Books

WORDS: BEN KELLY

EQUAL EVER AFTER

LYNNE FEATHERSTONE/BITEBACK

As a lifelong liberal, Lynne Featherstone has long championed the rights of LGBT people, but never more so than in the fight for same-sex marriage; a very modern part of our rainbow coloured history, which is thoroughly documented from the inside in this invaluable memoir from the former MP.

With the Liberal Democrats having entered a coalition government with the Conservatives in 2010, Lynne became the Under Secretary of Women and Equalities, and put the bill firmly at the top of her agenda. Her uphill battle to get support from Tory colleagues is a particularly interesting read, especially the ‘journey’ of her department head Theresa May, who famously changed her tune on gay rights once she became Home Secretary. The cynical may well scoff at anecdotes like this, but it’s worth remembering that Lynne had to convince some more familiar friends too – like Stonewall and gay MP Chris Bryant who weren’t fully on board at first; to the Coalition for Marriage, a collective of the religious right who demonised her and the campaign, through the biggest government consultation in UK history. The book features 27 pages of various correspondences Lynne received through this time – some praising her, some expressing disgust – which read like a testament to a moment in time; a profile of what the country was feeling before we evolved into a more modern society.