Tony Blair poses as Gay Times cover star as he is named a ‘gay icon’
Tony Blair has been recognised as a ‘gay icon’ after being lauded by Gay Times for his role in introducing civil partnerships, lowering the gay age of consent and repealing section 28 – which banned schools from teaching pupils that homosexuals can have families.
The ex-prime minister graces the front cover of this month’s online edition of the magazine after heading 30 gay icons from 30 years of publication, standing alongside prominent men such as Boy George and Sir Ian McKellen.
The collectible anniversary edition of the mag carries an exclusive interview with the politician in which he asserts he is ‘proud’ to have been honoured with the accolade and comes hot on the heels of being named ‘philanthropist of the year’ by GQ magazine.
Gay Times wrote: “'Whatever the realities of his philanthropy and the backlash to his GQ award, his status as an ambassador of gay rights is undeniable.
“An equal age of consent, the abolition of Section 28, legal recognition for trans people, civil partnerships, banning employers from sacking you because of who you love and making homophobia a hate crime - they were all on Blair's watch.”
Commenting on his policy changes Blair added: “It's something I'm very proud of. I consider it a significant part of my legacy. I remember Section 28, that was pretty nasty.
“It created a very ugly atmosphere in society - as I was growing up in politics, I disliked the hypocrisy where people had to conceal their own identity. And I saw the pain that they had in their own lives, because they couldn't be who they were.”