Shaun Edge, Labour councillor for Crawcrook and Greenside, told colleagues he was now “too scared” to walk into a pub holding his husband’s hand and Reform’s decision would leave the town’s LGBTQ+ community feeling “on their own”.
“We need to be aware that Pride is not just a socio-political group, it is a group of people in this community,” he said.
“The generations before me had to [fight] and I thought I was going to be fine, but I am going to have to fight myself to try and be heard and lead a life like the rest of my heterosexual compatriots across the room.”