Russell T Davies, the acclaimed television writer, has expressed grave concerns over the state of gay society, declaring it to be in "the greatest danger I have ever seen." His comments followed the election of Donald Trump as the President of the United States in November. Davies made these remarks during a keynote speech at the Gaydio Pride awards held in Manchester on Friday. He criticized both Trump and his ally, Elon Musk, highlighting a rise in hostility not only in the US but also in the UK.
Davies's address underscored his alarm regarding the cultural and political landscape following Trump's ascent to power. He likened the threat emanating from America to an evil rising from the west, drawing parallels to the ominous forces depicted in "The Lord of the Rings."
“The threat from America, it’s like something at The Lord of the Rings. It’s like an evil rising in the west, and it is evil.”
He voiced concern about the impact of Trump's policies, which have reversed protections for LGBTQ+ individuals. Furthermore, Davies was critical of Elon Musk, who acquired Twitter and renamed it, following which hate speech surged by 50% according to a study by the University of California, Berkeley.
“We’ve had bad prime ministers and we’ve had bad presidents before. What we’ve never had is a billionaire tech baron openly hating his trans daughter.”
Davies reflected on his experiences as a young man in the 1980s when he left home at 18. He recalled how rumors of a mysterious virus, which would later become known as HIV/AIDS, began to surface, challenging the gay community.
“And that is exactly the year that rumours and whispers of a strange new virus came along, which came to haunt our community and to test us in so many ways.”
Despite these challenges, he emphasized the resilience of the community during those times.
“The joyous thing about this is that we fought back.”
Davies is renowned for his work on the TV series "Queer As Folk," a groundbreaking show from the late 1990s that was part of a wider movement to bring gay and lesbian characters into mainstream media. He credited this movement with helping to foment ideas that promoted LGBTQ+ representation.
Today, however, Davies believes that the peril faced by the gay community surpasses even those difficult times. He noted a marked change in societal attitudes since Trump's election.
“I’m 61 years old. I know gay society very, very well, and I think we’re in the greatest danger I have ever seen.”
Davies urged for continued resistance and activism, drawing inspiration from artists who have historically used their platforms to push back against oppression.
“In Elon Musk’s world, artists will do what they have always done.”
He expressed hope that, despite these challenges, the gay community would unite and fight against this wave of hostility.
“If we have to be those rebels in basements yet again,”