Russell T. Davies, the award-winning screenwriter behind Doctor Who and Queer As Folk, has expressed his concerns about the decline of gay rights in the UK. According to Davies, the rise of Reform UK and the influence of the Trump presidency on British politics are major contributing factors to this decline. In an interview with the Big Issue, Davies stated that gay rights are “rapidly and urgently getting worse” and urged the LGBT community to “be revolting in terror and anger and action” in response to growing support for Reform UK.
Reform UK has pledged to “ban transgender ideology” in schools within its first 100 days of government, as part of its education policies. The party’s manifesto also includes plans for a “patriotic” curriculum, tax relief of 20% on private schools, and cuts to funding for universities “that undermine free speech”. Additionally, Reform UK has promised to replace the Equality Act and scrap diversity, equality, and inclusion rules. Davies criticized these policies, warning that they would have a detrimental impact on the LGBT community.
Davies also expressed his concerns about the influence of Donald Trump on British politics, stating that Trump is “literally out to get us” and “would be happier with us invisible and gone, defunded, completely invisible if not biologically altered” to become straight. He emphasized the need for the younger generation of LGBT people to organize and fight back against the rhetoric and policies that have emerged on the hard right of British politics.
Davies’s upcoming series, Tip Toe, deals with the culture war that has radicalized some people into homophobia, transphobia, and prejudice. Channel 4 has described the show as examining “the most corrosive forces facing the LGBTQ+ community today, examining the danger as prejudice creeps back into our lives”. Davies has previously spoken out about the importance of representation and diversity in media, stating that he believes in casting gay actors in gay roles. In 2021, he said, “I am noisy and I do get listened to,” highlighting the impact of his voice on the industry.
Earlier this year, Davies warned that gay society was in the greatest danger he had ever seen after Trump’s presidential election triumph. “As a gay man, I feel like a wave of anger, and violence, and resentment is heading towards us on a vast scale,” he said. “I’ve literally seen a difference in the way I’m spoken to as a gay man since that November election, and that’s a few months of weaponising hate speech, and the hate speech creeps into the real world.” Davies emphasized that he was not being alarmist, but rather, he knew gay society very well and believed that they were in grave danger.