Socialist Resistance supporters in Respect made sure that support for lesbian, gay bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights was part of Respect's platform by putting forward a resolution to the national conference last year. We were pleased to see that this was passed overwhelmingly.
We also pushed to make sure that Respect adopted a radical manifesto and were centrally involved in presenting a draft to the National Council in the run up to the
Our proposals, including the inclusion of a commitment to LGBT rights were again agreed with some minor changes and additions.
Subsequently further changes were made to the manifesto by a small group of officers. This came about because George Galloway had not been at the national council and for administrative reasons had not seen the draft.
While in the circumstances, it might have been legitimate to ensure that Respect's primary spokesperson was comfortable with the way we put forward our arguments, and with positions on questions that had not been debated by the membership, the changes also included the removal of any direct referenceto lesbian and gay rights.
This created a situatuation where Respect ended up standing to the right of most other political parties on this vital question. The Greens, the Liberal Democrats and even new Labour have taken up the issue in their manifesto. Even the Tories, in an half- hearted attempt to modernise have been courting the pink vote.
Respect was unnecessarily defensive tor two reasons. Firstly the Islamic fundamentalists who attacked. George Galloway produced posters showing Respect's LGBT leaflet for pride. So our political opponents tried unsucessfully to use our position on the question.
Secondly Galloway's victory and other strong results proves that the perceived level of homophobia in the Muslim community is misplaced.
But what is at stake here is Respect's respect for lesbian, gay, bisexual & trans people alongside all other oppressed minorities.
At the eve of poll rally, George Galloway rightly said that Respect needs to stand against all discrimination because discrimination against one group can easily be transferred to another. At the launch of the London campaign a number of speakers directly mentioned lesbian and gay rights, if only in passing.
But these commitments need to be argued in print, and our supporters given the arguments to answer any prejudice we encounter on the doorsteps and the steets.
Lesbian and gay equality -George Galloway
rightly said that
Respect needs to
stand against all
discrimination because discrimination against one group can easily be transferred
to another. never mind liberation - has not been acheived under new Labour. Despite some advances in the law, homophobic attacks are on the increase and the bullying of lesbian and gay young people in most schools apace. Lesbians still loose custody of their children. Young people continue to take their own lives because they are