Fighting for GAY S RIG Bermondsey condemns NEC policy

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must discuss

gay rights

The Bermondsey Labour Party Women's Section and the Chaucer branch (my own) have passed resolutions condemning the NEC's decision to keep the age of consent for homo-sexual men at 18 instead of ; lowering it to 16 (equal to heterosexuals).

We call for full civil and human rights for gay men and women to be included in the Manifesto carried out by the next Labour government.

The statement in Labour's Programme 82 on gay rights is a progressive step in comparison with the past, when there was no mention at all. However, I am still concerned about whether or not this will actually be in the Manifesto or carried out by the next Labour government.

Some aspects of the statement are fairly vague. For example, there is no firm commitment to remove laws which penalise homosexuals, like the offence of 'gross indecency' , which only exists for male homosexuals and is frequently used by the police to haráss and discriminate against homosexuals:

The Employment Protection proposals to make it illegal to discriminate against gay women and men in employment are very welcome, particularly in the light of the current case of Judith Williams — a social worker in North Wales who's been sacked purely because she's gay.

Resolutions I hope that as many constituencies as possible will send resolutions to the NEC along the lines of the one we passed in my ward the women's section.

To have this difference between homosexuals and heterosexuals in the Party's programme is more or less colluding with the denial of civil rights to gay men. That's totally inconsistent with the Labour Party's committment to equality for all citizens. in the past they have not bothered to organise anything, and it has been down to individual LPYS members to organise a discussion unofficially.

I suggest that you move the following resolution in your LPYS branch:

"This LPYS branch notes the lack of discussion on gay rights at recent national events. We feel that the issue is an imporțant one for the LPYS to take up and so we call on the National Committee to organise a discussion on gay rights at this year's Summer Camp.

Please try to do it soon and make sure the resolution is sent off to the National Committee as quickly as possible (it' worth checking at the meeting after the one at which the resolution is passed to make sure the secretary has sent it off). Write and let me know if you are successful so I can see what support the resolution is getting.

Whatever happens, there will be a discussion, official or unofficial, on gay rights at this year's Summer Camp, so it should be worth going if you can make it. It's at Bracelands Camp Site, near Coleford in the Forest of Dean for the week 1-7 August and costs $20 self-catering. Write to A. Bevan, 150 Walworth Road, London SE17 if you want to go.

The Labour Campaign for Gay Rights is working to get the labour movement as a whole to take gay rights seriously. You may be interested in joining. Or you could propose that your LPYS branch affiliates -it's a good way of getting a discussion going. They can be contacted at 6la Bloom Street, Manchester MI 3LY. Membershp costs £2 (waged) or £1 (unwaged) for a year.

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