Hansard

I congratulate Patrick Harvie on securing the debate, although I have mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, it is shameful that a special month is needed to highlight both the historical persecution that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people have faced and the achievements of individuals from those groups. It is wrong to have to compartmentalise different sections of society; I would rather call for respect and tolerance for all.

I have always tried to take people as I find them, rather than prejudging them by their labels. I was lucky enough to receive an enlightened education at school and from my very enlightened parents at home, which encouraged me to do that. Had I not done so, I know that I would have been a far poorer person.

I am very encouraged that Scotland is now becoming one of the areas of the United Kingdom that is leading the way in tolerance. Historically, that was not always so. In the past, Scotland was not a good place for minorities, and we are still not perfect now. All too often, people experience prejudice when they do not conform to what many consider to be normal. However, I think that it is perhaps unproductive to castigate and vilify those who behave in an intolerant way. They are simply being ignorant, however unjust their views might be. It is better, through education, to turn them into a decreasing minority. I hope that that is what is now happening.

As parliamentarians, we must take every opportunity to condemn intolerance. Tonight's debate will help to draw attention to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender history month. I am sure that the many events planned for February will help to educate people about the important role that many LGBT people have played in history and the suffering that they have faced. They have suffered great hardship, especially under totalitarian regimes. In Nazi Germany in the 1930s and 1940s, homosexuals were sent to concentration camps alongside Jews, the disabled, the mentally ill, Roma, Jehovah's Witnesses, freemasons, social democrats, anarchists and other groups. In the Soviet Union, homosexuals and other so-called deviants were regularly sent to the gulags, from whence they rarely returned.

In addition to the persecution that the LGBT community has historically faced, people from that community who have made great achievements have not had that aspect of themselves properly recognised. It is only right that the whole person should be acknowledged when we celebrate their achievements. Personally, I am not entirely comfortable with labelling people as LGBT. I believe that a person's sexuality is only part of their identity and should not necessarily be the most important thing about them. There is also a problem with claiming LGBT identity for historical figures. For some historical figures, the issue is clear cut and well known, even outside the LGBT world. For others, the claim depends on the person's lack of a known partner. However, I can see that, if someone is having difficulty with coming to terms with their sexual or gender orientation, it might be of great help to be able to look to LGBT people who had achieved great things. Famous role models inspire confidence and pride.

LGBT history month aims to educate people about the different standing that LGBTs have historically had and to celebrate the lives of those LGBT individuals who have made a contribution to society. I sincerely hope that the month will lead to greater tolerance and understanding, especially among those who are disinclined to change entrenched views. Personally, I have recently seen a big change in the views of younger people. I hope that events such as LGBT history month will bring even greater tolerance to future generations in Scotland, the UK and throughout the rest of the world.