Greens stress full equality for Bristol Pride

Written by Bill Heaney Saturday, 21 August 2010

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The Green Party congratulates the organisers of the biggest Bristol Pride celebration in years, but we say there is still a long way to go before gay people have true equality.

We are delighted at how well this year's Pride has turned out and offer our congratulations to the Pride Committee for pulling off what has been an enjoyable Pride Week so far.

We are looking forward to a great Pride march and party on Saturday.

However, we must remember that full equality for gay people is still some way off.

While progress has been made, there are still some important goals that need to be achieved.

For example LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) people still don't have protection from harassment despite the previous government's Equality Act as certain groups have been given opt-outs from the legislation.

The ban on gay and bisexual men donating blood to the National Blood Service continues.

There has been a sharp increase in violence on the LGBT communities.

People who identify as trans are still on the Psychiatric Disorder Register.

And shamefully, same-sex couples are still barred from marriage.

Only the Green Party believes in full equality for gay people including full gay civil marriage, not the half-measure of civil partnership that Labour, the Lib Dems and newly converted Conservatives offer.

Despite Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg coming out in support of gay marriage at the beginning of the year, the Lib Dem manifesto and coalition government programme make no mention of it.

We should also not forget that many senior Conservatives voted against the repeal of the discriminatory Section 28 of the Local Government Act.

Section 28 was brought in under Margaret Thatcher and the Conservatives in 1988 and it said a local authority "shall not intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality" or "promote the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship".

Section 28 was only repealed in 2003.

While great strides were made under the previous Labour administration, including the introduction of civil partnerships and equality legislation that bans discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation, unfortunately certain religious groups were given opt-outs.

The Green Party believes in full equality under the law with no get-out clause: human rights are not selective.

So enjoy Pride, but remember we must fight on for full equality.