Green Party LGBT News
| Green MEP joins pride parade and celebrations | 4 August 2007 |
SummaryGREEN Party MEP Caroline Lucas will be joining councillors and local Greens in this weekend's Pride parade and celebrations. |
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Main Body
GREEN Party MEP Caroline Lucas will be joining councillors and local Greens in this weekend's Pride parade and celebrations.
Dr Lucas, whose South-East England constituency includes Brighton and Hove, will be taking part in the parade – which runs from the Kemptown seafront to Preston Park, where the party will continue with a festival throughout the afternoon – and meeting LGBT groups and campaigners from the city and further afield.
"Pride is one of the highlights of the year,'" she said before the march.
"It's great fun, and an incredible showcase of creativity, including the pride that we all share in Brighton's tolerant and diverse attitude.
"Brighton is a truly special place, but even here, in one of the most welcoming and tolerant cities in the world, it's important to remember that LGBT people continue to suffer persecution and discrimination, often legally sanctioned, on an almost daily basis.
"It's easy to forget that, even in the EU, government and police attitudes are tolerant and even encouraging of homophobic violence and repression.
"Indeed it's truly horrifying to remember that there are 77 countries in the world where homosexuality is still a criminal offence punishable to by imprisonment or even execution. We must spare a moment to think about this as we're having fun on Saturday, and keep up the pressure on those countries to drop these draconian laws in line with international human rights standards – and common decency."
Dr Lucas will be marching alongside local Green councillors and members of the Green Party's LGBT group – and some of those who represented Brighton at the equivalent 'pride' marches and rallies across eastern and central Europe earlier this summer, following the assault on Green Party activist Peter Tatchell at May's Moscow Pride rally.
She added: "An attack or injury to one of us is an attack or injury to us all – and we must maintain support for 'pride' rallies everywhere until homophobic and transphobic repression is a thing of the past – everywhere."
ENDS
Note to Editors
Caroline Lucas is the Green Party's Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Brighton Pavilion.
For more information please contact Ben on 01273 671946, 07973 823358 or ben@greenmeps.org.uk
www.carolinelucasmep.org.uk
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