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'You Own Politics': Activist Urges Youth Action

A prominent gay rights activist has backed Sky's Stand Up Be Counted campaign, describing politics as "thrilling", "enormous fun" and "scary" at times and urging young people to get involved.

Mike Jackson, whose story features in new movie Pride, tipped to be a huge box office hit following its release on Friday, has been campaigning for decades, most notably during 1984-5 Welsh miners' strike.

He was part of the organisation Lesbians And Gays Support The Miners, which raised thousands of pounds for families of the workers who joined the walkout.

Speaking to Sky's Entertainment Week, Mr Jackson said: "Politics doesn't belong to men in grey suits in places like Westminster. Politics belongs to people like you and me on the streets.

"Real gains (and) real change comes from ordinary people getting off their bums and taking to the streets, being clever and taking action."

Mr Jackson urged young people to speak out on issues that affect them, telling them: "You own politics and it belongs to you.

"You don't need to be professional about it. You don't need anything more than a felt-tip pen and a piece of white paper to make a slogan - it's as simple as that."

LGBTQ rights have been among the most talked-about topics on Stand Up Be Counted , an interactive platform launched by Sky News for 16 to 25-year-olds to upload content around the issues they care about.

Correspondents include MartinFoy , who said: "I believe the Government should understand people aren't and cannot be changed just because they're gay."

Another user, TomDavid95 , added: "It needs to be okay for two men to walk down the street and hold hands and not be ashamed that they're holding hands."

Young people can have their say on LGBTQ rights or any other subject affecting them by uploading a short video clip or blog to the Stand Up Be Counted website.

Backed by politicians and celebrities alike, the website already contains dozens of posts on topics ranging from e-voting, exam results and equality to health, the environment and the impact of social media.