Nick Clegg has an article over at PinkNews.co.uk, in which he highlights how the forthcoming same-sex marriage legislation means this weekend’s Pride in London celebrations will be a “landmark” event. However, he contrasts the strides of progress made here with continuing repression against LGBT people around the world. Here’s an excerpt:
Civil partnerships were a huge stride forward, but only the right to marry – if you choose – is real equality. This isn’t just a ‘gay issue’. It’s about the kind of society we want to be.
This year we are flying rainbow flags high above more government offices across Whitehall than ever before; we are on the brink of equal marriage finally coming to fruition; and we are supporting London’s bid for the Gay Games in 2018. …
Looking around the world, the picture continues to be very mixed – with seemingly as many backwards steps and forward ones. In Russia, the Duma has unanimously voted to ban “homosexual propaganda”. Earlier this month, Alaa Jarban, a 23-year-old student, became one of the first people to come out publicly as gay while still living in Yemen. …
I hope that in another forty years the rights we already enjoy, and the ones we are fighting for now, will be the norm across the globe.
You can read Nick’s post in full here.
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One Comment
There was an excellent interview with Jeremy Browne in the LGBT+ Lib Dems members’ magazine recently describing his work on promoting LGBT+ rights abroad as part of FCO. The regression seen in Russia is particularly disappointing.
There is also more work to be done in this country and in Scotland on LGBT+ issues in general and equal marriage in particular – we’re a long way from reaching the bar set by Lib Dem policy on equal marriage, including getting rid of the newly-introduced “spousal veto” for trans people and making sure it’s kicked out of the Scottish Bill ASAP. The Director of Public Prosecutions’ new guidelines mean that cases will still be prosecuted against practitioners of unusual but legal sexual acts, which will be lost in court but ruin lives along the way. This week’s sex-by-deception ruling means that it’s now incredibly legally risky for trans people to have sex.
While it’s good that Nick is supporting Pride and is a long-standing supporter of marriage equality, we still need more engagement from our Parliamentarians to understand the details and nuance of LGBT+ equality rather than just the principle, or campaigns run by high-profile organisations catering for middle-class, white, cisgender, homosexual men and women.
I urge anybody interested in equality for all regardless of sexuality or gender identity to get involved with LGBT+ Lib Dems.