Thread by @AllianceLGB

1./ CPC21 has been full of wonderful, unexpected encounters that remind us no one has all the answers. Including us. Within the space of an hour today we spoke to a clutch of MPs who agreed with us but couldn’t speak out. Then a real life man of the cloth came up for a chat.👇

2./ What we know about religion could probably be written on the back of one of our tiny stickers we’ve been giving out supporting free speech. 👇 So imagine our surprise when the Rev Alan Kennedy said he was a huge supporter. Who knew?

3./ While Alan, like us, supports trans rights he believes sexual orientation and gender identity are so different they require different organisations. But might a picture with him, we asked, feed the fictional claim we’ve support from reactionary religious types? 😬🥱🙄

4./ After a few choice non-Biblical words Alan challenged us to decide if we believed in free speech or not. He also pointed out his Congregational Church is fiercely independent, far from wealthy, and Alan has personally championed same sex marriages within it. Sorry, Alan👇

5./ So what does this prove? Only that when we decide to discuss important social concerns in a democracy we can’t pick and choose who gets to engage. Free speech requires us to leave our assumptions at home. And to embrace surprising perspectives. So here’s brave Alan again. 👇

6./ At #CPC21 we’ve been grateful for the goodwill and support of so many unexpected people of so many different backgrounds… from ordinary parents to feminist MPs and …the Rev Alan. We’ve loved debating our views with Conservatives of many different stripes this week.👇

7./ Alan wasn’t the only person to push us out of our comfort zone. People who disagreed with us raised concerns we didn’t always have an answer to. That’s what debate is about. In the crucible of free speech we all sharpen our ideas. As a Conservative PM once said…👇