Author Archives: Fraser Graham

Why we all need a bit of Pride this year

By Fraser Graham | Sat 13th June 2020 - 1:30 pm

I write this on the day that would have been Pride Edinburgh 2020. Last year, tens of thousands of LGBTQ+ Scots and Allies joined in the centre of our capital city for a march through the streets, followed by entertainment and a range of social events. To me, pride is three things; a protest, a celebration and a coming together.

Since I came out over 5 years ago, I have attended every Edinburgh Pride event, each time with a group of individuals, be that my friends, the University LGBT+ group or the Scottish Liberal Democrats. It’s always been a day of great energy and companionship, and a chance to see a lot of friends I may have lost touch with over the years.

In terms of protest, the recent Black Lives Matter protests following the death of George Floyd show how important it is to fight for our rights. The LGBTQ+ community stands with the Black Lives Matter movements, and we have some fights of our own still to fight. In the UK, there have been moves by the Government to reduce the rights of the Trans community, and the Scottish Government’s feet dragging on reform of the Gender Recognition Act.

There is also the continued travesty which is the homophobic and biphobic ‘blood ban’, which prevents many Gay and Bisexual men giving blood. This is a cause which is close to my heart, having grown up going with my mum on her regular blood donation sessions. Due to circumstances outwith my control (namely being single in a pandemic), I will be giving blood In the coming weeks, but I would dearly love to be able to give more regularly without having to resort to forced celibacy.

Pride is also a celebration of how fabulous our community is, how much variety it has and how much LGBTQ+ talent there is. It’s a time when people from all walks of life (and yes, some ‘pinkwashing’ businesses) unite to celebrate our community and be proud of who we are. We are still here, and we’re not going away, and the middle of the pandemic is when some of us need that message most, and the opportunity to socialise in a time when we have never been more collectively alone.

Posted in News | 3 Comments

The Election Result – musings of a (relative) newbie

By Fraser Graham | Fri 13th December 2019 - 4:45 pm

I joined the Lib Dems in 2016, on the day after the leave vote happened. At the time, if felt I could no longer be a bystander, I had to do something. In the time since, I certainly have, becoming the convener of my local party and a committee member of the LGBT+ Lib Dems.

When I joined the party, my thoughts were primarily on Brexit, and the party’s stance of opposing it. But as I’ve become more involved, met members, attended conferences I have realised how much more we are and how truly I do belong.

I spent last …

Posted in Op-eds | Tagged 2019 general election | 9 Comments

The Fight for LGBT+ Rights: An Unfinished Rainbow? 

By Fraser Graham | Thu 18th May 2017 - 10:50 am

This past weekend, Kiev, Ukraine hosted the Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest, an event referred to by some as ‘Gay Christmas’, with the theme ‘Celebrate Diversity’. In celebration of this theme, the Friendship of Nations Arch was to be redecorated to form a rainbow as a symbol of equality. Unfortunately, due to protests from far-right groups, the arch was never fully covered in a rainbow, and yet somehow has become, I feel the most poignant and apt depiction of the state of Equality in our society.

On one side, the one facing the city of Kiev, the rainbow is about half complete, the bare steel a reminder of the distance left to travel. On the other side, less visible, there is much less rainbow and much more steel, a great reminder that under the surface there is much further to go, with many people here in the UK still suffering from Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia at home, at work and in the street.  