Peter left school without the qualifications he needed to get by so he returned to secondary school as a 25 year-old and started all over again.
SINCE then he’s got a PhD in community development, set up a local film company, run a charity for youth unemployment and been an aid worker.
Peter said: “Being gay and going to school in the 1980’s under Section 28 taught me what it’s like to have a government that’s against you. Labour changed all that and it’s amazing to think that I’m now standing to be our city’s first openly gay MP.”
“But we live in an age where many people are still excluded from the best that life in Brighton and Hove has to offer. That’s why I was on the board of Pride, am chair of governors of a local school, and actively campaign for positive change across our communities.”
Peter’s position on the Stonewall Equality Manifesto: To download Manifesto, click here:
International Aid: With Labour many LGBT battles were won. From equalisation of the age of consent to civil partnerships and allowing trans people to have their true gender recognised in law. But I know there is a lot more to do. For example, I was an aid worker for almost a decade where I saw first hand that there are many countries that have not even begun the journey we started towards LGBT equality. Even worse, people are being actively persecuted and at times murdered with state complicity solely due to their sexuality.
Britain’s aid spending and diplomatic services are a powerful force around the world. If I become the MP for Hove and Portslade I will use my experience to steer our overseas activity as a nation to better advocate for positive change around the world for LGBT people. As a last resort, I would support withdrawal or scaling down of British investment in countries that do not take active steps towards equality and the elimination of gay and trans phobia.
Statutory PSHE and Sex and Relationships Education for primary and secondary schools in England: At home we must do more for our next generation. That means equipping them for the challenges of life in our 21st century economy and also developing the right attitudes to sex and relationships. I became chair of governors of a local secondary school so I could do my bit for our city’s students. I’ve leaned a great deal about how we can use our education system to teach the values and skills young people need to respect each other and develop rewarding and mutually respectful relationships into adulthood. I will continue my work of advocating for better relationship teaching, including same-sex relationships, going forward.
Reviewing the laws affecting trans people: There are still areas where legislation will play a role in promoting better equality, particularly for trans people. That’s why I signed up to the Trans Manifesto.
There is also more that we need to do within our LGBT community too. In the past we have united to campaign for changes to the law, but now many of those battles have been won we must also look to how we tackle challenges within our own community too. Risky and unhealthy activities such as ‘chem-sex’ is leading to increased HIV contraction rates and this is something we as a community should come together to solve in order to protect our friends and the young people who are emerging into the LGBT scene.
Peter’s position on the future Commissioning of Health Services and how that affects the Sussex Beacon:
“Because of the independence of voluntary organisations and the fact that service users are so integral to the way support is provided, organisations like The Sussex Beacon are essential to the future of our NHS. They are special because they are embedded within the communities they serve, yet form a link to mainstream public services.
People with HIV are still reluctant to be open about their status within mainstream services and when combined with the fact that so many people are now living into old age with HIV it is clear that the role of a well funded, independent, voluntary sector is as essential as it ever has been.”
For a full list of candidates standing in Hove and Portslade, click here: