British Leader Continues To Fumble Gay Outreach Effort, Forgets Planned Reference In Speech

In Britain, Tory leader David Cameron’s efforts to reach out to gay voters have become almost comical in their failure. Last month, Cameron sat for an interview with a gay magazine to promote the party’s alleged move to the left on social and equality issues, but paused the interview after he fumbled an answer about the Tories’ voting record on gay equality. Then, a Tory MP was secretly recorded as saying that “people who ran bed and breakfasts in their homes should ‘have the right’ to turn away homosexual couples,” and now the the UK Metro is reporting that Cameron “left out a reference to gay people he was supposed to make in his speech kick-starting the Tories’ election campaign.”

The original text of the speech, which was distributed to reporters, included a direct mention of gays and other minorities, but Cameron forgot to mention the group during delivery:

AS PREPARED: ‘We’re fighting this election for the Great Ignored – young, old, rich, poor, black, white, gay, straight.’

AS DELIVERED: ‘They may be black or white, they may be rich or poor, they may live in the town or country.’

The omission comes as Cameron hopes to convince voters that the conservatives have changed on issues of civil equality. “The party has changed and I think all center-right parties, all conservative parties have to go on this journey and I think we’ve probably gone a bit further and faster than some conservative parties in other countries and there won’t be any turning back. So I understand the concern, but I think the change that’s happened is real, lasting and irreversible,” Cameron said in that ill-fated interview with Gay Times magazine.

The party’s fumbles, however, are undermining Cameron’s new rhetorical pledge and the party’s popularity among gay voters. “According to UK gay news source Pink News, support for the Conservative party among gay voters has fallen 5% in the past month.” Today, Prime Minister Gordon Brown confirmed that the general election will be held on May 6.