Green councillors have condemned the Labour group for failing to take decisive action on a series of highly transphobic tweets posted by a Labour Councillor.
Local trans groups and residents have spoken out after it was revealed that Cllr Alison Thomson, Labour member for Regency ward, shared a number of transphobic tweets online.
Greens stand in solidarity with local LGBTQIA groups, calling on Labour to take stronger action against hate and calling on Alison Thompson to stand down.
Cllr Chloë Goldsmith, Green Councillor for Regency Ward, said:
“I’m incredibly disappointed to see these awful tweets from my Labour counterpart in Regency. They show an utter lack of respect for – and even disgust towards – trans people, many of whom will be residents in her ward.
“Brighton & Hove has one of the largest proportions of trans people in the country, with census data showing that Regency has an even higher number. Every single person in this city deserves to feel able to contact their councillor for help and have their identity respected.
“The fact that someone who publicly holds these views continues to represent Brighton & Hove Labour, completely throws into question the views of all their councillors. Labour’s presence at Pride was met with protests, and this shows it was for good reason. Despite local residents and LGBTIQA+ groups speaking out in shock and disgust, all Labour have seen fit to do in response to these hateful messages is remove Councillor Thomson from an entirely unrelated role. If this is what ‘not tolerating anti-trans sentiment in any form’ looks like from the Labour group, we are deeply concerned.
“Trans people in this city deserve the certainty that their council will respect them and stand up for them. At the moment, this Labour administration have provided zero reasons to believe that will be the case. I hope Brighton & Hove Labour will do the right thing. This lacklustre action on hate falls far short of the promises made to respect and defend marginalised communities in our city and we will not fail to challenge Labour to do better.”