With the resignation of David Cameron the Tory party have been looking for their next leader, someone who will not just become the next Tory leader, but an unelected Prime Minister. After the final round of voting for candidates by members of the Conservative party today Home Secretary Theresa May stands in the lead, but her closest competitor has some disturbingly right-wing views.
Andrea Leadsom, MP for South Northamptonshire, has managed to defeat Justice Secretary to become May's rival in the leadership contest, after other hopefuls Liam Fox and Stephen Crabb were eliminated in earlier rounds of voting.
Though some may think that having two female candidates for the next leader of our country is a good thing, but it takes very little digging into Leadsom's past to find some incredibly right-wing and homophobic views.
In several Internet posts and comments over the years Leadsom has expressed the views that same-sex couples should be given a lower priority to adopt children to heterosexual families. In 2009 she complained about a particular incident where two children were denied the option to be adopted by their grandparents after being taken into care, making comments that the worst part was that the people adopting them were gay.
In 2007 she made suggestions that a point-based adoption system should be put in place, with more points being given to straight couples over same-sex couples, citing religious reasons for her opinions on this matter.
In 2013 she abstained from the vote on marriage equality, refusing to take any side in the argument. Speaking at the time she said that she would have voted yes on the matter to express the views of her constituents, but also wished to vote against the move for equality as she found parts of the law 'unacceptable'.
She once again named her religious views as the reason for wanting to vote against the measure as it 'risks centuries of faith based belief in marriage as between a man and a woman'.
Despite this vote having been made years ago it would appear that Leadsom's views have not changed on the subject, when during an interview with ITV this very morning she once again stated that she does not approve of the same-sex marriage law, claiming that it harms Christians.
'I would have preferred for civil partnerships to be available to heterosexual and gay couples, and for marriage to have remained as a Christian service for men and women who want to commit in the eyes of God.' She said, speaking on the matter.
'My own view is that marriage is the Biblical sense, from the many Christians who wrote to me, can only be between a man and a woman.
'The issue I have is around the consequences, and very real hurt caused to many Christians who think that marriage in the Church can only be between a man and a woman. I think we've muddled the terms of marriage, civil partnership, church, registry office...I would have liked that to have been clarified.
'I really didn't like the legislation, that was the problem.'
Possibly most disturbingly of all the revelations around Mrs Leadsom's views towards the LGBT+ community is the fact that she has been linked to a 'gay cure' group in Uganda.
Leadsom has been involved with a Ugandan organisation, Youth With A Mission (YWAM), and have helped to organise exchange programmes for schools over the past decade.
The organisation, who she encourages British youth to interact with and learn from, promotes strong anti-gay messages and has a number of groups that state that they can 'cure' homosexual people of their sexuality. The 'Kompassion Ministry' in Amsterdam is one of these groups, who 'helps broken people who struggle with their unwanted homosexual orientation'.
Whilst Theresa May has been very rightly criticised for her own anti-LGBT+ views in the past she looks like a positive LGBT+ activist when compared to Leadsom. Theresa May has changed her views over the years and has begun to support more and more LGBT+ causes, whilst Leadsom still, this very day, speaks out against LGBT+ rights.
If Andrea Leadsom becomes the next Prime Minister it will be a massive blow for the LGBT+ community, it will be damaging to the future of LGBT+ rights and it will be yet another moment of tragic stupidity in British politics that shows just how much hate and ignorance exists within our nation.
Amy.
xx
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