Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Homophobic hate speech banned, despite Tory opposition
A law to ban homophobic hate speech passed a key vote in the House of Commons last month, despite Conservative MPs turning out to oppose it.In the run up to the debate in the commons, LGBT Labour called on supporters to lobby MPs to save Clause 58 - a section of the Coroners & Justice Bill that promises to outlaw homophobic hate speech.
Shadow Cabinet member Nick Herbert recently claimed that:
"respect for gay people is one of the hallmarks of David Cameron's Conservatives".
But, the last time these protections came before the Commons just 5 Tory MPs voted in support. On March 3 every Conservative MP on the Bill's Committee voted against the protections for lesbian and gay people. At the vote on Tuesday (24) Tory MPs voted to remove Clause 58.
Simon Wright, LGBT Labour Co-Chair, said:
"This is a powerful reminder of the empty promises of change from David
Cameron's Conservatives. The LGBT community needs more than fluffy words. We need Labour MPs who will vote for equality - not Tories who say one thing and do another."
For more information about LGBT Labour go to:
www.lgbtlabour.org.uk
