Wes Streeting Deluged with Homophobic Hate Mail Since Becoming Defence Secretary – BBC News
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The Defence Secretary, Wes Streeting, has revealed he’s faced a surge in online homophobia since taking office—more than in his entire life.
In an interview with the Iain Dale All Talk podcast at the Edinburgh Fringe, Streeting stated:
"I have experienced more online homophobia in the last three weeks than I have in my entire life… An unbelievable volume, because people cannot cope with the idea that a gay person might lead the armed forces of the United Kingdom."
Streeting became the first openly gay defence secretary in 2024. While media coverage has been limited, he notes that many within the Ministry of Defence have expressed pride:
"In my first week, someone in the MoD said to me: ‘As a gay man, I’m really proud that we have our first gay defence secretary – It means a lot to many of us who remember the bad old days.’ I was quite touched by that."
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