As the Pride season starts, local Liberal Democrats celebrate 40 years of delivering gay rights and supporting Brighton Pride.
THE Liberal Democrats have supported Brighton Pride since its inception. This year represents the 40th Anniversary of our party (in the form of the Liberal Party in those days), being the first British political party to adopt gay rights as part of its manifesto. We are proud of this position.
We are also proud that we opposed Section 28 outright and without hesitation from the beginning. We are proud of the lead we took in bringing the Gender Recognition Act 2004 into legislation. We are proud that in 2011 we brought about changes to discriminatory blood donation policies. We are proud that, despite more than half of Conservative MPs voting against it, we were able to deliver marriage equality in coalition in fulfilment of our manifesto commitments. We are proud of our history of adopting human rights ideals before other parties are prepared to risk it.
We must continue to fight for full LGBT equality. We must be brave enough to speak up for lesbians and gays in countries managed by illiberal governments. We must especially focus on the rights of the transgender community.
We should do this because it is the right thing to do, not just for the LGBT community, but for all people who find their rights at risk from those who misunderstand them or because they lack political power.
We must push for the adoption of a fair and safe system giving people the right to die at a time and place of their choosing when they are suffering from terminal illness. We should push for electoral reform to enfranchise those supporting smaller parties. We should extend the vote to 16 year olds, as has been our policy for several decades. We must push for equal priority to be given to mental health.
Even in a city like Brighton and even in modern times Brighton Pride remains an important tool for change. But of course, and thankfully too, participation carries much less stigma and risk than it did when those first brave individuals were willing to fight for their rights and the rights of others. As we enjoy this year’s pride we can recognise the achievement that is the legacy of those that have come before. What will be our legacy?
If you too believe that we are all better off when united in the pursuit of fairness and equal opportunities for all individuals—and if you believe that everyone deserves rights, even those you don’t identify with, then maybe you are more liberal than you realised!
Since the elections our local party has more than doubled—don’t get angry, get involved.
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