# @pinknews on Instagram

- **Type:** Video
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DQ35z4sieoA
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/36799378-pinknews-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/522edbbfc3.jpg
- **Posted:** 2025-11-10T11:00:49.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** PinkNews (@pinknews) — https://gondola.cc/pinknews

## Caption

On this day in 1984: Chris Smith, Labour MP, became the first Member of Parliament to voluntarily come out.

During a rally against a possible ban on gay employees by Rugby town council, Smith began his speech by saying: Good afternoon, I'm Chris Smith, I'm the Labour MP for Islington South and Finsbury, and I'm gay."

Reflecting on the moment with the University of Cambridge, Smith said: “When I came out publicly in 1984, it was a year or so after I'd been elected. Then when I became a cabinet minister 13 years later, I was the first openly gay cabinet minister anywhere in the world. And the rather wonderful thing was that when that happened, no one really noticed - which actually showed me how much progress we had made.”

#LGBTQNews #ComingOut #GayNews #UKPolitics #Labour

## Stats

- **Views:** 9,475
- **Likes:** 917
- **Shares:** 0
- **Comments:** 1

## Tags

ukpolitics, labour, gaynews, comingout, lgbtqnews

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