Hannah Blythyn, the Labour minister for social partnership. (Facebook)
Trolls have targeted a minister’s wife in response to Wales’ ambitious plan to become the most LGBT-friendly country in Europe – proving why it has to be achieved. Fast.
Laura Murton, who is married to Welsh Labour deputy minister for social partnership Hannah Blythyn, shared some of the shocking abuse she has faced simply for standing up for LGBT+ people.
In a tweet, Murton showed an email sent by someone describing themselves as a “property finance consultant and Christian evangelist from London”.
The emailer told Murton to “abandon” her “sexuality” in comments dubbed “entirely unacceptable” by the Welsh government, Nation.Cymru reported.
“A few weeks ago, my life launched the Welsh Government action plan to make Wales the most LGBT+ friendly place in Europe,” Murton explained.
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. pic.twitter.com/CybQmjjOLY— Laura Murton (@LauraMurton22) August 13, 2021
“I’ve now been targeted to my personal and work email stating I need to abandon my sexuality, leaving the woman who is leading the way for Wales.”
Unhinged ‘Christian evangelist’ tells minister’s wife to undergo conversion therapy
Sent to both her personal and work email addresses, the author launched into a five-point attack against Murton packed with Bible quotes and cherry-picked studies that show this person has nothing but hate in their lives.
This included a link to a 2019 study that found there is no single “gay gene”, but many genes, each with a small effect, that may influence same-sex sexual behaviour.
Genes are complicated, the researchers found, and social and environmental factors may also play a role.
But the emailer, who clearly didn’t read beyond the headline, wrote of the study’s findings: “Therefore, Laura, you were not born with a homosexual identity.”
They then told a brief story we bet is completely true, yup, definitely, about a “friend who was homosexual for many years”, suggesting that they underwent conversion therapy and is now “happily married to his wife and blessed with two children”.
And in a not at all sexist point, they urge Murton to “reprogramme your subconscious mind with a heterosexual mindset in order to marry a British man for love and child-bearing”.
The writer then rattles off about “indigenous white people” going extinct before suggesting she calls her to discuss ways to “help her”.
Capping off their unhinged email: “We need to urgently discuss your deliverance from the spiritual bondage of homosexuality.”
Wielding the country’s devolved powers, Blythyn’s action plan for levelling up Wales includes a sprawling refresh of the Gender Recognition Act alongside banning conversion therapy and pumping more money into Pride initiatives.
The government is consulting the public on the plan, which received input from an independent panel of queer experts – and the abuse Murton faced is exactly why the proposals need to be enacted, government officials said.
“This type of homophobic abuse is entirely unacceptable and demonstrates all too clearly why the work of this government on the LGBT+ action plan is so important,” a spokesperson for the Welsh government told Nation.Cymru.
“Our plan seeks to tackle this type of discrimination, address structural inequalities and create a society where LGBT+ people are safe to live and love authentically, openly, without prejudice, judgement and bigotry.”