PRESS RELEASE: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Maria Caulfield has been appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for Political and Public Service.
We are delighted to see a longterm friend to the LGBT+ Conservatives, Maria Caulfield, awarded in His Majesty's Birthday Honours today.
Starting out as a nurse in Brighton, Maria went into politics, inspired to stand as a Conservative in the local council and subsequently a Conservative MP. Whilst in Parliament, Maria was always a strong media performer and frequent voice of the Conservative Party on TV, radio and in print. In her many ministerial roles, Maria spearheaded necessary work in women's healthcare, HIV prevention, mental health and public health.
This CBE is a fitting tribute to years of service to the public, to politics, to the Conservative Party and also in healthcare policy - in which Maria's actions have demonstrably improved the lives of so many.
Responding to the honour announced in today's Gazette, Chairman of the LGBT+ Conservatives Luke Robert Black MBE said:
"We are just a few years away from ending all new cases of HIV thanks to the work of great people like Maria Caulfield. Throughout her Parliamentary career, both as a Conservative backbencher and also as a Health Minister, Maria played a vital if not crucial role in some of the Conservative Party's biggest reforms into HIV prevention and care. From removing historic barriers to HIV+ people in the healthcare system, to helping explore online and more regional access to PrEP, and, crucially, the rollout of HIV Opt-Out Testing are just a few of the incredible things that Maria achieved in her time as Conservative MP and Minister. Maria also helped to remove unfair barriers to lesbian couples using IVF to start their families. Maria also helped to fight stigma towards HIV testing, using her profile to raise awareness, taking a HIV test herself - and helping to normalise testing so that we can end HIV for good in 2030.
Personally, Maria is also a proud Conservative and I absolutely loved working with her, campaigning with her and supporting her down in Lewes. This is a richly deserved honour to someone who has done so much for the country, healthcare and the Conservative Party".
Responding to the honour announced in today's Gazette, Vice Chairman for Outreach Cllr Alex Clarkson said: "Maria Caulfield constantly championed women’s rights at ministerial level, including those from our LGBT+ community through her work with lesbian couples wanting to start families. Actually her work more generally with regards to health, and mental health especially has been vital - for her, better HIV treatment was important but so too was something very close to our hearts here at LGBT+ Conservatives: her focus on stigma around HIV and the mental health of those living with it. Her legacy cannot be underestimated in this regard. It is fantastic to see two high flying Conservative women in the King’s Birthday Honours this year’.
Responding to the honour published in today's gazette, Deputy Chairman of the LGBT+ Conservatives, Cllr Jamie Mulhall responded by saying "Maria Caulfield CBE is a testament to her significant contributions, particularly in the realm of healthcare and her crucial role in the progress towards ending new HIV cases by 2030. Her work in removing barriers and championing the rights of the LGBT+ community, including lesbian couples seeking IVF treatment, has been truly impactful. It is fantastic to see her dedication and achievements acknowledged in this way".
