from the desk of Peter Tatchell:
The Green Party has launched its LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans) Manifesto for the upcoming general election. The launch took place in Brighton, with keynote speakers Caroline Lucas Green MEP, and LGBT human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell.
The Greens claim they are offering "the strongest, most comprehensive and radical LGBT equality policies of any party."
These are six core policies in the Greens LGBT General Election Manifesto:
(1) Open up civil marriages and civil partnerships, without discrimination, to both same-sex and opposite sex couples.
(2) Require all police forces to have LGBT Liaison Officers with paid time allocated within their work schedules to tackle homophobic and transphobic hate crime.
(3) End the blanket, lifetime ban on gay and bisexual blood donors.
(4) Amend the Equality Bill/Act to provide explicit protection against harassment to LGBT people.
(5) Refuse visas and work permits to "murder music" singers and others who incite homophobic and transphobic violence.
(6) Ensure safe haven and refugee status for LGBT people fleeing persecution in violently homophobic and transphobic counties.
Caroline Lucas, Leader of the Green Party, stated:
“We believe that all police forces should have LGBT Liaison Officers with paid time allocated within their work schedules to tackle homophobic and transphobic hate crime. Labour's Equality Bill is wrong to deny protection against harassment to LGBT people. The Green Party proposes re-writing the Mental Health Act to remove trans people from the Psychiatric Disorder Register and we would ensure LGBT awareness training for all teachers to create a safe, supportive environment for LGBT staff and students.”
Peter Tatchell commented on the launch:
“The Green Party will go into the General Election as the only party campaigning for full marriage and partnership equality. We are calling for civil marriages and civil partnerships to be open to both same-sex and opposite sex couples, without discrimination. We reaffirm our opposition to the blanket, lifetime ban on gay and bisexual men donating blood.”
Phelim Mac Cafferty, National Spokesperson for LGBT Greens added:
“Our launch consciously coincided with the Conservatives’ Spring conference as we want to highlight the Tories’ continuous failure to commit to LGBT equality, whether that’s over the Shadow Cabinet’s votes against access to fertility treatment for lesbian and bi women or David Cameron’s own vote against gay adoption.[1] 85 per cent of those eligible in the Conservative Shadow Cabinet voted for the hated homophobic Section 28[2] while 90% voted against an equal age of consent and today Tories continue to oppose the Equalities Bill in the House of Lords.
“While the Conservatives voted against Clause 61 of the Coroners & Justice Bill, (outlawing homophobic hate speech),[3] Greens are using the general election period and our specific LGBT manifesto to send out a clear call that homophobic and transphobic crimes need, urgently, to be dealt with on a par with racist crimes.
"We believe that we offer the strongest, most comprehensive and radical LGBT equality policies of any party," he said.
Press release notes:
[1] https://lgf.org.uk/euro-elections-use-your-vote/
[2http://www.stonewall.org.uk/at_home/hate_crime_domestic_violence_and_criminal_law/2643.asp
[3] http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/division.php?date=2009-11-09&number=243
(a) More info: Phelim Mac Cafferty - phelimmacc@yahoo.co.uk and 07765 474 621
(b) Full Equalities Manifesto below
(c) LGBT Greens website: http://www.lgbtgreens.org.uk/
Green Party Equalities Manifesto
The Green Party aims to treat everyone equally and fairly. We will work to ensure respect for everyone whatever their ethnicity, gender and gender identity, age, religious belief or non-belief, sexual orientation, class, size, disability or other status. Greens urge:
* Amend the Equalities Bill/Act to provide explicit protection against harassment of LGBTI people.
* Require all police forces to have equality and diversity liaison officers whose remit is to tackle, and take preventive action on crimes against LGBTI people, people from ethnic minorities including refugees and asylum seekers, disabled people and on the grounds of faith or belief.
* Legally target incitement of hatred on the grounds of gender identity and amend the Equality Bill/Act to provide explicit protection against harassment of LGBTI people.
* Open up civil marriages and civil partnerships, without discrimination, to both same-sex and opposite sex couples.
* End the blanket, lifetime ban on gay and bisexual blood donors.
* Campaign for homophobic, transphobic and crimes against disabled people, including people with learning difficulties, to be dealt with effectively and on a par with racist crimes.
* Ensure legal parity for parents and those wishing to become parents regardless of sexual orientation, and equality of provision of maternity services; lobby for widely available, affordable state-funded crèches.
* Push for the rewriting of the Mental Health Act to remove trans people from the Psychiatric Disorder Register.
* Campaign against any reduction in the AIDS/HIV budget and target health promotion work to prevent sexually transmitted infections.
* Ensure safe haven and refugee status for LGBTI people fleeing persecution in line with other social groups according to the Geneva Convention.
* Ensure safe haven and refugee status from women fleeing domestic violence, forced marriage and female genital mutilation where there is no adequate protection by the authorities in their own country.
* Refuse visas and work permits to "murder music" singers and others who incite homophobic and transphobic violence.
* Oppose all opt-outs from equality and anti-discrimination laws by religious organisations and remove special treatment allowing faith schools to promote homophobia on the grounds of religion.
* Comprehensive training for teachers and educational staff on all diversity and inclusion issues; schools to promote equal opportunities in their anti-bullying procedures; equalities issues to be monitored in teaching recruitment.
* Implement a UK wide strategy to tackle violence against women including domestic violence, rape and sexual abuse and trafficking.
* Ensure that effective action is taken to prevent discrimination against disabled people.
* Work towards ending stigma against people with mental health problems including discrimination in employment.
* Enforce penalties against employers who continue to implement unequal pay
* Work vigorously towards ensuring that all levels of government are representative of the diversity of the populations for whom they work.
* Support human rights and democracy struggles including those of LGBTI and women's movements in oppressive states, such as Saudi Arabia, Jamaica, Iran
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