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Wife of Welsh Gov minister ‘targeted’ with anti-LGBTQ+ message  

13 Aug 2021 4 minute read
LGBT: London Pride parade. By Ian Taylor

The wife of a Welsh Government minister has been “targeted” with an anti-LGBTQ+ message.

Laura Murton, who is married to Deputy Minister for Social Partnership Hannah Blythyn, was told to “abandon” her “sexuality” by someone who described themselves as a “property finance consultant and Christian evangelist from London”.

This follows Blythyn spearheading a plan to make Wales the most LGBTQ+ friendly nation in Europe.

The message told Murton to try conversion therapy, a practice that the Welsh Government has vowed to outlaw.

The self-described “evangelist” tells her she could “reprogramme” her “subconscious mind with a heterosexual mindset”.

This is in “order to marry a British Christian man for love and child-bearing”.

Conversion therapy has been described by host of professional bodies, including The British Psychological Society, and the Royal College of General Practitioners as “unethical and potentially harmful”.

The Bench of Bishops in the Church in Wales have also said trying to “force people to try and change their sexuality” is “both abusive and traumatising”.

The message to Murton also claims that the “long-term survival of the indigenous white people of England and Wales is threatened”.

Revealing the message on Twitter, Laura Murton said: “A few weeks ago my wife launched the Welsh Gov action plan to make #Wales the most #LGBTQ+ friendly place in Europe.

“I’ve now been targeted to my personal & work email stating I need to abandon my sexuality, leaving the woman who is leading the way for Wales. This is exactly why the plan is so important.”

The public affairs consultant Stephen Brooks said: “Laura’s targeted by a homophobic and racist bigot yet she chooses not to reveal their identity. When they go low, she goes high.

“Sorry you received this hate for simply existing. Solidarity with @LauraMurton22 and @hannahblythyn – you’re both doing Wales proud”.

‘Pride’ 

During Pride Month Deputy Minister Hannah Blythyn said: “The Welsh Government has supported Pride in the past, but now we are putting this support on a firmer footing, to help with long-term planning and sustainability, not just for a single event but in recognising the role Pride plays as a grassroots movement.

“We will be making £25k of new funding available for Pride Cymru this year and will be embedding this support, and substantially more in the future.

“Alongside this, we will also be establishing a new Wales-wide Pride Fund to support grassroots events across the country. We will support smaller movements to thrive and help ensure that every LGBTQ+ person can take part in what Prides have to offer.

“At the beginning of the year, we established the Independent Expert Panel to help set up the next steps for advancing LGBTQ+ equality.

“In March, this Panel presented their report, which included 61 recommendations under six main themes: Human Rights and Recognition; Safety; Home and Communities; Health and Social Care; Education; and the Workplace.

“The work of this Expert Panel has been used to develop an Action Plan for Advancing LGBTQ+ Equality in Wales.

“This ambitious, cross-government plan will set out the concrete steps we will take to improve the lives of LGBTQ+ people, to tackle discrimination and to, ultimately to make Wales the most LGBTQ+ friendly nation in Europe.”

‘Consultation’ 

The Minister added: “This plan will go out for consultation at the end of July, and ahead of this I wanted to share a few key points.

“We will formally establish a LGBTQ+ Expert Panel to help put our plan into action and to hold the Government to account on progress.

The Welsh Government will work to secure the devolution of as many aspects as possible of the Gender Recognition Act.

“We are also commissioning legal advice on all available powers to ban Conversion Therapy in Wales regardless of UK Government delays.

“We will seek to appoint a national Pride Coordinator to support all our work in this area, the details of which will be scoped in the coming months.

“We know that issues being faced by the LGBTQ+ community, like others, are often multidimensional and that is why this action plan will have an unprecedented focus on intersectionality and align with our work to advance human rights including the strategic equality plan, the Gender Equality Plan, the Framework for Action on Disability and of course our pioneering Race Equality Action Plan.

“We’re committed to showing that forwarding the equality agenda isn’t simply about slogans and warm words, it’s about our actions.

“Our ambition, has always been and will always be to ensure that Wales is the most LGBTQ+ friendly nation in Europe. Today’s announcements are a step towards that.”

The Welsh Government has been asked for a response.


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Cynan
Cynan
3 years ago

Evangelist, Property Management, Consultant. There is nothing there that doesn’t inspire revulsion.
is there conversion therapy for any of those afflictions?

Shan Morgain
3 years ago
Reply to  Cynan

Evangelism is entirely selfish. It racks up points of virtue for the evangelist in their club so they can feel superior (like Tories funnily enough who are addicted to superiority). But again like Tories evangelism has no respect or love for its targets. Countless people have had their lives wrecked by these cults poisoning their childhood (gosh Tories again). //// …………………………..Funny, I’m not a Christian but I believe Christ’s message was acceptance of all, including socially marginal people. The only group he rejected was business people exploiting temple space (the Tories of his day). I have no doubt he would… Read more »

Alan Reilly 1
Alan Reilly 1
3 years ago

2000 years of dictating to other people how to live their lives clearly weren’t enough for some people… 🙄

hdavies15
hdavies15
3 years ago

Having got fed up of recent bouts of virtue signalling from segments of the LGBTQ+ community it is even more depressing to read of a so-called Christian – an adherent of a religion that purports to be based on love and tolerance – spouting such hate and drivel. I might dismiss Ms Blythyn’s “plan to make Wales the most LGBTQ+ friendly nation in Europe.” as political virtue signalling and unnecessary, but the nasty cr@p uttered by this so-called Christian is well out of order. Despite my own preferences ( as opposed to prejudices) I commend these 2 ladies for the… Read more »

Cynan
Cynan
3 years ago
Reply to  hdavies15

He is a Christian. Not a so-called Christian. Most Christians are not so vile as him. But it is “no true Scotsman” fallacy to deny him when he does not behave as you would like. When it comes to virtue signalling, religions do it more often and more loudly than anyone. I crave a welcoming Cymru, inclusive of all – religious and LGBT+ included – to live as they wish (so long as it harms no one else). Once we can excise Westminster and govern ourselves, I hope we can approach this. The sooner that we get away from venting… Read more »

Last edited 3 years ago by Cynan
hdavies15
hdavies15
3 years ago
Reply to  Cynan

Some people adopt a Christian “identity” because it suits their personal style, goals etc. In this case his behaviour gives the game away. It’s not a case of “behaving as I would like” at all, more a case of not behaving in line with the basic tenets of his religion. People like that are just as toxic as the radical Islamist that is so despised by many in this country. Given the chance he too sounds like the sort who might grow to enjoy chucking gays off high buildings.

Cynan
Cynan
3 years ago
Reply to  hdavies15

I don’t want to attack Christians (or any faith), but since it has been raised, I won’t ignore it. I respect your personal fairh. I acknowledge that most (I hope) people with a religious faith are kind and compassionate and decent people. BUT … followers of all the Abrahamic faiths (I can’t comment on other faiths because I don’t know enough about them) are notorious cherry-pickers. Take Leviticus. It expressly forbids male homosexuality. Many Abrahamists like this one. A lot. They are always shouting about it. Yet Leviticus also expressly forbids haircuts, shaving, tattoos, shellfish, gossip and wearing too many… Read more »

GW Atkinson
GW Atkinson
3 years ago

If changing your sexuality is possible, lets see the guy try and convert himself into being gay.

Erisian
Erisian
3 years ago

Sounds more like a hastily carved dog whistle than an opinion.
A sad sick malcontent trying to provoke.

Cynan
Cynan
3 years ago
Reply to  Erisian

Agree. And I love the “hastily carved dog whistle” metaphor. I suspect I may use it in future. Hope you don’t mind

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