Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Each February, we mark LGBTQ+ History Month. It's a chance to celebrate and commemorate the contribution LGBTQ+ people have made to our communities and our country, to shine a spotlight on and rightly recognise the rich history, lives and experiences of LGBTQ+ people, to reflect on how far we have come and to redouble our efforts towards greater equality.

We can be proud of the progress that’s been made in the struggle for LGBTQ+ equality, from action to prohibit discrimination in goods and services to the end of the pernicious section 28 and equal marriage. In Wales alone, we are embedding LGBTQ+ inclusive education as part of the new curriculum. We have established a gender identity service to help our trans family to be their true selves. We became the first nation in the UK to offer pre-exposure prophylaxis free on the NHS. And we are well on our way to developing a ground-breaking LGBTQ+ action plan.

The freedoms and rights that we have today were hard fought for and hard won, but they are part of our relatively recent history. Within my lifetime alone, we could be fired, we couldn’t be ourselves and serve our country, we couldn’t be mentioned in classrooms, we were dismissed as a lifestyle choice, a curable disease, and an abomination to religion. In fact, when this institution first sat, we could still be denied in law service, somewhere to live and the right to marry the person we love.

In December, it was a privilege to host an event here at the Senedd for World AIDS Day, as we marked 40 years since the AIDS epidemic began. A lot has changed in the past four decades—HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, no longer has the impact it once had, and there is a commitment to eradicating new cases of HIV by 2030. Forty years ago, the gay community faced an avalanche of fear, hostility and vilification—an agonising and unacceptable period of history that was enabled by society, fuelled by the media and legitimised by Government policy and inaction. Yet, sadly, today, we see much of the same language of vilification, fear and othering targeted at the trans community. The difference now is that this Welsh Government stands with our trans community, alongside countless allies and activists.

Not knowing our history risks our future. This is no time to sit back, to not speak out and think the job is done, that rights are won. That’s why we are determined to see through our ground-breaking LGBTQ+ action plan. That’s why it's a key part of our programme for government and our co-operation agreement with Plaid Cymru. And that’s why we are committed to making Wales the most LGBTQ+ friendly nation in Europe. I'd like to thank the LGBTQ+ expert panel for all their support in getting us to where we are today. We are currently analysing the consultation responses to the draft plan, and I look forward to being in a position to publish the plan and put it into practice.

We are determined also to see meaningful and rapid action on that abhorrent practice of conversion therapy. Whilst the UK Government have signalled movement here, I am concerned by the delays to their consultation and the strength of their proposals, particularly regarding consent. I stand by our programme for government commitment to not only use all existing powers to end the practice in Wales, but to seek the devolution of additional powers should UK Government proposals not go far enough.

Despite the progress we have made, we know the sad truth that hate crime is on the rise. The statistics show a 16 per cent increase in recorded hate crimes across Wales compared to 2019-20. Nineteen per cent were sexual orientation hate crimes, 4 per cent were transgender hate crimes. The horrific consequences of hate crime have really been brought home in recent reports of a tragic and terrible incident that took place in the heart of our capital city. 

It's time we made hate, prejudice and fear history. It's time to move forward in common cause to create the more equal, just and inclusive Wales we all want to see. During LGBTQ+ History Month, we pay tribute to the trailblazers; the activists and the allies; the campaigners and the change makers; those who have lived through it and those whose lives have been cut far too short. Thank you. And to everyone who continues to blaze that trail and every LGBTQ+ person in Wales: you are amazing, you are valued and you are making a difference.