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Government considers watered down same-sex marriage bill to minimise Tory rebellion
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Tory MP Nadine Dorries: 'The gay marriage bill is taking the sex out of marriage'
89
London: Gay couple threatened with death in violent late night homophobic assault
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Government to consider abolishing civil partnerships or opening up to straight couples
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Philip Hammond: 'No great demand for gay marriage and it's upsetting vast numbers of people'
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Bret Easton Ellis slams GLAAD and says gay basketball player Jason Collins treated like a 'baby panda'
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US Radio host: Gay news websites are covered with porn that is turning teens gay
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Lib Dem MP Sarah Teather tells Catholic newspaper 'I never went into politics to tackle equal marriage'
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Tory MP David Burrowes: 'I'm not anti-gay; I'm just pro-marriage'
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Tory MP David Burrowes: I only want a referendum on same-sex marriage so I can defeat the government's bill
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Robert in S. Kensington 859
Eddy 382
Jock S. Trap 292
bobbleobble 260
D.McCabe 243
Rehan 220
rapture 189
Ray123 188
Midnighter 177
SteveC 172
Oh dear, ‘rent-a-quote’ Tatchell’s at it again – no surprise there. The man’s both a joke (albeit a bad one) and an embarrassment.
one of the things about the equality bill is that it does away with previous legislation, so saying that there is already protection misses the point. Once the old equality legislation is swept away, and the new equality bill becomes law, that will be all there is to protect us, and that is why it is important the the new bill DOES include protection from harassment.
Stonewall supports a bill that provides protection for religion against harassment but not the LGBT. Yet Ben Summerskill is one of equality commissioners for the government who penned this legislation.
Summerskill is a joke.
I fail to see why the drafters of this legislation should specifically exclude gay people from the harassment provisions. What would be the harm in including us? Also, if the existing laws are sufficient to protect gay people from homophobic harassment, surely they are also sufficient to protect people from racist or sexist harassment? I find it very difficult to believe that the law in England as it stands actually has better provisions for the protection of gay people than it does for ethnic minorities and women.
Good points, Vincent. I also fail to understand why religion should be given an opt-out. I don’t mind them going on about contraception or divorce or whatever, but I DO object to them being given permission to have a go at people because of who they are. Would a religion with racist ideas be exempt from racism legislation? I think not.
By not giving LGBT people full protection, it seems that the Government is towing the religious line that homosexual behaviour is a choice, and so allowing people to criticise our ‘choice’ when actually sexuality is innate.
Peter Tatchell……Keep on Tatchelling. You can go over the top occasionally but then who can’t? You ‘Grip-Machines’ should be eternally greatful to Peter Tatchell. He is always at the forfront of Gay rights and whatever minority groups that need his help.
To number 4:
The existing legislation IS enough to deal with hate crimes of all types. This new legislation is just an attempt for Labour to look good in the run up to an election.
You can’t end bigotry by passing laws against it.
Well done Peter!
This is absolutely ridicious, especially the religious “opt out”. So Catholic schools, the rapidly growing Islamic schools and any other faith schools, can preach homophobia because it says so in their “holy books”?(which scientific evidence suggests are works of fiction). This is the 21st century FFS.
Oh my goodness – it seems Stonewall UK is quite content with being second class citizens… Why lambaste Peter for having principles and refusing to suck up to government? He should receive an award for the good work he is doing.
good work peter. the sooner we replace stonewall with somwthing worthy o the anme the better we’ll all be
Peter is hardworking, and if I had to trust anyone to tell the truth, it would have to be Tatchell rather than Stonewall
To number 7:
Hate crime law and equality law are two different things. The first deals with criminal offences like threats, assault and vandalism. The second deals with the civil wrong of unlawful discrimination and harassment at work and by service providers, and also places equality promotion duties on public services.
As for whether laws can end bigotry, as Martin Luther King said, laws may not be able to change hearts, but they can restrain the heartless.
John (7)
Hate crime law and equality law are two different things. The first deals with crimes like threats, assualts and vandalism. The second deals with the civil wrong of unlawful discrimination and harassment at work and by service providers. It also places a duty on public services to promote equality.
As for whether laws can end bigotry, as Martin Luther King said, laws may not change hearts, but they can restrain the heartless.
If anyone deserves the Stonewall “Bully of the Year” award it’s Summerskill and his ilk at Stonewall!
If anyone deserves the Stonwall “Bully of the Year” award it’s Summerskill and his ilk at Stonewall!
Peter Tatchell is a party politician so he can’t be blamed for making political attacks on other people
I have Just been studying Peter Tatchell’s Pink News Photo for the first time. That is either a ‘Come Hither’ look he’s wearing on his face, or just plain ‘Humm! Get you Ducky!
Cobus Fourie,
Well said indeed, Peter Tatchell bends over backwards (If you’ll pardon the expression) to help all kinds of minority groups who need it. Since the early days, Peter has not had anything handed to him on a siver plate. He has had to fight every inch of the way. I think Sir Peter Tatchell would be a small reward for what he has done for Gay rights in the UK.