LGBT HISTORY MONTH (No. 2)

That this House notes that Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans (LGBT) History Month takes place in February and welcomes 2016's theme of Religion, Belief and Philosophy; celebrates the seismic shift in legal equality for LGBT people under successive Labour governments from 1997 to 2010, including the abolition of Section 28, the equalisation of the age of consent, the lifting of the ban on LGBT people serving in the armed forces, the introduction of civil partnerships, the outlawing of discrimination in the provision of goods and services, the introduction of the Gender Recognition Act, the introduction of statutory rights for lesbian couples to access fertility treatment, increased sentencing for homophobic hate crimes and government-led initiatives to tackle homophobic and transphobic bullying in schools; further celebrates the shift in public attitudes towards LGBT equality and the action taken since by successive governments across the UK to further LGBT equality, including the introduction of equal marriage rights; congratulates Sue Sanders, Tony Fenwick and the LGBT History Month team and other LGBT equality charities and pioneers for their ongoing work to improve the life chances and opportunities for LGBT people; further notes that there is still a great deal more work to do to ensure that all LGBT people are treated with dignity and respect; welcomes the groundbreaking report by the Women and Equalities Select Committee on trans equality; and encourages the Government to take further steps to end discrimination and bigotry against LGBT people in the UK and around the world.