3 ways to engage your local candidates in the 2024 General Election
A General Election is coming on 4 July 2024 – we have an opportunity to create meaningful change for the LGBTQ+ community.
Life is especially challenging for LGBTQ+ people right now, with anti-LGBTQ+ narratives gaining more traction in the press and politics, while hate crime rises. This is our moment to make our voices heard. By engaging in the election process, we can campaign for a brighter, more inclusive future for the LGBTQ+ community.
Who are Prospective Parliamentary Candidates (PPCs)? These are your local candidates that have been chosen by a political party, or as an independent, to run for a seat in UK parliament and become an MP.
Since we don’t yet know who will make up the next UK Government and Parliament, it is vital that we engage with all PPCs equally on the issues that matter to us. As a charity, Stonewall is politically impartial; we do not favour any political party or candidate. Instead, we believe in engaging with representatives of all mainstream parties.
We want to get the UK back on track for LGBTQ+ rights. These are our key priorities:
- Every LGBTQ+ person should feel safe.
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Whether it’s at home, at work or on the street, every LGBTQ+ person deserves to be safe and to feel safe.
We want to live in a UK where everyone, no matter who they are or what they look like, can feel safe to live their lives. Reported hate crimes against LGBTQ+ people have been going up for the past six years, now reaching the highest rate for a decade. This just isn’t right.
Join us if you think everyone should be safe from harassment and abuse, whoever and wherever they are.
- Every LGBTQ+ person should be able to get the healthcare they need.
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Every LGBTQ+ person deserves access to high quality and inclusive healthcare from professionals who believe our experiences and understand our needs.
We know that access to the healthcare we need can be a matter of live or death – and it’s no different for LGBTQ+ people. From mental health and fertility support to transition-related health support, we all deserve to have access to the care we need.
Join us if you think accessible healthcare should be a reality wherever you live.
- Every LGBTQ+ child and young person should be supported to thrive.
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Every LGBTQ+ child and young person deserves to feel safe, seen, and heard at school.
Our experiences as children can have a life-long impact on our self-esteem and mental health. Everyone deserves to be protected from bullying and isolation at school; to feel understood by their teachers; and to see themselves reflected in the national curriculum and in the classroom.
Join us to work together for a future where every LGBTQ+ child and young person can be truly themselves and achieve their potential.
- Every LGBTQ+ person should be respected, recognised, and protected in law.
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Every LGBTQ+ person deserves to thrive as themselves and build families with those they love, with protections under the UK’s laws.
We all feel safer to be truly ourselves when we know that we’re recognised and protected within the legal framework of our country. We want to see a UK that reflects all of us in its laws. Everyone should be able to build their lives and families with those they love.
Join us if you want to live in a UK that Takes Pride in our diversity!
- The UK should once again stand as a global leader for LGBTQ+ equality.
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Rebuilding connections with our global community, the UK should once again effectively protect LGBTQ+ people and stand as a global leader for equality.
10 years ago, the UK’s legal framework was recognised as the most effective in Europe – but we’re now in a place where the UK looks set to fall out of the Top 20 countries in Europe for LGBTQ+ rights. How did we get here? The UK’s past actions have left LGBTQ+ people across the world living in countries where their existence is illegal, where they can be jailed or executed simply for being themselves. As a proud country, we have a responsibility to right our wrongs, and to work with communities across the world for a safer future.
How to engage with your PPC
You have an opportunity to make a real impact, helping to ensure that the next UK Government actively supports the LGBTQ+ community when they come into power. Your voice matters, and you can use it to engage with the people who could be shaping new policies for the UK.
There are a few ways you can engage with PPCs - choose the option which works best for you! We recognise that having conversations about LGBTQ+ equality might be difficult for some, so please look after your wellbeing during this time and only engage with people if you feel comfortable.
1. Email them directly
You can reach out to PPCs directly via email. Simply use this tool to discover the candidates in your area and find their contact details. You can then write an email to them outlining your priorities and what you want to see from them.
You can also signpost PPCs to our Back on Track manifesto, which explores how the next UK Government can make progress for LGBTQ+ rights.
2. Quiz them when they come canvassing
During election season, PPCs or members of their team are likely to be out and about canvassing and knocking on doors to gain support. If they come knocking, this is the perfect opportunity to ask them what they plan to do to support the LGBTQ+ community.
You can use our list of questions below for inspiration!
3. Attend a local husting
A husting is a meeting where candidates for an election address potential voters. During a husting, candidates will present their policies, answer questions, and engage in debates with their opponents. Attending a husting means that you can hear directly from the candidates, compare their positions on various issues, and make informed decisions about whom to support in the election. You can find a local husting near you with a quick online search for your local area.
It is also a chance for you to put your questions to your PPCs. We’ve put together a list of questions below.
Questions to ask your local candidates
Based on our key priorities, we’ve put together some questions to ask your PPCs. These can be used over email, or in person. If you feel comfortable, add your own knowledge and experiences when having these conversations; it will help the candidate connect with you and the challenges the community is facing.
Ask your PPCs about LGBTQ+ safety
A top priority for us in ensuring that the next government focusses on creating more safety for LGBTQ+ people. We know that many LGBTQ+ people do not feel safe simply being themselves and expressing their identities in the current climate. If you have the chance to ask your PPCs just one question, we urge you to make it this:
- Hate crimes against LGBTQ+ people are rising. If elected, how do you plan to ensure that the LGBTQ+ community feel safe going about their day-to-day lives?
If your PPC is engaged, you can dive deeper into some more specific LGBTQ+ issues. Here’s some additional questions you might want to pose:
- Conversion therapy is still legal in the UK. Will you commit to a comprehensive ban on conversion practices if elected?
- LGBTQ+ people have poorer mental health outcomes than cis and straight people. What would you do to improve mental health services for LGBTQ+ people?
- LGBTQ+ people have poorer mental health outcomes than cis and straight people. What would you do to improve mental health services for LGBTQ+ people?
- Trans adults are waiting an average of 4 years for treatment. How would you ensure that all trans people can access the healthcare they need?
- Many LGBTQ+ people still face financial barriers to accessing IVF on the NHS. What will you do to make sure that every LGBTQ+ person has the chance to start a family?
- I believe in LGBTQ-inclusive education – what will you do to ensure this is protected in schools?
- The UK used to be rated number 1 for LGBTQ+ equality, we’re now rated 16th. What steps would you take to ensure that the UK once again stands as a global leader for LGBTQ+ equality?
If you get any interesting responses from your local candidates – we’d love to hear about them! Feel free to email us at campaigns@stonewall.org.uk.
Thank you for standing hand in hand with us this election season. Together, we can make sure that the UK is a place where LGBTQ+ people are supported to thrive and can live freely.