The LGBT website PinkNews has defended its decision to name David Cameron its “ally of the year”, after the award prompted an angry backlash on social media.
Benjamin Cohen, chief executive of the publication, told the Guardian it was “absolutely right” that Cameron should be honoured as the prime minister who oversaw the legalising of same-sex marriage.
In a pre-recorded message, Cameron told the awards ceremony on Wednesday night that he was “really proud” of helping to push equal marriage through parliament.
But some LGBT people responded furiously to the decision to honour the former prime minister.
“I am fucking angry,” tweeted Jake Johnstone, who describes himself as a graphic designer, political activist and drag performer.
I am fucking angry. @PinkNews have given David Cameron an award for being the 'Ally of The Year' to the LGBT community. Not in my name. pic.twitter.com/FuKKBcrVkM
— Jake Johnstone (@hijakejohnstone) October 26, 2016
Citing occasions when Cameron voted against the repeal of section 28 and against same-sex couples adopting, and fitness-for-work tests which he said forced disabled LGBT people into jobs they were unfit for, Johnson said:
For gay marriage I thank decades of LGBT people on streets throwing bricks & spilling blood. Not a homophobe who wanted our vote. @PinkNews
— Jake Johnstone (@hijakejohnstone) October 26, 2016
“#PinkNews announced David Cameron as ally of the year,” tweeted another user, @leilanirab. “I don’t bloody think so. Wake up.”
#PinkNews announced David Cameron as ally of the year. I don't bloody think so. Wake up. Think I'll not bother with them anymore.
— Leilani (@leilanirab) October 26, 2016
Olly Alexander, the frontman of the Brit-award-nominated band Years & Years, tweeted a link to the PinkNews announcement, with the comment:
NO WORDS FOR THIS AMAZING FRESH PILE OF STINKING MISERY https://t.co/8RBe7vbSOi
— olly alexander (@alexander_olly) October 27, 2016
But Cohen said same-sex marriage was not the only reason for the award. “As prime minister, David Cameron did a lot when it came to advocating LGBT issues.”
Articles written by Cameron for the publication while in Downing Street showed his support for stamping out homophobia in sport, decriminalising homosexuality overseas and challenging LGBT bullying in schools, said Cohen. “He was a good advocate for LGBT equality, and certainly was the first Conservative leader to be advocating those policies. So we thought it was absolutely right.”
Cohen pointed out that the Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, who spoke at the awards ceremony, had paid generous tribute to Cameron in his speech, saying that while he and the former PM disagreed greatly on other policies, “without his tenacity, without his commitment, without his persistence and without a few hundred Labour MPs, equal marriage would not be law in this country today. He should be rightly proud of what he achieved.”
Asked about instances when Cameron had voted against liberalising LGBT rights, Cohen said: “So what? The point of activism and the LGBT movement is about convincing people who oppose our rights to become our allies. The reason we have so much progress in this country is that people who questioned it and were opposed to it have changed their minds.”
