LGBT Policies Manifesto for a Sustainable Society

The Green Party has a long and proud history of campaigning for social justice. Our Manifesto for a Sustainable Society opens with a clear, philosophical commitment to tackling all forms of discrimination: 'A healthy society is based on voluntary co-operation between empowered individuals in a democratic society, free from discrimination whether based on race, colour, gender, sexual orientation, religion, social origin or any other prejudice.'

Our General Election Promises to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community:

• Ensure the proposed Commission for Equality and Human Rights address homophobia and transphobia on a par with all other forms of discrimination.
• Extend employment protection legislation to include workers with religious employers.
• Introduce legislation to protect LGBT people from discrimination in the provision of goods and services.
• Open up full civil marriage to same sex partners and lobby other governments to recognise UK-registered same sex partnerships and marriages.
• Ensure all schools provide with an adequate sex education which will include information on the different forms of sexual behaviour - including heterosexuality, homosexuality, and chastity. Young people should be free to make their own moral choices. They should be brought up to understand that they may experience heterosexual or homosexual feelings, or both, and taught not to discriminate against others because of their sexuality or gender identity.
• Increase funding for sexual health clinics and targeted health promotion work, to combat the spread of HIV and other STIs.
• Withdraw charitable status from organisations refusing to abandon discriminatory policies.
• Grant asylum to LGBT people fleeing homophobic or transphobic persecution - including imprisonment, rape and torture - in other countries.
• Harmonise hate crimes legislation so that homophobic and transphobic crimes are dealt with on a par with racist crimes. In particular, this would outlaw the performance, sale, promotion and broadcasting of music and other arts which incite hatred and violence towards any oppressed group.
• Require police forces to adopt and implement action plans on homophobic and transphobic hate crimes.

Green Party policies leaflet for the LGBT community 2006