.
“Being a Councillor is a job that I am
still learning about, I seek to shape and influence, I’m not one to
make rousing speeches; I understand the system and how those
discussions behind the scenes shape, influence and support and guide,
so I’ve been the kind of person the Pride Committee have called when
it’s all going pear-shaped two days before the event. I’ve been the
person that’s been sought out if there’s a particular issue. I’ve
always been quite assertive when I’ve come across things in my day to
day council business, I’ve had the portfolio for adults and
communities, and for housing, if I’ve seen things where there has been
manifest injustice I’ve asked the question, ‘What does this mean for
lesbians and gay men?’ because I think those questions need to be
asked. I wish I wasn’t the only person asking them but if I set the
example, I hope it might be a question that will be emulated by others
as well. I can’t claim that I’ve changed the world, and I think there’s
a long way to go on the City Council, but I think there have been
certainly in the last five years, tremendous strides, where I’ve made
it known that I’ve been keeping a careful watching brief".
Contributed by: Steve Bedser, 41