New Zealand just elected the queerest parliament in the world with one in 10 MPs identifying as LGBT+

Oct 21, 2020 by Jill

by Emma Powys Maurice, Pink News:

After prime minister Jacinda Arden‘s landslide win on Saturday (October 18), there is set to be 12 openly lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer members in the country’s 120-seat parliament, up from seven.

This means that New Zealand will have the highest proportion of LGBT+ MPs in the world. The UK has the highest number of openly queer MPs, with 45 across 650 seats, but this only amounts to a 7 per cent representation.

“Numbers do matter,” the lesbian Labour MP Louisa Wall told AAP before the election.”We have a critical mass with high visibility and we’re seen as valid. If we do end up being the most LGBTQI representative parliament in the world, that would be simply great.”

Alongside Wall, the New Zealand Labour party’s queer MPs are Grant Robertson, Meka Whaitiri, Tamati Coffey, Kiri Allan, Ayesha Verrall, Glen Bennett and Shanan Halbert.

Read here