13th December 2005

Denise Pfeiffer writes that we "should be ashamed to live in a country that puts homosexual rights before the rights of everyone else" (8/12/05).

This is a misreading of the Civil Partnership Bill - although this bill does create an inequality in the law; a form of sexual apartheid, with one law for heterosexuals and another for gays. Same-sex couples are excluded from marriage and opposite-sex partners are excluded from civil partnerships. This reinforces and perpetuates discrimination.

Indeed far from having more rights, many gay people experience discrimination including in our workplaces and schools where some children face homophobic bullying. Our government also regularly deports gay and lesbian asylum seekers who have fled jail, rape and torture to countries where they face jail or worse just for their sexuality.

Thankfully the Government has been persuaded at the last minute to include sexual orientation in the new Equality Bill. This is a positive move and will offer much needed legal protection in the goods and services sector to lesbian and gay people for the first time. Disappointingly there are still significant areas excluded by this bill including housing, education and harassment (i).

The truth is we should be ashamed of living in a society that fails to address all discrimination.

Philip Booth, Press Officer, Gloucestershire Green Party.

Notes:

(i) The Equality Bill fails to protect LGBT community in five areas where other groups will now enjoy protection. Clauses in the bill on housing, education, incitement to hatred, harassment and the legal duties of public bodies to promote equality omit the LGBT community.