 The final item of business is a member's business debate on motion 2984, in the name of Karen Adam, on celebrating LGBT History Month. The debate will be concluded without questions being put and that will be, after we hear from the minister, in response to the debate. Could I take the opportunity to add to what the Presiding Officer said in extending a I welcome back to Minister Christina McElwey. I would ask those members who wish to speak in the debate to press the request to speak buttons now. I call on Karen Adam to open the debate. Karen Adam is joining us remotely. Up to seven minutes, please, Ms Adam. I must say that I am quite envious of everybody being in the chamber with Christina McElwey today and I can't wait to get there and see her in person. Welcome back Christina. I would like to thank all the members, the cross-party, who have supported this motion so that we could bring this debate to Parliament. LGBT History Month this year is focused on the theme of blurring borders. While some other countries in the world are faced with a rising tide, a rollback really against LGBT human rights, this SNP government is committed to improving the rights of LGBT people living in Scotland. If we take ourselves back in time up until as recent as 1980, it was illegal to have gay sexual relations, which of course impacted upon any potential romantic or intimate loving relationships. This criminalised generations of LGBT people. The criminalisation of gay people fed into a culture of shame, which nurtured a hostile environment towards people attracted to the same gender as them. An environment of which we still experience the negative impacts of in our society today. We still have a lot of damage to undo. I have personally felt the impact of the hostile environment which was created. As a child I had no understanding of my own small world. My mum was gay, I grew up in a household with two women. My mum's partner was referred to as the lodger, and of course adults gossiped, and this would filter down to their children who would poke fun at me in the playground, and they would call out homophobic slurs regarding my mum towards me. I was confused, ashamed and taught to hide my family's circumstances for fear of being bullied, but surely love should never mean having to live in fear. My friends would ask me questions, some prompted by their parents, no doubt, but some, I guess, were just simply curious. I could not answer those questions because I did not even know what gay was. My mum never spoke about it, she will never talk me about it, and we certainly did not have any healthy examples of gay relationships to pull from. It was only slurs, only shame and only fear. In that context, we must remember that, in 1988, Margaret Thatcher's UK Tory Government implemented a series of laws that prohibited the so-called promotion of homosexuality, in other words, section 28. Back to this year's theme, Blurring Borders, a world in motion. Inviting people to think beyond borders and ask each other what Scotland's place is within the global movement towards equality. Let's look at Scotland's record. Since devolution, we have seen some landmark leaps forward in legislation. In 2000, the Scottish Parliament repealed section 28, and schools can now talk about LGBTI issues with pupils. In 2007, Scottish gender couples gained equality in adoption and fostering. In 2014, same gender marriage is legalised. In 2018, the historical sexual offences, pardons and disregard Scotland Act 2018, was introduced. Most recently, in 2021, Scotland introduced LGBT inclusive education in our schools, a world first, and that is something that I wish I had growing up in the late 70s and 80s. Just imagine how the landscape would have differed for so many people, but now at last, this will change the landscape for so more to come. We have improved the rights of LGBT people in this country, but it is also about creating a cultural change in society. All the good laws in the world are all well and good, but we need to also address the unwarranted moral panic going on in the UK right now, particularly towards trans people. For anyone unfamiliar with the term moral panic, it is a situation that occurs in society in which media reporting has created a folk devil of a particular social group, and it is often minorities or already marginalised people. The expression is described as a moral panic because it is based on an outraged sense of offence. The information that prompts said offence is limited, vague and simply untrue. Folk devils refer to a group whose commonality has become stigmatised by society and becomes a target for adverse comments and behaviour. Just as my own mum and many other lesbian, gay and bi people in the 1980s were demonised and met with suspicion by powerful public figures, politicians and the media. Sadly, in recent years, I recognise the same patterns of discrimination towards LGBT identifying people, but particularly towards trans people as the Scottish Government has sought to simplify an administrative process, in other words, reforming the GRA. The current rise in LGBT hate crimes is testament to that and the need for culture change. We as citizens and community leaders have a responsibility to have zero tolerance, otherwise we become enablers in allowing culture change to the contrary. Not just stagnating rights, but rolling back ones that are already fought for. It is on all of us to act and speak up for what is right, especially cis-gendered heterosexual people, to stand by LGBT friends, family, colleagues and loved ones, so that the only culture change in our society and our culture is one of acceptance. It is important that we look to take lessons from history so that in future we can ensure that those lessons have been learned. What we do here is not only important for the LGBT plus community in Scotland but it sets an example for the other countries across the globe and LGBT communities worldwide. We should be proud of all that Scotland has done to help to lead the way in the fight for LGBT plus equality. We should never underestimate the power our actions and words here can have on the rest of the world. The world is watching, now it's time for us to lead. I want to take this opportunity today to reaffirm my commitment to improving LGBTQ plus rights and inclusion, particularly as we move forward in reforming the GRA, but also, very importantly, we need to improve healthcare and outcomes for trans people. Let's go further and let's do more. Finally, Presiding Officer, I want to speak directly with every LGBTQIA plus person that may be listening today. Whether you are out and proud or yet to make that journey, I want to say to you that there is absolutely nothing wrong with you, but there is a lot wrong with the world in which we live in. But know this, I will do everything that I can do for my part to create the cultural change needed to ensure that Scotland is a country that is not only safe for you to live true to yourself but one that leads the world, for example. I thank my colleague Karen Adam, who, like me, has long been a proud and unwavering ally of the LGBT community for securing this debate and allowing us the opportunity to reflect on the past, the present and the future of LGBT rights and the journey that it has taken to get us here. It's hard to reflect on the progress that we have made without talking about the contribution of my own party in getting us here. As my colleague Paul O'Cain will say, I'm sure that no party has advanced or promoted the rights of the LGBT plus community as much as the Labour Party. The Labour Party has been at the front and centre of representation. Maureen Cahoon, the first LGBT plus MP, Chris Smith, the first openly gay MP, Ben Bradshaw and Stephen Twig, elected on the same night in 1997, became the first MPs to have been selected and then elected while standing as openly gay candidates, and Dame Angela Eagle, the first out lesbian serving UK Government minister. Those politicians, their bravery in putting themselves forward, then fighting the fight once they got there, are the reason that today LGBT MPs sit right across the UK Government chamber. Here in Scotland, too, Kezia Dugdale was one of the first openly gay leaders of the Scottish Labour Party. During the time of her leadership, Ruth Davidson and other openly gay women led the Scottish Conservatives. It was said at the time that this Parliament was the gayest Parliament in the world. That time of Scottish political history may be clouded by intense political periods that surrounded it, but I am sure that one day we will look back and recognise just how pivotal a moment that was. Now in this new Parliament I'm proud to make my contribution alongside my good friend Paul O'Cain, the first openly gay man to be elected as a Scottish Labour MSP and to see the positive trend of LGBT representation continue across this chamber. We cannot underestimate the importance of seeing people just like you, to know that you too can be in the room, and I know that myself only too well. And sexuality or gender should never be a barrier to someone's progression or achievements, but sadly too often it is, and so we cannot be complacent even here in Scotland where we pride ourselves in being progressive. We are still far behind my vision of being the best place to grow up for LGBT plus people. Sexual orientation is still the second most commonly reported motivator for hate crime, and that figure has been rising over the past 10 years. One in five LGBT people have been the victims of hate crime, motivated by their gender identity or sexual orientation, and that figure jumps to almost half of trans people. The fights one are many, but there are still many to fight. I make a commitment today, as I have before, that I will stand shoulder to shoulder with the LGBT community through the battles that lie ahead. We learned yesterday that the Scottish Government intends to finally bring forward a bill to reform the gender recognition act next week, and it is long overdue. I stand ready, alongside my colleagues, to support reform and to scrutinise the bill, to ensure that it delivers the change needed where transgender people no longer have to endure intrusive, degrading and medicalised intervention just to identify in the gender they are. I say to the cabinet secretary that, in delaying action, the Government has, however, created a vacuum that has allowed fear and ignorance to prosper. In all discussions that I have had about the legislation, it has become clear to me that the delay has allowed people's imaginations to run wild, to imagine that reform is something that it is not, and to allow a narrative to build that frames the rights of trans people as a threat to women, as if those two things are mutually exclusive. Meanwhile, the number of hate crimes against trans people has been rising, having risen significantly since 2016, when the proposals for the bill were first floated. I know that the cabinet secretary shares my frustration with this, and I hope that she will do all that she can in the weeks ahead to settle concerns, correct misunderstandings and move forward with legislation in a way that protects trans people from further harm or abuse. I started this debate celebrating the importance of progress made and of representation. I know that all of us here speaking in this debate this afternoon want to be on the right side of history. That means, unapologetically and unequivocally, standing up for and protecting the rights of all LGBT people in Scotland. I, for one, will do all I can from those benches to do just that. I now call David Torrance, to be followed by Tess White. I would like to congratulate Karnaw Adamson for securing this debate tonight in the chamber of Parliament. I can also say to Christina that it is great to have you back, and you have been solely missed by all of us. I am honoured to participate in this debate to mark LGBT history month 2022 and to have the opportunity to reflect on the past and present of the LGBT community, celebrate the LGBT progress and to address the injustices that are still experienced by far too many around the globe. Every February, the UK comes together to celebrate the history of its LGBT plus citizens and to raise awareness about on-going issues that are still faced by the LGBT community. This year, the theme is blurring borders, a world in motion. Scotland quite rightly prides itself on being one of the most progressive countries when it comes to issues on sexuality and gender identity. It now seems incomprehensible, but until 1980, homosexuality between men was still illegal. I am extremely proud of the Scottish Government's work not only to progress equality but the right to historic wrongs. The passing of the landmark historic sexual offence legislation was a mental step in a very proud day in this chamber that I will not forget. Although it can never erase the hurt, injustice and trauma caused to thousands of men, it does send a very clear message that these laws were unjust, morally unfair and discriminatory. This is a Government and the people of Scotland that recognise the value and diversity and culture of our LGBT plus community. We have the most progressive and extensive equal marriage legislation, equal access to adoption and IVF for same-sex couples. We have formed the blood donation rules, removing deferment period for some gay and bisexual men from donating blood and placing it with an individual risk assessment regardless of sexual orientation, allowing thousands of gay and bisexual men to donate blood for the first time. We were a first country to host a transgender intersex conference, bringing people together from across the UK to work on and prove transgender and intersex equality. We recently became a first country in the world to embed LGBT plus inclusive education in our schools, meaning that learning about LGBT plus history and culture is not restricted to one month of the year. However, as we stand here today and serve by inclusive and diverse country that we are all lucky to live in, we cannot ignore that homosexuality is still criminalised in over 60 countries around the world. The international focus on this year's history month has shone a spotlight on what the equal world of LGBT people would really look like and how we can work together to achieve it. A study by a Yale School of Public Health identified a global closet and reported that an estimated 83 per cent of those who identified as lesbian, gay or bisexual keep their orientation hidden from all or most of the people in their lives. This may sound imaginable to us, but when you consider it, in some countries, homosexuality continues to be punishable by imprisonment or forced labour, the real and one's true self can often be a matter of life or death. In a blog written by LGBT History Month by Stonewall's director of global programmes, Leanne Macmillan, she speaks of the difficulties faced by those seeking to escape legal discrimination, entrenched homophobia and heteronormativity. Our vision is of a world where everyone is free to be ourselves, but the truth is that in many areas of the world, simply being LGBTQ+, puts your life at risk. We know that nobody would leave their whole country risking their life and livelihoods and leave behind them a world they built for themselves unless they had no other option. A journey that they embarked upon to reach safer shores are grueling and fraught with risk and the reality is that when or if you reach sanctuary the challenges are far from over. A trauma refugee's experience before doing and fleeing their home, countries is hard to comprehend for those of us who are always lived in a relative safety. Macmillan states that it is not just the laws that need change. We know even in countries where equal laws exist that lesbian, gay, bi and trans people continue to face discrimination on a daily basis. If people often find themselves excluded or facing verbal and physical abuse at work, schools in sport or within their local communities, love comes in many forms and it is our duty to stand up and challenge discrimination, ending justice based on sexual orientation and gender identity whenever and wherever we see it. I am delighted to speak in this member's business debate. I thank Karen Adam for giving MSPs the opportunity to celebrate and reflect on LGBT history in the chamber today. Each year, LGBT Youth Scotland creates the theme for LGBT history month. In February 2022, the theme is Blurring Borders, a world in motion. It challenges us to reflect on the journey towards equality around the world and the pace of change in different countries. This theme has particular resonance for me. As an HR director, a key consideration when moving people and their families around the world for work is the kind of culture and environment they will be living and working in. Time and time again, it brings into sharp relief that the rights we have here in the UK are not universally shared. This is so important for the LGBT community because there are 69 countries where it is still illegal to be gay. In Brunei, Iran, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and the northern states in Nigeria, the punishment is the death penalty. In these countries, LGBT people live in constant fear of being outed, a sobering reminder that, while the UK and Scotland have made so much progress, there is so much progress to be made elsewhere. Even in countries where LGBT people are no longer criminalised, marriage equality remains an issue. Same-sex marriage is legal in 31 countries, but it is unlawful in many more. It means that gay couples often do not have the same rights in law as heterosexual married couples and injustice so painfully and poignantly explored in the film sequel if these walls could talk. When Edith was unable to be at the bedside of her partner, Abby, she died and was asked by Abby's family to leave the home where they had shared for 30 years. That is still the awful reality for many same-sex couples who are unable to marry. The Netherlands was, of course, the first country to legalise gay marriage in 2001. The Marriage Same-sex Couples Bill passed in England and Wales in July 2013, in which David Cameron described as one of his proudest moments. Scotland followed suit in December 2014, and I still remember seeing pictures of the incredible celebrations of love that followed the change in the law. In Scotland and the UK, we have made great strides towards equality, but there is still so much more that must be done. Next week, the University of Dundee will host an event commemorating Jonathan Leslie, who took his own life in Stonhaven two years ago following intense homophobic harassment. Jonathan's passing is a tragic reminder that we cannot be complacent and that equality in the law does not always mean equality in another's eyes. I thank Karen Adam for lodging the motion and securing the debate today. It is so important to have the opportunity to stand up in solidarity with the LGBTQI plus people. That is what allyship is all about. The Scottish Greens are proud to have always supported wholeheartedly LGBTQI rights and to have been part of the many campaigns that we have heard about this evening already. LGBT History Month matters. This month gives us the chance to celebrate diversity, to recognise difference and to embrace it. It also allows us to celebrate the victories that have been won. It was not that long ago that homosexuality was a criminal offence in this country. This Parliament should be proud of the role it has played in enhancing the rights of LGBTQI plus people, abolishing section 28, bringing in equal marriage, supporting trans-inclusive education, enabling gay men to give blood and so much more. I recognise that all of those victories were the result of tireless campaigning by LGBTQI plus people and their allies. It is right that we remember those victories tonight and those who fought for them. It is also right that we remember those who suffered the consequences—the trauma, the violence, the harm and the grief—associated with participating in those fights or living in the world before they were won. That also means that we can learn more about the histories of LGBTQI plus communities that have been ignored, erased or altered in the past because of prejudice and bigotry. LGBTQI plus identities have existed for as long as humans have, but they are seldom mentioned in history books. Erasing people's lives is not okay, and this month we can learn what we have missed out on because of this erasure. Making those identities visible now matters, and it matters deeply. Letting people see themselves reflected in society is important. Education is a key part of this, but so too is ensuring our leaders, our workplaces, our culture and so much more reflect the diversity of our society. It is important that we take a moment to remember all of those still fighting for equality and access to rights. Too many countries around the world still criminalise same-sex relationships, and research shows that trans and gender-diverse people face disproportionate hate crime and violence. We know that recent evidence in Scotland shows rising victimisation and targeting of people based on gender and sexuality. None of this is inevitable, and together we can change it. I was delighted to take part in Dundee Pride and Shaper Caper's out-fest question time at the weekend, along with colleagues Drogfords Patrick, Mercedes Villalba and Willie Rennie. I would like to think that across this chamber we can agree that organisations such as Dundee Pride and Four Pillars in Aberdeen do vital work supporting LGBTQI communities. Their support, campaigning and activism is not for February alone, but for every day of the year. I would like to pay tribute to them for their tireless work. Ultimately, LGBT History Month allows us to stand in solidarity with the LGBTQI-class community to learn how to be better allies and better equalities campaigners and to pay homage to those who have paved the way for the rights and freedoms that we enjoy today. It reminds us of those who were erased, ignored and murdered because of their identity, and it requires us not to be complacent, to keep fighting, to keep challenging discrimination and inequalities of power wherever they occur, because we still have much work to do. I now call Alex Cole-Hamilton to be followed by Jamie Greene. I don't call Alex Cole-Hamilton, I actually call Paul O'Kane, and I thank the clerk for keeping me in order, and up to four minutes please, Mr O'Kane. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, and I apologise to you and colleagues that I will have to leave before the conclusion of the debate. Can I also welcome Christina McKelvie back to Parliament and begin my contribution by thanking Karen Adam for bringing the debate to the chamber and paying tribute to her as an ally of LGBT plus people, along with many other colleagues who are participating this evening. I am pleased to be able to speak in this debate as we celebrate LGBT plus history month, and I am pleased to be able to use that word celebrate because this month should be a celebration. All too often lately, as fell as though the rights of many LGBT plus people and the hard-won progress that has been made over many years has been up for debate. We know that crimes aggravated by sexual orientation prejudice in Scotland have risen by 32 per cent from 2018-19 to 2020-21. According to Crown Office Procurator of Fiscal Service data, on charges reported, while hate crimes aggravated by transgender identity prejudice, they have doubled since 2015. The Council of Europe has recently pointed to the UK as being among several countries where the advantages of recent years are under threat, amid extensive and often violent attacks on the rights of LGBT plus people. We know that too many LGBT plus people tragically take their own life or contemplate doing so. I have spoken in the chamber before about my young self and the fears that I felt when growing up, but I have also reflected on the amazing progress made and the conference given to me by people across this country who stood up and spoke out particularly in this place. I am immensely proud of the record of my party, decriminalisation, equalising the age of consent, lifting the ban on lesbian gay men and bi people in the military, repealing section 2A, commonly known as section 28, the Gender Recognition Act, civil partnerships paving the way to equal marriage, adoption rights and the Equality Act. I want to say tonight to any young LGBT people watching this debate. You are not alone, you may be worried just now, the world around you might seem terrifying, all you might see and read is what seems like sometimes a never-ending onslaught of anti-LGBT plus rhetoric, but it gets better, and it will get better. There are people in this place standing up for you and speaking out for you and ready to defend all of the progress that we have made and to move forward once again in the journey for equality. To quote my esteemed colleague in the House of Commons, Dame Angela Eagle MP, we are not going to get back in the closet or hide or be ashamed of the way we are. We will help to write the next pages of our history, and the young people of today will pick up that torch and carry it on. So there is more to do, there is always more to do. Continuing progress on inclusive education, banning the horrendous practice of so-called conversion therapy, reforming the Gender Recognition Act and improving access to healthcare and services for trans people. The theme, as we have already heard this evening of LGBT History Month 2022, is blurring borders, a world in motion, and we are invited to reflect beyond our own borders. I think that, given the challenges and perils in our world at this very moment, it is so important to do so. Our debate in Parliament yesterday on the borders and immigration bill has naturally made me think of LGBT plus refugees around the world fleeing persecution, violence and death in their home countries, and the unfolding situation in Ukraine and the fears for the progress and light rights of LGBT plus people and their safety should be at the forefront of all of our minds. The history of LGBT plus people is a global story, a story of solidarity, of understanding and of love. I am inspired by so many Scots who have led the way. I am also inspired by amazing organisations such as Stomill Scotland, LGBT Youth Scotland, Time for Inclusive Education, the Equality Network and others. I am also inspired by global figures such as Harvey Milk. I have a quote of his on my desk upstairs. Hope will never be silent. Know that it won't. For as long as I stand in this place and for as long as I have my voice, hope will never be silent. Thank you. Thank you. I now call Alex Cole-Hamilton to be followed by Jamie Greene up to four minutes. I am glad that you called Paul Kane for an excellent contribution. I am very grateful to hear the words of Harvey Milk at the end of his statement. I start by welcoming Christina McKelvie back to her place. It is great to see you and have your sparkle back in the chamber. I thank Karen Adam for bringing this important debate today and for her very moving account of growing up to gay parents. It was a beautiful account of how far we have come and I thank her for it. I also want to thank the many organisations who have contributed with briefings today and for the work that they do right across the board, particularly with LGBT young people and helping them find their selves and their place. In his iconic novel, Giovanni's Room, gay author James Baldwin makes a powerful statement about love. I quote, "...love him and let him love you. Do you think anything else under heaven really matters?" His words resonated at the time with millions of people who felt like their love was invalid because of the gender of the person that they loved. It has been a long march towards LGBT equality in Scotland. Although we have come far, there is still work to be done. We have heard lots of that this evening. I am sure that everyone feels and knows that they are valid and accepted no matter who they are or how they love, but that does not happen everywhere. LGBT History Month rightly reminds us of some of the key moments on that road to equality. Gay people in Scotland long lived under the shadow of the Criminal Law Amendment Act, which made male sex a criminal offence carrying a two-year prison sentence, which was not fully overturned in Scotland until 1981. In 1988, as we have heard several times already, section 28, clause 2A, was introduced to prevent teachers from even talking about LGBT-plus issues in schools, causing many vital support groups to close as a result, with local authorities fearing that they might be in breach of the law allowing them to continue. We only got rid of that in 2000, as we have heard. Yes, we have been on quite a journey towards rights for LGBT people in this country. We are now rightly proud as a nation to hold the mantle as I quote the best country in Europe for LGBT equality. Indeed, one of my proudest moments during my time was actually sat alongside Christina McKelvie in the Equality and Human Rights Committee last session when we stewarded through this Parliament a bill that would end or rather extend a formal apology from the state to all gay men who had long had to bear the stain of a criminal record for acts or for being intimate with the person that they love, crimes that are no longer an offence. While we have come a long way and while we should be rightly proud, we must not forget what is still to be done. LGBT people face still a number of barriers that pop up right across our society from healthcare to education. Some of those barriers are blatant, some are more subtle, but they all cause damage and harm to those people on a daily basis, and they need to be addressed. That is why my party recommends that steps be taken to help healthcare professionals and social care workers to recognise LGBT-specific issues, particularly around trans-health issues and how they need to be addressed. It is also time that we redouble our efforts for LGBT-inclusive education. Indeed, the final frontier of LGBT equality is in trans rights. In the coming months, this Parliament will debate GRA reform and I think that it is right that we use the opportunity that we have to hear evidence reflect and scrutinise the legislation that passes through this chamber, but the GRA does need reform that is harming people every single day. We must make sure that we are able to improve laws that will better support trans people to live their lives free from discrimination. I would like to end with a quote from Anthony Van Brown, himself a survivor of conversion therapy, which we have called to be banned across the chamber. I quote, The richness, beauty and depths of love can only be fully experienced in a climate of complete openness, honesty and vulnerability. I am proud as a Liberal and to be a Liberal is my heartfelt belief that everyone should be empowered to be who they truly are fully and who love who they love freely. Thank you very much. Thank you. Due to the number of members who wish to speak in this debate, I am minded to accept a motion without notice under rule 8.14.3, to extend the debate by up to 30 minutes. I now invite Karen Adam to move a motion without notice. Ms Adam. The question is that the debate be extended by up to 30 minutes. Are we all agreed? That is agreed. I now call Jamie Greene to be followed by Paul MacLennan up to four minutes. Do not worry, I will not speak for 30 minutes. Can I start by thanking Karen Adam for today's debate? It is great to see her wearing her rainbow braces. I remember a time when we were asked to remove rainbow ties for wearing them in the chamber because they were a campaigning symbol. How times have changed? How has Parliament indeed changed? I should declare an interest as founder and co-convener of the Parliament's LGBTI cross-party group, but I am pleased to welcome new members to the session's Parliament as part of that group. I start by saying that the LGBTI community is not one homogenous group. We are all different. We have different beliefs, backgrounds, views and, as you can see, politics. We are different, but we are different and the same because we come through the same history. History is a journey to where we are. My goodness, what a journey it has been. Right back in 1533 was the first buggery act that was punishable by death. Today, you can still be put to death for being gay. In 1885, the Criminal Law Amendment Act made same-sex acts illegal in 70 countries. That is still the case today. In fact, it took in Scotland until 1980, the year I was born, before we reversed the draconian laws. Full age of consent equality did not take place until 2000. It is hard to imagine that we are having this debate at a time in the context when it was illegal for me to be with my then partner. Progress, of course, is welcome. I was proud to be part of the gayest Parliament in the world, as Pam Duncan-Glancy put it. However, I will not be standing here making a speech like this today if so many have not fought for my right to do so. The Gay Liberation Front in the US, which grew out of the ashes of the Stomall rights, and groups such as Outrage, Olga, Daft, the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and the Lesbian Adventures—not phrases he often hears in this Parliament, but there was nothing amusing about what they were doing. It was courageous, it was gritty and it was dangerous. Amongst the many names of pioneers and revolutionaries that I could name today, there are too many to list, but I want to single out one, and that is Peter Tatl. I hope that my praise is not unwelcome, because I speak as a gay man who is thanking him personally, not as a politician, but he does deserve my thanks. When he stood as a Labour candidate for Bermondsy in 1981, it was a disgusting campaign, blatant homophobia that he faced. That was against the backdrop of section 28, the most shameless episode in our political history. He and I may disagree on many issues, but his direct action undeniably contributed towards progress here and elsewhere. I guess that is where I move on to today. This world was shaken by murders like that of Matthew Shepard back in 1998—horrific abuse and torture, words that I would not even mention because, for fear of the official report, we would have to write them down. Are we still shaken by events like that? Are we shaken by the murder of Samuel Leith last year, a 24-year-old young boy in Spain who was beaten to death? That sparked national outrage and protests right across Spain. What about the death of Dr Gary Jenkins in Cardiff who was beaten to death around the same time? The CCTV picked up his last moments and he was heard crying out, Please help me, stop it and why. Where was the outrage after Gary's death? Where were the national protests? Where are the protests that one in ten young LGBT Scots have tried to take their own life? Where are the protests in this country that hate crime is on the rise against LGBT people? Sometimes I wish I had the guts that Peter Thatcher had the year that I was born. Let me conclude by saying that the battles that we now face are no less device. No less difficult, no less ugly but no less important because first we must ban conversion therapy somehow and we must do in a way in which there is no unintended consequences to the rights and freedoms that we all enjoy but neither should it be watered down or diluted under the pretense of those rights and second we must reform gender recognition in a way where no one is weashed but in a way in which all shall ask each and every one of us to put ourselves in the shoes of a young trans person right now today in Scotland waiting 44 months for treatment. Walk a mile in someone's shoes and then judge them I say. The same arguments used in the bygone days against consent against gay marriage against section 28 against gay adoption they're all been churned back up again they're all been wrapped up in sensibility and coated in a modern middle class outrage but these are no less visceral nonetheless. I close on a plea to each and every one of us a plea for respect because when we lose respect to each other we lose the argument when we lose the argument we lose hope and sometimes hope is all we have. Thank you. I now call Paul McLennan to be followed by Mike Amara up to four minutes please. Thank you Deputy Presiding Officer and I thank Karen Adam for bringing this member's debate today and again just great to see Christina back in the chamber. I look forward to working with her in the months and years ahead and I have to say that the speeches so far have been absolutely fantastic and very very moving. I want to thank Ty and LGBT youth for the briefings for this and in their briefing LGBT youth said that Scotland's vision is that Scotland is the best place to grow up for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex young people and that's a challenge to us all. LGBT history month takes place in February every year and offers a chance to connect and reflect on the past and president of the LGBT community and Maggie Chapman made the point that this isn't just about the debate today we have to live this every single day and we've got a role to play and that equality drives us all forward in that reflection and we have to remember that. LGBT youth I met with them probably about two or three weeks ago and was moved during the work that they do and obviously it's the national charity and they work with the LGBT young people from 13 to 25 across Scotland and it was great to chat with them and actually hear about the work that they're doing and the impact they're making on individual people. They obviously deliver face-to-face and online youth work services, they've got the LGBT charity programme for schools and organisations and their youth work to make sure young people's voices are heard by decision makers is incredibly important and we celebrate the work that they do. I think it's being touched upon that this year's theme is about blurring borders, a world in motion. This year we are invited to think beyond borders and as we heard we're lucky to live in Scotland and other parts in the world. People have persecuted just further sexually about who they are. If Scotland has made great strides towards equality, we've heard about that already, the journey has come at a slower pace in some parts of the world and faster than others. And again when I reflected on the discussion in the meeting with LGBT, they mentioned LGBT youth, they talked about a lot of young people have been denied opportunity to learn about themselves, their history and see what people are like reflected in the school curriculum. I was heartened last week by the support for GRE reform and it showed a large majority in support of reforms and I look forward to debating that when it comes forward next week. From September last year the Scottish Government began to implement LGBT inclusive education across all our schools and that means young people across Scotland get to learn about LGBT history. Notable moments, key figures, role models and we can be part of their role models as well as learning about prejudice and discrimination rights and representations of diverse families that can speak about LLRON, including same-sex parents and relationships in their learning. The purpose of LGBT inclusive education is to take a proactive educational approach to tackling prejudice and bullying that we've heard that LGBT young people suffer now. I hadn't heard the figure before when we mentioned about one in ten gay people talking about taking their own lives. That's a horrendous figure, an incredibly horrendous figure and we should be moving to try to best we can to make sure that no gay person feels in that position at all. All young people deserve to see themselves reflected in learning at school. Learning about LGBT past and present figures at school provides young people with role models, as I said. It makes them feel valued about who they are and they should be confident and proud about who they are. LGBT history month can be a powerful opportunity for reflection and awareness raising. Learning about LGBT history should be all year round, not only in February. It's not only impactful for LGBT young people but also for the wider community and the school community. It teaches about empathy, improves understandings of prejudice and discrimination and builds knowledge around diversity in rights and our own society. The people workshops that I mentioned for primary and secondary school cover themes of challenging homophobic language. It's far too easy to hear who we're seeing or throw away comments. It obviously affects people and hurts people. Of their work, and this is the key thing, even since September, announce if their work found out that 93 per cent of people who participated in the school workshops had a stronger understanding of the impact of homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying behaviours and prejudice than before, 93 per cent. 82 per cent said that they'd been no longer used by a genre of language and sthers that are commonly used, such as that's so gay and derogatory terms. In their own words, people who participated said they'd learned. It's okay to be LGBT. You shouldn't be scared to tell them about who you are and not to bottle things up. Presiding Officer, in conclusion, I encourage all of us to come together, reflect on the power of the people and the strength of the solidarity across the borders and support of the LGBT community. I'm proud to do so. Thank you. I now call Michael Marra, who will be the last speaker before I ask the minister to respond. Up to four minutes, please, Mr Marra. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I want to relate the story of one gay Scottish man and, in reality, this is a story about one written letter. A letter written by Harry White, a gay working-class Edinburgh man born in 1907, a son of a house painter who made a life as a journeyman journalist. As such writing was his daily trade. But writing this one letter from his typewriter was an act of breathtaking bravery. Writing it risked almost certain death. The letter he wrote from his Moscow desk in May 1934 was to one Joseph Stalin, a letter that Stalin duly read. Harry was a communist, a far more common thing for Scots in the 1930s than it is today. But by 1934, at the age of 27, he worked in Russia at the Moscow Daily News. On March 7 of that year, the Soviet criminal code was revised to prohibit male homosexuality, with up to five years' hard labour. As a penalty, Harry White was outraged. I've today placed a copy of his letter in Spice. Any members who care to read it will see that the letter to the Supreme Leader is in a very formal Soviet style. It's a model of discourse that would have been well known to many Scots, a way of writing and speaking. We can only now really hear faint echoes of in how we discuss life, economics and politics. You can see it perhaps in the words of Mick McGaghey of Jimmy Reid. The letter analyses the economic weight of a non-reproductive population. It talks the language of social-state jurisprudence. But it is core here in an impassioned plea for equality written under the threat of death. In those words, I have always believed that it was wrong to advance the separate slogan of the emancipation of working-class homosexuals from the conditions of capitalist exploitation. I believe that this emancipation is inseparable from the general struggle for the emancipation of all humanity. Harry White then argues that homosexuality is natural, that it cannot be reversed. In his words, the law is absurd and unjust from the viewpoint of science, which has proven the existence of constitutional homosexuals and has no means at its disposal to change the sexual nature of homosexuals. Harry White was quite clear a century ago on the science and the morality of conversion therapy. This is certainly the letter of a young man in certainty, self-confidence and righteous fervour. To Harry, he was gay and he was a socialist. These were core to his understanding of who he was, his place in the world. The reality of his homosexuality eventually leads to his better understanding of the nightmare fictions of Stalinism, the horror of communism, the terror of absolute power of the state over the individual. In perhaps the most startling passage of this letter, Harry White quotes back Comrade Stalin's own words against him from his report to the 17th Party Congress. This actually took my breath away. One cannot require that all people should have identical needs and tastes, that all people live their daily lives according to a single model. To conclude from this that socialism requires the egalitarianism, equalisation and levelling of the needs of society's members, the levelling of their tastes and personal lives, that according to Marxism everyone should wear identical clothes and eat the same quantity of one and the same dishes is tantamount to uttering banalities. What an act of defiance from a one man, one scot in Moscow. It brought to my mind the shadow life lived by Shostakovich, who lived in the fear of the music in his mind and whether he would suffer in Russia for giving it life on a page. Well, Harry wrote it all down. Stalin wrote on the letter from Harry White, these short words, archive, an idiot and a degenerate, Jay Stalin. Harry White escaped just with his life but not with his communism. So why does this history matter? Well, it matters tonight to thousands of gay men and women in Kiev and across the Ukraine. Vladimir Putin calls on this history, on nationalism, on populism and a poisonous strong man masculinity. Putin's campaign of state-sanctioned violence and intimidation of gay men and women in Russia calls out to a folk memory of communism. Today's dictator, who wages war in Europe, again calls to history. Harry White saw Joseph Stalin. Harry White would see Vladimir Putin. We know who Vladimir Putin is, and Harry White knew too. Thank you, and I now call on Minister Christina McKelvie to respond to the debate around civil ministers, please minister. Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer, and I extend my grateful thanks to you and the other Deputy Presiding Officer for your warm welcome back to the chamber tonight. To all of you who have hung about the night and everybody who has been sending me messages to welcome me back, I am back in my place and I am so pleased to be here. I am so grateful for the warm welcome. You will never understand how grateful I am, but I am anyway. I am really delighted to be closing this debate. It is a perfect debate for me to come back to all of its focus and thought-provoking contributions from members across the chamber tonight. Paul O'Kane and his contribution reminded me that this is a celebration and we should be celebrating the progress that we have made but not forgetting the progress that we have still to make. All speakers tonight have highlighted the great progress that we have made as a country and reminded us that those rights have to be both one and kept. However, we still need to do more to make Scotland a truly inclusive country for all LGBTI people. Karen Adam, Pam Duncan-Clancy and Maggie Chapman reminded us that this Parliament, since its inception, since 1999, has always sought to advance the rights of LGBTI people. LGBTI equality is a priority for me as a minister, as well as being very close to my heart as an individual. It is vital that equality is achieved not just here in Scotland but also beyond. This year's LGBTI history month theme, as we have heard, is blurring borders. It encourages others to come together and consider the experience of LGBTI people across the world. Michael Marra's eloquent telling of the story of Harry White's letter to Stalin, what a brave man he was, but he reminds us of the dangerous battles fought for equality and the dangerous battles still to fight when we spoke about Russia and the worries of the people in Ukraine a hundred years on and we are still fighting those battles we have work to do. David Torrance gave us an important reminder to celebrate our achievements as a nation and to be proud of Scotland as a place where LGBTI rights are realised and where everyone's identity is respected and celebrated. Now we know that that does not happen all the time in every sphere but we need to keep advancing that so that it does. David Torrance also reminded us of the precarious and sometimes dangerous situations that LGBTI people find themselves around the globe even to this day. So we must continue to work hard to ensure that no one is denied rights or opportunities because of their gender identity or sexual orientation and I believe that our policies and actions at home should be reflected on the world stage. Tess White gave us stark figures of the countries around the world where being LGBTI is still a criminal offence and in some cases the death penalty is the action that's taken against them. Scotland has received international recognition for a progressive approach to LGBTI equality which is in no small part down to the exceptional work of the LGBTI community, its organisations, its activists who have fought for equality in human rights over the past decade and I also say across parties across this chamber since 1999 as well. LGBTI history month is a cornerstone of this work, it's an opportunity for us to celebrate how far we've come, the lessons we've learned along the way and to understand the obstacles and the challenges still ahead of us. I'd like to thank LGBTI Youth Scotland like many others for coordinating this year's history month. This is a key event in our calendars and one that I look forward to every year. This year there's been a large number of events both online and in person across the country throughout February, culminating on Friday with the annual fundraising purple Friday day and I did buy one of those fabulous LGBTI Scotland t-shirts with a Highland Cow with the rainbow fringe and wearing it on Friday and I say to Maggie Chapman, Dundee pride, wonderful. I'm looking forward to coming back to that. A wee bit more about Scotland's achievements because Scotland wants to remain on the right side of history on this. We want to continue to set world-leading examples whether it's about equality, protection from discrimination or inclusion and I believe that Scotland has embraced this responsibility for many years. Scotland has led the way in marriage equality, legalising civil partnerships in 2005 and introducing same-sex marriage in 2014. A proud moment to press my button that night and vote for that. In 2018, along with Alec Cole-Hamilton, we have seen the historic pardons bill put through the Parliament. The pardons men previously convicted of same-sex activity under obsolete laws, which have now been repealed. We took some private evidence from some amazing men who had convictions and they just wanted to make sure that the world is a better place for their other generations coming in. It was great to hear from them to do that and it was a brilliant piece of work to do in our committee at the time. On-going work, because we have talked about the work that we have already done and we have much more to do. On-going work through recognising important contributions that LGBT people and their movements have made throughout history and by promoting awareness of issues faced by the LGBT community, their importance will be properly recognised. Retake inclusive education. My thanks is always goes to the TIE campaign Jordan and Liam for their enduring commitment to inclusive education. It is vitally important that this effort starts with children and young people, particularly as LGBT children can experience difficulties because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. In September last year, we became the first country in the world to embed LGBT inclusive education. Pam Duncan-Clancy and Paul McClennan said that we must work together to make Scotland the best place to grow up. I think that we can do that and live up to that aspiration. We must live up to that aspiration. Many speakers spoke about healthcare and I want to quickly touch on a point. We recognise the need to improve access to and delivery of gender identity services. In December, we published an NHS Gender Identity Services Strategic Action Framework, which describes how we will fund work to address waiting times, multidisciplinary care and support for those waiting for access to services. I give my commitment to continue doing that work and working with health colleagues. Many speakers raised gender recognition reform, so next week we will introduce the gender recognition bill to improve the process for trans people to obtain legal recognition of the required gender and social justice cabinet secretary Shona Robinson will give a parliamentary statement on that. Those proposals have led to discussion and debate and we know that there are those who support reform and those who have concerns. The bill does not introduce any new rights for trans people or change the protections provided in the quality act. Our support for trans rights does not conflict with our continued commitment to uphold and advance women's rights and equalities. Although there is disagreement on those issues, it is vital that we work together to set a tone of respectful discussion that Jamie Greene spoke about. We have also committed, and Jamie Greene raised that in his contribution as well, that this year we will take the necessary steps to end conversion practices in Scotland. We are clear that those are abhorrent, harmful and discriminatory practices and have no place in our society. By the end of next year, we will introduce legislation that is as comprehensive as possible within our devolved powers and bringing about a ban. I am happy to work with anyone across the parties in doing that. We will establish an expert advisory group to support that ambition. The membership will be finalised shortly, and I will let members know about that. Just touching on another issue that came up in the debate about hate crime, Karen Adam spoke very eloquently about the experiences of her mum and reminded us that hate against LGBTI people is still prevalent. We will also work with key delivery partners and stakeholders to publish a new hate crime strategy that will build upon progress made in tackling prejudice in Scotland and look to how we better foster cohesion between our myriad of communities and social groups to confront the forces that seek to drive us apart. While a rise in recorded levels of hate crime may reflect increased confidence and porting of such crimes to the police, it is never acceptable and will not be tolerated. Maggie Chapman and other speakers highlighted the rise in hate crime. Paulie Cain reminded us about the Council of Europe report, and Jamie Greene reminded us that, at 1 in 10, young people have said that they considered taking their own lives and asked us where is the outrage. We have to be the outrage. We recognise that some people have reasons to doubt their representation in history or to feel left out of Scotland's story, so the LGBT history month provides us an opportunity to reinforce the sense of belonging, representation and value that everyone has a right to feel. We have come a long way towards a more inclusive and equal Scotland where everyone feels safe to be themselves, and all speakers tonight have reminded us that there is still yet a lot to do, and I am very sure that, in this chamber, we will all play our part. Can I just finish on the words that Paulie Cain reminded us? Hope will never be silenced, so let this Parliament never be silenced while we work on this important work.