PinkNews awards: Kezia Dugdale wins top LGBT award

26 October 2016

Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale has been named Member of the Year at an annual LGBT award ceremony in London.

The MSP revealed earlier this year that she has a female partner and the couple, who have been together since 2008, have since got engaged.

Ms Dugdale told the PinkNews awards she felt "a little embarrassed about receiving an award for coming out".

And she said her ability to do so was made "much easier" by those who went before her.

The leaders of two of the five parties in the Scottish Parliament - Ms Dugdale, and Ruth Davidson of the Conservatives - are openly gay, as is Scottish Secretary David Mundell and UKIP's Scottish leader David Coburn.

Patrick Harvie of the Scottish Greens is bisexual.

Speaking at the awards ceremony, Ms Dugdale repeated her belief that Scotland now had the "gayest parliament in the world" and that the country was a "wonderful place to be gay".

'Powerful message'

But she also warned of the need to guard against complacency and to continue targeting discrimination.

She said: "It's not enough for me to just be openly gay.

"Standing next to my fiance Louise on polling day and casting our vote together sends a powerful message about the place of LGBT people in Scottish society, but it has to mean more.

"I know I have a duty to use that power and influence to deliver for the LGBT community because as much as I had a hugely positive experience coming out, that's simply not the case for everyone today."

John Nicolson (left) was nominated for Member of the Year while Mr Mundell told the ceremony about his experience of coming out

SNP MP John Nicolson had also been nominated for the award, partly for his work in attempting to legislate for a mass pardoning of those who were convicted of historic gay sex offences that would not be illegal now.

And Mr Mundell - who is thought to be the first openly gay Conservative cabinet minister - told the awards ceremony that coming out was one of the best things he had done in his life.

Mr Mundell announced in January that he wanted to "acknowledge in public as well as in private, who I am".

He told the ceremony: "There is no template for it and everybody must do what is right for them and their personal circumstances, but I have no regrets.

"I said at the time that I did it for myself and it really has made a difference to personal happiness by allowing me to be completely the person I am.

"I am so grateful not just to all those who have offered me their love and support since I came out, but to those who went before and helped make my path so much easier than it would have been only a few years ago."

'Speak out'

Mr Mundell, who has three grown-up children including Conservative MSP Oliver Mundell, also acknowledged that many people do not have the support he has had, particularly from their families.

He will add: "That is why it is so important we continue to speak out to end prejudice and campaign until equality for everybody in the LGBT+ community is without question."

On Tuesday, the Scottish government announced it will grant an automatic pardon to all gay and bisexual men convicted of now-abolished sexual offences.

It will also give "serious consideration" to whether the convicted men should receive a formal apology.

Last week, the UK government announced its own plans for thousands of gay and bisexual men convicted of out-of-date offences to be posthumously pardoned.

But a Bill brought forward by Mr Nicolson calling on UK ministers to go further and grant an automatic pardon for the living as well was rejected.