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The areas of England and Wales with the highest proportion of LGB+ residents are represented in parliament almost exclusively by Labor MPs, according to new census data. Only three of the top 50 constituencies with the highest percentage of people who identify as gay or lesbian, bisexual or other sexual orientation (LGB+) are represented by a Conservative: the cities of London and Westminster (27th with a 6.8%); Lincoln (35th place, 5.9%) and Bournemouth West (43rd place, 5.5%). In contrast, 42 of the 50 seats are held by Labour, including eight of the top 10 and two of the top three: Brighton Kemptown (2nd place 10.3%) and Vauxhall (3rd place 10.0%). .
The figures were compiled by the PA news agency using data from England and Wales from the 2021 census, which was the first of its kind to ask people to register their sexual orientation.
The constituency with the highest proportion of LGB+ residents is Brighton Pavilion, at 11.9%, represented since 2010 by the only Green Party MP, Caroline Lucas.
The rest of the top 50 is made up of three seats held by independents, all former Labor MPs, and one Liberal Democrat.
Many of the constituencies at the top of the table are in large cities or areas with high student populations, such as Manchester, Leeds, Cardiff and Bristol, while 23 of the top 50 are in London.
The results are in line with analysis from the previous Office for National Statistics (ONS) census, which showed that local authorities with a relatively high proportion of people aged 16-24 identifying as LGB+ tended to have one or more universities.
The bottom end of the table is more dominated by rural and less built-up areas, although the bottom 50 includes some London seats currently held by Labour, such as Dagenham & Rainham and Ilford North, as well as the Buckinghamshire seat of Chesham & Amersham which the Liberal Democrats won the Conservatives in a by-election in 2021.
There is a fortuitous trend in the top and bottom sections of the list, where Conservative MPs account for exactly one fifth (20) of the 100 seats with the highest proportion of LGB+ residents, but four fifths (80) of the 100 seats with the lowest ratio.
But while the vast majority of seats towards the bottom of the list are currently held by Tories, with 39 of the bottom 50, three of the bottom five are held by Labour: Birmingham Hodge Hill, Luton North and Sefton Central. .
Rayleigh & Wickford in Essex, a seat held by the Conservatives, has the lowest ratio of the 573 constituencies in England and Wales, at 1.5%.
Census data for England and Wales is being released in stages by the ONS, with constituency level figures released in recent weeks.
The data shows a similar trend for seats with the highest proportion of residents reporting to the census that their gender identity is different from their recorded sex at birth, with Labor seats representing 42 of the top 50, including nine of the top 10 . and all the top five.
Birmingham Ladywood tops this list, with 1.64% of residents saying their gender identity is different from what they were at birth, followed by East Ham and Tottenham (both 1.57%), then Edmonton ( 1.51%) and Brent Central (1.47%). .
These figures are shown with two decimal places because the differences between the percentages are very small.
Some 46 of the bottom 50 seats are held by Tories, with the lowest being Derbyshire Dales (0.19%), followed by Rayleigh & Wickford and South West Devon (both 0.21%).
Densely student cities and areas again dominate constituencies towards the top of the list, though only one seat appears in both the top 10 LGB+ and by gender: Bermondsey and Old Southwark in south London, held by the independent MP (former laborer). Neil Coyle.
Each political party must consider how our community and loved ones will view the party's commitments to an LGBTQ+ inclusive society at the polls.
Responding to the findings, Robbie de Santos, director of communications for LGBT charity Stonewall, said: "The 2021 census showed what many of us already knew: LGBTQ+ people live everywhere in England and Wales. We are part of each community and always have been.
“The census also showed that the proportion of people willing to identify as LGBTQ+ is increasing among the younger generations, who tend to live in more urban areas.
“However, LGBTQ+ people live on every ride and there are so many more people who love and care about us across the country. Every political party and potential parliamentary candidate must consider how our community and loved ones will view the party's commitments to an LGBTQ+ inclusive society at the polls. »
The census was carried out in England and Wales on March 21, 2021 and for the first time included a question on sexual orientation, which was voluntary and asked only to people aged 16 and over.
Respondents could choose between heterosexual or heterosexual; gay or lesbian; bisexual; and "other sexual orientation," which also invited people to write in the orientation with which they identified.
Some 44.9 million people answered the question (92.5% of the population aged 16 and over).
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