LGBTIQ General Election Manifesto 2010
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.'
Full LGBTIQ Manifesto
- Brief Version
- Download Full Manifesto (PDF 774 KB)
Preface
While it’s tempting to consider the battles for equality a thing of the past, we have a considerable way to go: we still don’t have protection
from harassment in the government’s Equalities Bill and there has been shameful bowing to some of the most reactionary opinions in
the House of Lords during the debate; the ban on gay and bi men donating blood to the National Blood Service continues; there
has been a sharp increase in violence on the LGBTIQ communities; trans rights have not been dealt with in the Single Equalities Bill and
trans people are still on the Psychiatric Disorder Register; while same sex couples are still barred from marriage.
Our manifesto proposes radical change in all of these areas with 6 ’cornerstone’ policies:
- Open up civil marriages and civil partnerships, without discrimination, to both same-sex and opposite sex couples
- Require all police forces to have LGBTIQ Liaison Officers with paid time allocated within their work schedules to tackle homophobic and transphobic hate crime
- End the blanket, lifetime ban on gay and bisexual blood donors
- Amend the Equality Bill/Act to provide explicit protection against harassment to LGBTIQ people
- Refuse visas and work permits to "murder music" singers and others who incite homophobic and transphobic violence
- Ensure safe haven and refugee status for LGBTIQ people fleeing persecution in violently homophobic and transphobic countries
We strongly believe that we still need a radical agenda to push for LGBTIQ equality and we believe the Green Party continuously
struggles for that agenda, as Oscar Wilde wrote “We are all in the gutter but some of us are looking at the stars.”
Yours fraternally
Phelim Mac Cafferty
National Chair LGBTGreens
Community
There has been a resurgence in homophobia and prejudice and legislation is still skewed against LGBTIQ people. LGBs can’t get
married and the ban on their marriage in religious places of worship stands. New Labour has continued the blood ban, despite the rigorous
tests that are carried out on donated blood and indeed the fact that a recent survey suggested that 3 in four gay and bisexual mean would
donate blood if they were able to.
The reality for LGBTIQ people is still that prejudice mars their lives in respect of housing, access to benefits, services and goods and indeed their overall position in society. Greens at their recent spring conference passed a motion on opening up civil marriages and civil partnerships, without discrimination, to both same-sex and opposite sex couples and will campaign to have gay marriage allowed in religious places of worship.
The Green Party calls for:
- 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
- Amend the Equalities Bill/Act to provide explicit protection against harassment of LGBTIQ people
- Ensure legal parity for parents and those wishing to become parents regardless of sexual orientation, and equality of provision of maternity services
- 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
Hate Crimes
In just over one month last year, Londoner Ian Baynham and Brightonian Andrea Waddell were murdered while Liverpudlian James
Parkes was hospitalised- all of them for either their sexuality or gender identity.
The LGBTIQ community was shocked by the increase and the ferocity of the attacks– Ian Baynham was attacked in Trafalgar Square. Reported police force figures state, almost universally, that throughout England and Wales homophobic and transphobic attacks have risen sharply. While leading Police sources rightly talk of an increase in reporting as an indication of engagement with the LGBTIQ community, the violent hate crimes speak of a renewed hatred and make mythology of a new period of ‘acceptance’. While the Conservative Party voted against Clause 61 of the Coroners & Justice Bill, (outlawing homophobic hate speech), Greens helped changed the law on hate crimes and are sending out a clear call that homophobic and transphobic crimes need, urgently, to be dealt with on a par with racist crimes.
The Green Party calls for:
- Require all police forces to have equality and diversity liaison officers whose remit is to tackle, and take preventive action on crimes against LGBTIQ people, people from ethnic minorities including refugees and asylum seekers, disabled people and on the grounds of faith or belief
We achieved assurances from the Home Office in 2007 that Criminal Justice legislation would punish those who perpetrate hate crimes against lgb people. Now LGBTIQ Greens call for:
- Legally targeting incitement of hatred on the grounds of gender identity and amending the Equality Bill/Act to provide explicit protection against harassment of LGBTIQ people
- 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
HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections
At the end of June 2009, 45,947 men who have sex with men had been diagnosed with HIV in the UK, including those who have died. An
estimated 83,000 people were living with HIV in the UK at the end of 2008, of whom more than a quarter (27%) were unaware of their
infection. (www.avert.org/uk-statistics.htm)
According to a UNICEF report of May 2009 (www.unicef.org/media/media_19347.html), the UK has the highest rate of new HIV infections in Europe. The Dept of Health and the government have yet to devise a longterm strategy and political commitment which effectively prevents the spread of HIV.
Recently the Department for Work and Pensions withdrew Disability Living Allowance for those who had contracted HIV+ over 20 years
ago- many of whom were in their 60s and 70s.
Currently, men who have ever had sex with another man are barred for life from donating blood due to the (very small) risk of HIV. It is
estimated that one in 20 gay men in the UK are living with the virus and this figure is thought to be as high as one in eight in Brighton.
While there have been positive yet small steps, including Obama ending the travel ban for those with HIV, we still have to campaign
hard to have the issue of sex education taken seriously in schools and teachers should be given support and training to ensure they can talk
confidentially and sensitively about issues of sexual health facing young gay men.
The Green Party calls for:
- Campaign against any reduction in the AIDS/HIV budget and targeted health promotion work to prevent sexually transmitted infections.
- End the blanket, lifetime ban on gay and bisexual blood donors
Gender Identity
The discrimination and misunderstanding that transgender, transsexual, intersex and gender dysphoric people people face is an
eternal shame to our society.
There has been inadequate protection for too long for trans and intersex people when it comes to their safety, welfare and indeed how they access services and goods. Transphobia is often never challenged by local authorities and government- which was witnessed again in the ugly debates recently on the Equalities Bill- and is wrecking the lives of those who self-identify as trans and intersex.
It is unacceptable that there is a disparity in current legislation between racially and religiously motivated hate crimes, and hate crimes which are driven by homophobia and transphobia. The former is recognised and punished, while the latter is all too often dismissed. We call for a change in the law to re-address this imbalance, and for the strongest action possible to be taken against perpetrators of LGBTphobic hate crimes, in line with the current sentences laid out for other hate crimes.
Trans and intersex refugees (including recent cases of Iraqi and Iranian refugees) have often fled persecution, rape and torture and deserve our patience and compassion not our jails.
The Green Party calls for:
- Push for the rewriting of the Mental Health Act to remove trans people from the Psychiatric Disorder Register
- Ensure safe haven and refugee status for trans and intersex people fleeing persecution in line with other social groups according to the Geneva Convention
- Amend the Equalities Bill/Act to provide explicit protection against harassment of trans and intersex people
- Legally target incitement of hatred on the grounds of gender identity and amend the Equality Bill/Act to provide explicit protection against harassment of LGBTIQ people
Education
The Stonewall Schools Report of 2009 demonstrated again the prevalence of prejudice against our community in education.
Nine in ten teachers and non-teaching staff at secondary and primary schools have never received any specific training on how to prevent
homophobia (www.schools-out.org.uk/research/docs/The_Teachers_Report.pdf)
Educators and pupils are still the target of too much hatred in education and too little has been done at a government level to
inspire training on inclusion issues. The bullying of LGBTIQ pupils which often leaves long-term psychological problems needs much
stronger, clear guidance and enforcement policies.
A rise in the popularity of religious fundamentalist schools has in turn meant a large increase in homophobic bullying.
Greens call on schools to provide honest representations of a range of LGBTIQ identities, throughout the curriculum and in everyday school life. Celebrating LGBT History Month is a very good first step. We welcome many local authorities’ guidance on challenging homophobic language, and look forward to the equivalent guidance on trans issues.
The Green Party calls for:
- Oppose all opt-outs from equality and anti-discrimination laws by religious organisations
- 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
The complete Equalities Manifesto 1/2
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.
- 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
The complete Equalities Manifesto 2/2
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
- 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
Full LGBTIQ Manifesto
- Brief Version
- Download Full Manifesto (PDF 774 KB)
