Liverpool Labour cabinet member Harry Doyle has accused Liberal Democrat group leader Carl Cashman of using his appearance on the cover of Attitude magazine's Pride edition to build a fanbase through 'sex appeal' and 'queer aesthetics'. Doyle described the move as 'queerbaiting' and accused Cashman of treating the LGBTQ community as a 'transactional voting bloc'.
Cover shoot and interview details
Cashman, 34, appears on the front of Attitude's Pride issue, released on 3 July 2026, and speaks about masculinity and the rise of far-right politics among young men. In the interview, he reveals he is working with the centre-right think tank Bright Blue on a 'manifesto for positive masculinity'. He said: 'We live in a world now where people are very isolated, particularly young men, and when they get isolated, they’ve got one place to go, which is online. Then, you know, they see the world through the prism of this manosphere.'
Political reactions
Doyle, who is gay, posted on social media: 'Using physical sex appeal and queer aesthetics as a marketing campaign to build an LGBTQ+ fanbase for political gain is queerbaiting, plain and simple. Straight politicians like Carl Cashman shouldn’t be using our community as a transactional voting bloc. There’s a fine line between allyship and exploitation.'
Cashman's background and response
Cashman became Liberal Democrat leader in Liverpool in 2023, having previously served the same role in Knowsley. He discussed growing up under Section 28, the 1988 law banning the 'promotion' of homosexuality, saying: 'Nobody was out. There was still that kind of standoffishness to openly being gay.' He also noted that two women he previously dated have since come out as lesbians. When asked about Doyle's criticism, Cashman responded: 'I don’t respond to petty childishness.'
