A Scouse mayor was told to “go back home” despite living in the country all his life.
David Burton-Sampson, former mayor of Basildon in Essex, has experienced racial and homophobic abuse on multiple occasions - the “vile rhetoric” is the price he said he has to pay to be a public figure.
The 44-year-old, who is originally from Crosby, previously was on the receiving end of racial slurs by bystanders during a ceremony which marked the county’s LGBTQ+ pride week. Mr Burton-Sampson’s reelection campaign in 2021 was also smeared by social media trolls who suggested he “go back to his own country” despite being from Liverpool. Sadly, these are not isolated incidents of discrimination.
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The financial advisor told the ECHO: “I was a child in the late 70s. So, when I was growing up in the 80s being gay wasn't something that was openly accepted in society. I realized from a very early age, that I wasn't meeting the norms of society, and I was attracted to people of the same sex. At the time, it was very much frowned on and we were going through the AIDS crisis as well. I would still describe even the scene in Liverpool, when I came on the scene, as still very much underground. Everywhere was behind blacked-out windows or down little alleyways. Everything was very much undercover and, unfortunately, along with that, came discrimination. I used to get it on two fronts because of the colour of my skin and my sexuality.”
Mr Burton-Sampson, who moved down south in 1999, claimed “that to an extent” hostility from others “still continues today.” He added: “In the position of mayor and as a local councillor, I’m not somebody who is quiet and my face is out there. I will fight for the rights of people even if that often comes with discrimination.”
The former Holy Family School pupil explained, how just the night prior to speaking with ECHO, he was at an event in support of the trans community. Whilst there, somebody made the comment that “you can’t leave your suitcase in the hallway for too long, because someone will come take it”, which he took to be a racially-provocative remark. The Labour councillor added: “That’s how it is, we have to keep an eye on the ball and keep fighting for equality because if we don't, things will start to go backwards as we are seeing in society today.”
Wanting to ensure others don’t go through the same experiences he did, Mr Burton-Sampson has been using his position of power to drive change for the LGBTQ+ community. Through his work with Basildon Pride, alongside a team of volunteers, the county's first black, gay mayor has created a strategy which focuses on tackling hate crime, creating trans awareness, networking and bringing communities together.
He said: “Education is something we are big on. If we want to ‘normalise’ the LGBTQ+ community in our society in terms of acceptance we have to take people on the journey with us. I have become so aware of the challenges the trans community face over the last year as I have got deeper and deeper into understanding the issues.
"It does almost feel like where the LGB community where in the 80s is where the trans community is now and it does come from the hatred that trickles down from those above. The trans community are just being hit from every angle and that was lesbians, gays and bisexuals 25 years ago. We need to keep fighting because if they take down the trans community, they will come for us next.”
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