Gay rights as part of a socialist programme

Scan page 10

the hell out Film review for Gay Rights has agreed to contribute a regular column for Socialist Organiser. This week, CHRIS BEER introduces the campaign "WE ARE not here as a minority group asking for greater toleration. We are here as part of the labour movement demanding that gay liberation is recognised and implemented as an integral part of a socialist This is how we in the Labour Campaign for Gay Rights introduced ourselves to delegates at our fringe meeting of the Labour Party conference last week.

LCGR has existed as an internal pressure group for a number of years, but underwent a radical change at June this year. At a conference attended by 80 lesbians and gay men just seeking equality with beterosezuals, for this is merely to argue for acceptance within a capitalist state. In itself this changed the nature of the campaign, for we no longer aim prim-. arily to influence kindly MPs to put in a good word for us in 'the House' We are far more concerned to carry the broad struggle into CLPs, trade union branches and the dole queues, to win active support for gay liberation in a socialist context among the rank and file.

This was the message we put across to the 60 or so people who came to our meeting at the Labour Party conference. As one speaker put it, the kind of society we want to see must comprehend sexual pol-. itics.

As it is now, men hold the reins of power. and this TRY TO imagine a sort of combination between Pigbag and the (now deceased) Gang of Four, and you will have a very vague idea of what Cabaret Voltaire sound like.

Red Mecca, their third album, which has just been released, is their best so far.

There has always been a radical fringe' of groups, an undercurrent that doesn't seem to fit into any convenient category. They have tried to develop something different from either the white oriented rock beat or the black orientated reggae beat which invariably all pop music is structured on.

But the big record monopolies aren't interested in these 'experimental' types of groups. They are too is as true of the labour movement as of other parts of society. Too often, workers' power is equated with a sort of macho workerism. LCGR rejects this approach.

We see a strong affinity between our aims and femainist currents in the movement — we agree for example with Christina Goodwin's letter in Socialist Organiser no.54. Sexual politics can and must correct ine aeormation or 1L- ] _ f. so-called socialism into the preserve of white heterosexist men. , How do we start to fight for these aims? The theme of Maureen Colquhoun's contribution in Brighton was the National Executive 'ommittee's discussion locument, The Rights of Gay Women and Men' Adopted The bureaucracy in the Party did not seem keen to publicise this draft policy: our first job must be to ensure that the movement does indeed debate the document, modity it where it is inadequate, and get it adopted as a firm commitment for the next manifesto. This year a motion from Oxford CLP calling for the GROUI adoption by Conference of the document as policy was placed last but one on the order paper but no time was allocated for debate. Maureen of course knows well the opposition within the Party. to gay rights, having had to fight to retain her seat (which she lost in the last election) when she came out as gay.

Arguments

•'The hierarchy would be delighted if we lesbians and gay men would shut up and go away" , she said, "but we're not going to". And as lan Dunn, organiser of Scottish LCGR's national conference to be held in a month's time, said, 'The Party bureaucracy may not support us, but the grass roots of our movement can - and they will if we take the arguments to them. More than half the unions which have specific policies on gay rights adopted them in the teeth of opposition from their national executives and officials.

"In the Party we have the NEC on our side: our job now is to work in our CLPs and union branches to get the policy through with solid grass-roots support"

BESS We were encouraged last week by the spontaneous support given to us by people like Tony Benn (who has made a major policy statement in his foreword to NCCL's booklet 'Gay Workers: Trade Unions and the Law') and Joan Lestor. But more important was the very positive response of rank and file delegates, many more whom stopped to talk to us when we were leafletting than were able to come to the And our own organisation is growing rapidly: in the last four months LCGR has virtually tripled its membership, and this is just the start. We will be writing about some of the issues comrades raised at Brighton in the next few weeks here in Socialist Organiser. Meanwhile here is what you can do to support the struggle for a socialist gay liberation:

Discuss • Get a copy of "The Rights of Gay Women and Men' from Walworth Rd and discuss it in your CLP at Branch and Constituency level and in your trade union branch.

• Get your CLP/Branch/ speaker from LCGR.

• Pass the following resolution and send it to the NEC: 'That this CLP (etc) welcomes the publication of the (Labour Party) NEC's • discussion document "The Rights of Gay Women and Men'. supports its recommendations to abolish all discriminatory laws affecting lesbians and gay men. It calls:

"(a) for the NEC to send a copy of the document free of charge to all CLPs and affiliated organisations.

"(b) for the NEC to send a copy of the document free of charge to all CLPs and affiliated organisations.

"(c) for its recommendations to be included in the Manifesto of the Labour Party at the next General • Affiliate, as a CLP, to the Labour Campaign for Gay Rights. The affiliation fee is currently £2 per annum and this entitles you to one voting delegate at. our AGM and any EGMs which might be called, and to our journal, Gay Socialist.

Scotland

• Comrades in Scotland - sponsor and attend our Scottish conference. Saturday 31st October, 10.30am in Queen Margaret Union, University Gardens, Glasgow. Speakers from Scottish Council of the Labour Party, NALGO and LCGR: sponsored by Socialist Organiser, STUC, LCC_Scotland, Robin Cook MP and Scottish. Homosexual Rights Group. £l waged: 50p unwaged. Details from Ian Dunn, 52 Broughton St, Edinburgh 1.

More information on LCGR from: LCGR, 6la Bloom St, Manchester M1 3LY.