Labour begins to look at gay liberation

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THE LAST Socialist Organiser delegate meeting agreed to support the recently revitalised LabOUT Campaign for Gay Rights in its campaign to get a manifesto commitment on gay rights at 1982 conference and to develop debate around the National Executive Committeei discussion document, The Rights of Gay Men and Women.

This document is a new departure. The Labour Party has traditionally seen gay rights as a matter of conscience -something the Party should leave up to indiv: iduals to decide on, without having a Party policy.

Now this document, though not a Party policy statement itself, presents itself as a preparation for a 'full debate" in the Party "about the best means of removing the discrimination and uncertainty faced by gay people"

It begins by pointing out the limitations of the Sexual Offences Act of 1967. This Act decriminalised homosexual acts in private if the parti‚roups which worked for a hange in the law in the 60s. Lesbians and gay nen have asserted their ight to be heard. And hat is reflected in this locument. It rejects a number of myths about homosexuality: the idea that it is a sickness that can or needs to be cured; the irrational linkage of child-molesting with homosexuality; and the 'danger' of young people 'being diverted' at an impressionable age into a life of homosexuality.

In a number of areas, it points out, gay people 'unlike black people and women who have some legal protection" have no protection at all.

The document calls for reform of the present Sexual Offences Act, so that homosexual conduct will be classed as criminal only if comparable conduct involving persons of different sexes would also be an offence. The age of consent, it is proposed, should be lowered to 16 for all consensual relationships, homosexual or heterosexual.

Probably the most important area where •gents provocateurs to ¡ecure convictions, is iriticised (though somewhat mildly given the nature and extent of this particular problem).

The document ends with a call for labour movement bodies to speak out on the issues.

A major element missing is the significance of the fight of gay people themselves in the last decade or so. The proposed changes in the law, though it is clearly said that in themselves they cannot end discrimination and prejudice, are paralleled with the Labour Government's legislation on racial equality, sexual discrimination, and equal But the shortcomings of these laws are well-known.

Gay people face dally oppression not only through legal discrimination but through the sexist nature of capitalist society. The challenge that gay self-assertion makes to sexual roles and to ideas of 'masculinity' is a real threat to current capitalist ideology. So discussion must not be limited to an appraisal of BAS HARDY reports from Liverpool.

ON FRIDAY night, 3rd July, a black motor cyclist of traffic offence. He started to argue with the two arresting officers, and they sent an emergency code message for assistance.

O'Mahony

THERE IS more political ferment in ireland around the question of than for five or Within minutes, 35 panda cars and a Black Maria arrived in the road just off Upper Parliament Street.

A crowd gathered, surged forward, and successfully released the motor-cyclist from a police car.

After that, every police car in the area was stoned. The police patrolling the area on foot that night, however, some of the ground can be cut from under demagogue Paisley, who has been denouncing "Thatcher's sellout' of Northern Ireland to the were not attacked, and roamed freely in the riot area. They were wise enough not to try any arrests.

After rioting had died down in the small hours of Saturday morning, a policeman was knocked down and killed by a stolen car in the city centre - one and a half miles from Liverpool 8. It was put about in police circles that the occup. ants of the stolen car were black, although that surely would be hard to tell at that time of the morning.

This event strengthened the "bash the "blacks' brigade in the Merseyside police force, who BAR 8 exploded...

went in even heavier on Saturday night.

The rioting spread, off-licences were looted, and a tyre remoulding factory was burnt down.

Kacism, not race, was the problem which caused these riots. Liverpool 8's black community goes back for over 300 years. Apart from a few Asians and Somalis, most of the area's blacks are Britishborn, and so were their parents and grandparents. state in 1949 seems about to disappear, with no-one on the Front Bench willing to champion it convincingly.

The abandonment of But they ilated into The area ployment 40%, higl bane in Ireland.

Despite Orange strong ir - the a tween po blacks ha recent yel crease in The rioti 50/50 bla ocratic vi County majority tion, ha idea for governmi

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It's Liverpool - police

was stopped by police in Liverpool 8 for some kind