South east Euro Candidate Giles Goodall has compared and contrasted the voting records of the Liberal Democrats and UKIP on LGBT rights in an article for Pink News.
It will come as no surprise to anybody that the Liberal Democrats have supported LGBT at every single stage:
In contrast, Liberal Democrat MEPs have systematically supported LGBT rights, with the European liberal group coming out with the best record in the European Parliament, alongside socialists and greens.
Let’s look at some of the things UKIP has opposed:
In a 2012 vote on tackling discrimination against LGBT couples and their families when moving to another EU country, UKIP MEPs sided with the BNP and voted against.
When the European Parliament voted in 2012 to condemn homophobia in Russia, UKIP’s MEPs either abstained or failed to turn up.
In 2013, UKIP voted against an EU law establishing equal property rights for international couples, whether gay or straight, while Conservatives failed to vote in favour.
In a report on human rights in the world, including sexual orientation and gender identity, UKIP joined BNP leader Nick Griffin in voting against, Conservatives abstaining.
Finally, UKIP (and the Tories) failed to back a call by MEPs earlier this year for a comprehensive strategy against homophobia in Europe.
Giles also makes the point that the MEPs are out of touch with the Party’s voters, a majority of whom back equal marriage.
You can read the whole article here.
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3 Comments
While chair of my firm’s LGBT affinity group a few years ago I had the pleasure and privilege of inviting Sarah Ludford in to talk about the work being done to ensure equal rights for LGBT workers across the EU. The talk was excellent and the feedback was extremely positive as Sarah’s examples showed the important role that the European Parliament can play in advancing the equality agenda. It is a credit to the Liberal Democrats that the party punches above its weight in these important issues.
Thanks Paul. You’re right, Sarah and our other MEPs do sterling work for equality and LGBT rights – not just in Britain but for people across Europe and indeed beyond. It’s no exaggeration to say that the lives of millions of LGBT people in more socially-conservative countries in Europe have been transformed by the EU’s equality legislation and anti-discrimination rights.
But for Liberals it is never disgraceful to hold and express a view, surely? However much you might disagree with it?