Queen Elizabeth II expressed her support for LGBTI rights according to the former Mayor of Manchester.
Carl Austin-Behan, who was elected as Lord Mayor of Manchester in 2016, recalled speaking to the Queen at an event in 2021 where he says he got the impression that the Queen valued diversity and genuinely cared about the community.
Austin-Bevan served in the Royal Air Force but was forced to leave his position in 1997 because of his sexuality. Homosexual people were not permitted to serve in the British military until 2000.
He later because the first Mayor of Manchester who was public about being same-sex attracted, and now serves as an LGBTIQA+ advisor to the Mayor of Greater Manchester.
He shared that when the Queen attended a 2021 event to celebrate the 600th anniversary of Manchester Cathedral she requested that a gay choir sang at the event. Austin-Behan said the decision sent a powerful message to the local community.
The former Mayor told the BBC that he spoke to Queen Elizabeth about how much society had changed over many decades.
“We talked about the fact that I had been kicked out of the armed forces in 97 and that we’d moved on with the ban,” he said.
“The fact that we’ve now got equal marriage and the fact that same sex parents can have children, and she accepted that, and we talked about the importance of diversity and inclusion.”
“I feel she genuinely cared about our community.” Austin-Butler said.
OIP Staff
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