■ Michael Cashman:  “The Prime Minister has agreed to take this matter up to ensure that steps are taken to end this discriminatory practice.”

BRUSSELS, October 16, 2007  –  British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is to take-up the matter of the unequal age of consent still in place in Gibraltar, an overseas territory of the United Kingdom.

The age of consent for heterosexual sexual relations in Gibraltar is 16 whilst the age of consent for same-sex sexual relations is 18.

Yesterday, the matter was raised at a meeting with Mr. Brown at 10 Downing Street by Michael Cashman, the MEP for Wet Midlands and president of the European Parliament’s all-party ‘intergroup’ on gay and lesbian rights.

“Gordon Brown immediately agreed wholeheartedly with my point of view on the matter,” Mr. Cashman said this morning.

“The Prime Minister has agreed to take this matter up to ensure that steps are taken to end this discriminatory practice, the existence of which, is incompatible with our obligations as an EU member and as a party under the European Convention of Human Rights.”

The issue had been raised by Gibraltar gay rights organisations in the past, he said.

“The Gibraltarian government has been given plenty of time to rectify the situation. It is unfortunate that this matter had to come to us for any action to be undertaken,” Mr. Cashman pointed out.

He applauded gay rights organisations working in Gibraltar.

“It was their continued vigilance which allows us to take notice of this situation.  I now hope that we sort this mess out and get rid of this discrimination built into the laws of Gibraltar,” he concluded.

SEE ALSO

Gay Rights Group Welcomes Intervention of British Prime Minister.  The Gibraltar Equality Rights group, GGR, this afternoon welcomed the intervention of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown over the inequality of the UK’s self-governing overseas territory’s age of consent laws.  (UK Gay News, October 16, 2007)

Gay Age of Consent Equality: ‘We Have Given Gibraltarian Government Long Enough’.  A British Member of the European Parliament has pledged today to take the matter of equality of the age of consent in Gibraltar directly to the heart of Number 10 Downing Street. (UK Gay News, October 8, 2007)

Chief Minister Is ‘Passing the Buck’ to Gordon Brown on Gay Age of Consent.  Gibraltar’s Chief Minister Peter Caruana’s failure to act on the legal age of consent is degrading the constitution and turning the Rock’s highest law into a series of voluntary codes as far as human rights are concerned, Equality Rights GGR claimed last night.  (UK Gay News, October 7, 2007)

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Posted: 16 October 2007 at 11:00 (UK time)