ON MONDAY the House of Commons will be voting to ban incitement to homophobic hatred in a Bill that will outlaw any homophobia that calls for lesbian, gay and bisexual people to be abused and murdered and that encourages the bullying of vulnerable children in schools.
Many people in Britain are subject to verbal and physical abuse or live in fear because of their sexuality.
The Crown Prosecution Service last year confirmed that prosecutions for homophobic hate crimes have increased by 168% in the previous two years and only last month a man was murdered in London.
The last time these protections went before the House of Commons only five Conservative MPs voted to offer the gay community equal protection under the law.
On March 3 every Conservative on the Justice Bill Committee again voted to remove these protections. These moves are supported by the Conservative’s shadow justice secretary.
Shadow Cabinet member Nick Herbert has previously said “respect for gay people is one of the hallmarks of David Cameron’s Conservatives”.
Warm words are fine but it is action that counts. These votes show that when it comes to action to support lesbian, gay and bisexual people the Conservative party have not changed and we can’t rely on their support.
James Asser
Hova Villas Hove
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article