LGBTQ+ Action Plan

Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Social Justice – in the Senedd at 2:04 pm on 9 February 2022.

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Photo of Hannah Blythyn Hannah Blythyn Labour 2:04, 9 February 2022

Diolch. My thoughts and those of the Welsh Government are with the family, friends, colleagues and all who knew Dr Gary Jenkins. Like everybody here, I was saddened by the horrific homophobic murder of Dr Jenkins. I actually attended the vigil in Cardiff on the steps of the national museum on Sunday evening with hundreds of people, where we were moved by people paying tribute to a kind soul, who was incredibly generous, humane and compassionate, and as you said, somebody who worked hard and dedicated his life to our NHS, and whose life had a positive impact on so many other lives. I think the vigil demonstrated the strength of feeling following this horrific incident, and I know that the LGBTQ+ community in Cardiff and beyond has really felt that deep impact of the attack.

We talked last week as part of LGBT+ History Month about how far we've come, but it demonstrates in the cruellest possible way how far we still have to go. It's the cruellest extreme, but so many LGBTQ+ people, myself included, still face slurs and snide remarks on a daily basis. We don't feel that we can hold the hands of our loved ones to walk down the street. That's why it's so important that we speak out and we use our platform for good in this Chamber and demonstrate the nation that we want to be. As a Welsh Government, that's why our action plan is so important. We've taken action already to make sure that we are, myself and the Minister for Social Justice, meeting with representatives of the LGBTQ+ community in Wales, and with the police, to see what more needs to be done to make sure that our communities are safe, as they should be, and secure, on the streets and in the communities of Wales.