He also claimed the party was being run by a “militant LGBT network.”
Earlier this year, as protests outside Birmingham primary schools teaching the No Outsiders programme, which promotes equality and diversity, heated up, Labour MP Roger Godsiff backed the parents.
In a video, Godsiff was seen telling protesters: “I will continue to try and fight your corner because you’re right. Nothing more, nothing less – you’re right.”
These comments got him reported to the Chief Whip, and he faced calls to stand down as an MP. At a meeting of the Labour Party’s National Executive Committee earlier this week, it was decided that Godsiff would not be endorsed as a candidate.
Godsiff has decided to stand as an independent in his constituency of Birmingham Hall Green, and in a letter detailing why, he explained it was due to his opposition as to how “sensitive” part of the Equality Act were taught, and at an age appropriate level. Godsiff had previously claimed the books weren’t age appropriate, despite him not having read them.
He said his opposition led to a “small intolerant vindictive group” from within the LGBTQ community to campaign against him. This group is apparently “totally opposed” to age appropriate levels of teaching.
Godsiff then goes on to complain this this “vicious” group, as well as Labour’s Chief Whip, Nick Brown, who is gay, recommended he not be selected as a candidate. At the time, a ‘trigger ballot’ had been in place against him from his constituents, meaning he was already facing re-selection.
Furthermore, Godsiff wrote that he was a “human sacrifice” to essentially appease the LGBTQ community. But he wasn’t done there, as despite already having blamed them for his deselection, he decided to write about it again saying an “intolerant militant activist segment” led a witch hunt against him.
The LGBTQ group for Labour in the West Midlands tweeted following Godsiff’s deselection: “We’re glad that @RogerGodsiff has been deselected by the NEC – his attacks on @LGBTLabour over recent days show his hatred for LGBT+ people plainly.”
And Ged Killen, who was the MP for Rutherglen and Hamilton West before the dissolution of Parliament wrote: “Plenty of school aged children have LGBT+ people in their family and never give it a second thought until people like Roger make them feel like it’s something to be ashamed of and to be kept hidden.”
Related: Anti-gay hate crimes in Birmingham double amid protests over LGBTQ lessons
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