Pansexual MP Layla Moran sees huge boost in Liberal Democrat leadership race as members get ready to vote
Layla Moran. (WIktor Szymanowicz/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Pansexual Lib Dem MP Layla Moran has been endorsed by equal marriage architect Baroness Featherstone and other former MPs as she seeks the party leadership.
Moran, who came out as pansexual in an interview with PinkNews earlier this year, is one of two candidates vying to become leader of the Liberal Democrats, facing interim leader Ed Davey.
Equal marriage architect backs Layla Moran in Lib Dem leadership race.
Former Liberal Democrat minister Baroness Featherstone, who was responsible for the introduction of equal marriage during the Coalition government, this week signed a letter in The Independent throwing her support behind Moran’s insurgent bid for the leadership.
The letter, also signed by former MPs Julian Huppert, Martin Horwood and Stephen Lloyd, says: “As former Liberal Democrat MPs, we represented seats in both Leave and Remain and Conservative and Labour-facing areas.
“We are convinced that electing Layla Moran as leader would be the best way to win these seats back. Because to win back former Liberal Democrat strongholds and become competitive again across the country, we need to build a broad base of support amongst voters. That means we need to send a clear message we are renewed as a party.
“We must start listening to voters again, and show that we have learnt the lessons of the past decade. Layla Moran will provide the strong, liberal voice the party needs to cut through in the media and to stand out from the crowd.”
Layla Moran said she wants to restore voters’ trust in the party
Meanwhile, Davey has been backed by the party’s former leader Tim Farron, best known for admitting to misleading the public about his belief that gay sex is a sin.
Leadership hopeful says trans people feel ‘under attack’.
Moran has set out a progressive pro-LGBT+ vision during the campaign.
In an interview with the BBC’s Nick Robinson last week, Moran said that trans people feel “under attack” in the UK.
She said: “I am really worried about where this debate is right now… and what I’m hearing from my trans friends in particular is that they feel very very under attack. In recent weeks, many are considering leaving the country because they feel it’s going the other way.
“I am really really worried about those who equate trans women for example with predatory men, those are two very very different things.
“I stand firm in my support for the trans community and the Liberal Democrats as a whole always have. We’re very proud of it, it’s not dividing our party, it’s something that we all agree is important, because at the core of liberalism is that you should be able to be who you are, and there is no conflict with fighting for feminism and women’s rights and fighting for trans rights.
“We are all humans, we all deserve to be able to self-determine, we all deserve to feel safe and at the moment, the debate is actually having the opposite effect and it’s very regrettable.”
