Conferences on gay rights

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The Scottish Labour Party Women's Conference, meeting on 17th October, called on the Scottish Labour Party and the Scottish TUC to organise a demonstration for a woman's right to work.

The resolution came from Edinburgh Central CLP women's section.

On many other issues, too, the conference showed a lot more vitality than the last such conference -held in 1974, with only half a dozen resolutions submitted, and the regional women's organiser laow member of the SDP] not even bothering to turn up.

Despite appeals from the platform to remit, the conference passed [with only one vote against] a motion from Hillhead CLP calling for an annual conference, a committee elected at such conferences, and 'urgent consideration' of the appeintment of a full-time women's organiser.

Withdrawal

A motion on Northern Ireland condemning bipartisanship |but calling THE Labour Campaign for Gay Rights (LCGR) has arranged two conferences the Labour Party's discuss- for the labour movement on ion paper "The Rights of Gay Men and Women' The first of these will take place on Saturday Uctober 31st at the Queen Margaret Union, Glasgow University, starting at 10.30am.

The Scottish LCGR comrades have been able to use this conference as a lever to approach the labour movement for support. The responses have been quite encouraging, though somewhat muted.

LCC Scotland has sponsored the conference in the same way as we support Sociots Organiser s sup.

Is support is unequivocal.

Victimised

The LP Scottish Council has agreed to send a speaker and, in a letter dated 15th September addressed to the Scottish Homosexual Rights Group (SHRG), Scottish Council came out in firm support for Susan Shell, victimised by Barking's Labour Council for being a lesbian.

Dusty The Scottish TUC has also sponsored the 3lst October conference. In August, STUC Gen. Secretary James Milne wrote to the then Employment minister James Prior concerning anti-gay job discrimination, but received (surprise, surprise) a very dusty reply.

In the light of this the STUC General Council has decided it can do little else until a Labour Government is elected, when there is a possibility • ot employment protection for gay workers - but only if the Labour Party adopts the principles contained in its discussion paper.

Response

The LCGR does not, of course, accept that things have to be left alone in such a spirit of defeatism.

Registrations for the conference have been encouraging. Glasgow Trades Council will be represented as well as CLPs in Glasgow and Edinburgh. A number of Labour Party branches have affiliated to the Campaign (only $2) and are sending delegates or have asked for speakers to their meetings.

We are hoping for the same level of response that greeted the recent fringe meeting at Brighton when, with very little notice, 50 turned up. (For more formation or to book a speaker, contact lan Dunn, 52 Broughton Street, Edinburgh 1, 031-557-3493.) that a crisis is challengear the major gay organisation in Scotland, SHRG. Activist support has virtually col lapsed in the past 18 months, with a 50% fall in membership.

Reformation

However, there has beer a spectacular rise in socia (club) membership follow ng the opening of SHRG' first licensed gay club ir Glasgow last summer.

SHRG's National Execut ive has called a nationa forum in Edinburgh oi Saturday 28th November u the Calton Film Studios Edinburgh, starting a 2pm, to present wha amounts to a complete re formation of the organis ation.

The present constitutio is unnecessarily bureau cratie and gets in the wa of direct access to camp aigning work; and the NE( has become isolated an just a talking shop.

Ideal

More seriously, the loci organisation or branche have failed to open out an the situation in Edinburg is bad - the Gay Centre 8 60 Broughton Street is onl half used and faces comp lete shutdown, crushed b a mountain of debts.

Bad attitudes have grow. unchallenged and hopes of the founders of th Gay • Centres in Scotlan have not been realised.

Nevertheless, a crisis sit uation is an ideal time t make fundamental change to patterns of working an relationships: this is what i happening to the Scottis! movement today. Ther will be a further report il the New Year. IAN DENI