Phelim Mac Cafferty, the Media Officer for LGBT Greens announced:
"It gives LGBT Greens great pleasure to report that once again, Jean Lambert, London's MP in the European Parliament, is pushing for the protection of the rights of LGBTs. Jean sits on the European Parliament's Civil Liberties Committee and helped approve the report by Dutch Green MEP Kathalijne Buitenweg on extending anti-discrimination legal protection beyond the workplace for discrimination grounds of age, disability, sexual orientation and religion or belief."
Jean stated: "Since 2000, European legislation has outlawed all forms of discrimination in the workplace. However for too long there has been no legal provision at European level to ban discrimination on grounds of age, disability, sexual orientation and religion/belief beyond the world of work. This gaping hole in the legislation includes vital social services such as healthcare, but also commercial services.
"In these areas," continued Jean, "we currently have an inconsistent and unacceptable situation where a black lesbian woman would be legally protected against discrimination if it was on the ground of her race or gender, but not on the basis of her sexual orientation. The new directive aims to remedy this situation and fill the gaps left open by the existing legislation. I hope it will be fully supported by the European Parliament as a whole when it comes for vote in plenary."
The European Parliament plenary session vote is due on 2 April.
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