Peter Purton, Labour Campaign for Lesbian and Gay Rights (personal capacity) Jack Straw, shadow home secretary has delivered an important speech on Labour's pledges on lesbian cross-party meeting called by stonewall to commemno rate the third anniversary of no cane cose the equalising the age of consent for ga: y men but instead reducec d it to 18. that Labour would repeal Section 28, would hold an early free vote on the age of consent and would in. corporate the European Convenlaw as a vehicle for tackling dis. crimination.
For lesbians and gay men, the first hurdle on the road to equality and deliberately discriminates against us in almost every sphere of Under the Tories, government action has made the position WorS the 1988 local government Act, in. moting lesbian and gay equality by enshrining our second class status in law is only the worst exampie of The new Sex Offenders bill will -unless successtully amended - place a gay man 'guity of completely consensual 'offences" with another man of 17 on a register of dangerThis legal oppression both results from and reinforces the social oppression of homosexuality. Challenging prejudice and discrimination goes hand in hand with changing the laws which encourage them.
For the lesbian and gay communice me aweston owe tonis the next government and what they will do when they are elected is more than usually critical. For the Arse time in 18 years there is a сліпк ої відпі Welcome Welcome though these commitments are, they would still leave tices in place. Labour retreats on many other previous pledges give further cause for concern. By contrast the Liberal Democrats have a of reforms and they have a wide following amongst our communities as a result. ( The level of political consciousness among lesotans and gay men is not very high as a result of the absence of signiticant progressive strupees in recent years and the barren consensus of parliamentary For sociaists to argue then that despite greater benefits promised by the Uberal Democrats lesbians & and gays should vote Labour "because it is the party of the working class is a vain approach doomed to failure.
Yet the need to clect Labour is pressing and the commitments made by Straw do offer the platform for winning the approsch The Labour Campaign for Lesbian and Gay Rights which has been responsiole for winning tar more advanced and detailed commitments from Labour Party confer. ences (five times since 1985) is running an election campaign around these pieages The key is the motivation offered by Jack Straw and on other Straw said in his speech that with the new Clause 4 New Labour was committed to oppose prejudice. Coupled with the detailed policy across wide sections of the Labour movement in the last fifteen years, the door is open to push a Labour government to broaden and develop these basic commitments inte comprehensive legislative reform. Outlaw discrimination There will be few new bills some aspect of discrimination. The outlaw discrimination in employ. ment, housing, education and servEuropean Convention, on its own. manifestly fails to do. too, which will actually worsen our position unless countervailing steps are included: increased powers for the police under "zero tolerance" for low-level crime will not help us (as Straw claimed) unless the laws under which the police and courts
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