Outlaw returns to The LGBT Fed…

OUTLAW: APRIL/MAY 2015

A warm welcome back to the Outlaw Column, now in its new home on The LGBT Fed blog.

It behoves Outlaw in the run up to the election to issue a word of warning to all LGBT Federation members. One election promise that was made more than 2 years ago at the Conservative Party Conference by Theresa May was that if the Conservatives once again come to power, they are going to repeal the Human Rights Act 1998.

The Human Rights Act was the enactment of the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights, signed in 1948 in the wake of the atrocities of the Second World War. The world was so shocked by what had happened to people from the Jewish, LGBT and travelling communities in the concentration camps that it rose as one to say, “never again.” As a result a list of promises that we make to each other was drawn up as our covenant about how we want to treat each other and be treated.

The United Kingdom has no constitution (apart from the Magna Carta which has no relevance today) which was why, unlike other countries, we had to make a new law in order to comply with the United Nations Convention which made all of the terms and freedoms guaranteed by the United Nations Declaration legal and binding in the United Kingdom.

The Human Rights Act governs everything from the right to life, to the right to privacy, education, freedom from degrading and inhumane treatment, freedom from slavery, the right to a family life , and vitally, access to justice and to a fair trial … what’s not to like? Outlaws grave concern about a new Tory Government is that we will loose all of that as they plan to scrap the Human Rights Act. Having given it much thought, there is no good reason for doing this: unless a future Conservative Government wishes to treat some of us, or certain communities with something less than humanity. This is unacceptable. Many of us might argue that they have done this throughout their last term in Government, by introducing such measures as the bedroom tax and a whole raft of punitive benefit measures, not to mention the horrors of trying to apply for a visa to stay in the United Kingdom if you are LGBT and your life is at risk in your country of origin. They have also seriously depleted access to justice by severely curtailing Legal Aid.

With all the unrest in the world, and the removal of thousands of us in the United Kingdom from the ability to get legal help if needed, our human rights are more important than they ever have been and we must really hold them close. Outlaw says vote for the party that will allow you to keep your rights intact.

Outlaw has also been perusing the parties LGBT manifesto promises. The Labour party is pledging a review for LGBT asylum seekers who, as anybody who has anything to do with these issues will know, that face an almost impossible uphill battle to persuade the Home Office to allow them to stay in the United Kingdom even if their life is at risk if they are returned, with people even having to “prove that they are gay”!

Labour are also planning a review of gender recognition laws and access to gender related health care with a view to bringing down the massive waiting times for trans people. There is also a plan to strengthen hate crime law and to improve LGBT representation in Parliament with an amnesty promise with the introduction of the so called “Turing’s Law” to pardon men convicted of historic sex crimes relating to outdated anti gay laws.

The SNP has also launched its manifesto on the 20th May 2015 with everyone’s darling, Nicola Sturgeon calling on Labour to work with them and suggesting the creation of a special envoy, a diplomatic person in the Foreign Office to promote the rights of LGBT people throughout the world as an integral part of UK foreign policy. In the US, Barrack Obama has created a similar post, appointing diplomat Randy Berry. Labour has responded by saying that they would be minded to create a similar role for House of Lords member, gay rights advocate Michael Cashman. The Conservatives remain opposed to this, which will possibly not surprise anyone.

Meanwhile over in Northern Ireland, the Democratic Unionist Party have failed to mention LGBT issues at all in their manifesto, and have historically opposed any and all LGBT rights votes in Westminster and in Stormont. A recently drafted “conscience clause” is part of a Bill to exempt religious people from equality laws. Making the headlines earlier this year was Asher’s Baking Company in Ireland who refused to make a wedding cake for a gay couple. This is important to us in mainland UK as the DUP and other Irish parties are being tipped for possible coalitions with the Conservatives. Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK who continues to oppose same sex marriage.

In relation to the Liberal Democrats, many will be aware of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill currently going through the Commons. In 2005 the Lib Dems made a manifesto commitment to end discrimination against lesbians seeking fertility treatment. In a free vote in the Commons on the new Bill, which proposes easier access to lesbians and single women to NHS fertilisation services, and will allow a lesbian or gay couple to be named on the birth certificate as the legal parents of the child, was subject to a free vote. Among 16 Lib Dems who voted against the Bill were front benchers including Vince Cable, Steve Webb and former leader Charles Kennedy. Disappointingly North East Lib Dem MP, Alan Beith, also voted against.

To be fair to the Conservatives, they also offered a free vote on this issue and 49 voted in favour of the Bill including the party leader David Cameron, George Osbourne, Ken Clarke and Jeremy Hunt. 84 Tory MP’s voted against.

In terms of UKIP, politeness and a healthy regard for broadcasting and journalism laws prevents Outlaw from expressing an opinion on UKIP’s LGBT election manifesto.

For many of us section 28 of the Local Government Act which effectively banned any positive images of LGBT people in public life in the UK is still a vivid memory. The LGBT community in Russia is feeling the full impact of their very own section 28, which is based in fact on the UK legislation. All around the world LGBT people are being subjected to “curative rape” (South Africa to name but one) execution (Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan) and a quick visit to the Human Dignity Trust website gives a list of the 79 countries/jurisdictions where being LGBT is a crime. Please do not take the human rights that we currently enjoy in the United Kingdom for granted, and vote accordingly. Once we lose them we will never get them back.