Scottish Government minister for equalities, refugees and migration Emma Roddick speaks at her home Pride event in Inverness - Highland Pride 2023.
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00:00 As you can imagine, it's not a very easy job at the moment, but it is a very important
00:04 one to me because I am the first out member of the Scottish Parliament to represent anyone
00:11 in the Highlands and Islands at either Scottish or UK level.
00:15 No, no, don't, don't, don't chew that.
00:17 That's not a good thing, guys.
00:20 Because that only happened in 2021.
00:24 And I have to tell you, the day that we run out of firsts for our community will be a
00:30 day to celebrate.
00:34 So I realised that I was bisexual the same time that I realised other people are only
00:40 attracted to one gender, which, no offence, I find really strange.
00:47 But my kind of queer rebellion growing up was to say that I didn't think I should have
00:53 to come out, at least not until all my straight friends had to gather their pals around and
00:59 apologetically explain how heteronormative they are.
01:04 But I realised as I grew up that actually visibility does matter.
01:08 So I got over myself and came out.
01:11 But I do remember the day that I didn't come out to my mother.
01:16 I was about 17.
01:17 I'd already moved out, but I went home to visit and I was sitting there and my mum was
01:22 there and my wee sister was in a bit of a mood.
01:26 And at one point my mum does the mother thing and says, "See that boy that you mentioned
01:32 once in that story about you?
01:34 Is that your boyfriend?"
01:36 And my little sister goes, "No, mum.
01:39 She's a lesbian."
01:43 And my mum does this look and it's one of these looks, she was a social worker, and
01:48 it's a look that only social workers and teachers can do.
01:51 She looks at me and then she looks at my sister and she says, "Only half the time."
01:58 And I had no idea she knew, but there I was out, it was fine.
02:05 I'm telling you this so that you know that our fight is personal to me.
02:11 And I recognise that the political atmosphere at the moment is not helpful to us.
02:17 It's very difficult.
02:19 It is hard to live through these times where we're hearing people say things that we thought
02:24 or at least hoped had been left in the past or on fringe blogs on the internet, not the
02:31 front page of newspapers and in our Scottish Parliament.
02:35 It is unacceptable.
02:37 And I look around and I see things like ChocoCafe and what happened to them and people even
02:43 in the face of that denying that homophobia still exists.
02:47 I see our Inverness school, Merkinch, doing what is right for wee birds who are queer
02:54 or have two mums or two dads to try and make them feel included and getting just torn to
03:00 pieces online for it.
03:03 And I know that it's unacceptable and I'm just here to say that I will always stand
03:08 up for our community and do whatever I can to stand against all that backlash.
03:16 And I know how important Pride is.
03:21 It's not just so that we can come together and support each other and look fabulous,
03:26 and so many of you do look fabulous today.
03:29 It is also a protest.
03:32 We have to stand here in protest and use Pride to stand against the inequality, discrimination
03:40 and hate that our community still experiences.
03:44 Now I campaigned in the 2016 Scottish Parliament elections, that was seven, eight years ago
03:51 now, and I remember every single party committing to gender recognition act reform.
03:58 And nobody other than trans and non-binary people cared because nobody other than trans
04:04 and non-binary people are affected.
04:07 And yet today I stand and listen to people act as if that's different.
04:12 And somewhere along the way these far-right groups got in and really scared people, really
04:17 played on this fear, a legitimate fear, that cisgender women are at risk.
04:22 And we are.
04:23 But not from trans people.
04:26 [Cheering]
04:30 And I just, I hope that continuing to calmly put our point across means that we end up
04:38 in the place that we want to be.
04:40 I don't know.
04:41 I think we can look back in ten years' time and see what the best route out of this was
04:46 and the fastest route.
04:48 But what we're doing at the moment is trying.
04:51 And if I can't convince you, because it's not true, that everybody is behind us, I hope
04:56 I can tell you and reassure you that I am, the First Minister is, and the Scottish Government
05:02 is.
05:03 We remain resolutely committed to ending conversion practices.
05:09 I've been tasked.
05:10 [Cheering]
05:13 I've been tasked with the role of bringing forward a non-binary equality action plan.
05:19 And these things are so important because our non-binary friends deserve legal recognition
05:25 and nobody, nobody deserves to be tortured and tried forced out of their gender identity
05:33 or sexual orientation.
05:35 [Cheering]
05:39 And in recognising the harm that conversion practices have already caused our community,
05:44 the Scottish Government has funded a helpline through LGBT Health and Wellbeing, recognising
05:50 that reopening this debate will have consequences for people who are experiencing trauma.
05:56 So if you have suffered conversion practices, or if you think you might be suffering them
06:02 now, please do reach out and use that helpline.
06:06 It is there for you and you deserve that support and that help.
06:11 And just before I wrap up, I want to draw everybody's attention to there's a LGBT youth
06:17 stall over there behind you all.
06:20 And with Unseen Unheard, they are collecting messages for young LGBT people in the future.
06:28 So if you have anything to say, a word of support, a word of thanks, a word of encouragement,
06:34 please do head over there and add to the flag.
06:38 It's such an important effort that's going on just behind you there.
06:43 Now, progress on equality is so slow because it does mean changing people's minds and attitudes
06:49 and that takes ages.
06:50 It takes far too long for those of us who are experiencing the inequality.
06:56 But I will fight tooth and nail for every single small step forward we take because
07:01 I know that doing nothing has far worse consequences.
07:06 So people, please do stand proud today and from now on stand together and know that you
07:12 are on the right side of history and soon we will be on the winning side of history.
07:18 Thank you very much.
07:20 (crowd cheering)