OXFORD, May,13, 2006  –  There is still an ongoing battle for freedom for gay mean and women, Peter Tatchell of Outrage! said in Oxford today as he attacked “New Labour” and the Blair administration for not going far enough in introducing legislation that gives both equality to the LGBT community and reduces homophobia.

“The Labour Government has enacted several very welcome – and positive – reforms for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people, such as equalising the age of consent, allowing LGBT people to serve in the military and adoption rights for same-sex couples,” he said at National Student Pride.

“But these progressive changes are no excuse for the government’s current backing of homophobic discrimination in 11 key policy areas,” he told students.

Speaking in the Student Union of Oxford Brookes University, Mr. Tatchell said:  “Labour deems it is acceptable for charities to discriminate against LGBT people – and those with HIV.  Yet it is refusing to amend the Charities Bill to make equal opportunities for everyone a condition of charitable status.

■ Peter Tatchell speaking at National Student Pride

The Equality Bill, he pointed out, will extend anti-discrimination initiatives and once enacted all public bodies will have a legal duty to combat discrimination based on race, gender and disability.

“But not discrimination based on sexual orientation, or even age.

“As a result, local councils and other public bodies such as the police and civil service will remain free to do nothing to tackle homophobic and transphobic prejudice, harassment and violence.”

Turning to gay marriage and civil partnership, he accused Labour of backing the ban on same-sex marriage.  “It supports a system of sexual apartheid where gays are banned from marriage and straights are banned from civil partnerships.  This two-tiered system of partnership law is not equality – it perpetuates and extends discrimination.

“Then, Labour is refusing asylum to LGBT people who have been jailed, tortured and raped in countries like Jamaica, Iran, Algeria and Zimbabwe,” he continued.  “The Home Office says they won’t be at risk of arrest – or even murder – if they hide their sexuality and behave “with discretion”.  Hundreds are being deported and many of them are never heard of again.”

Along with the police and the Crown Prosecution Service, Mr. Tatchell said that Labour allowed homophobic reggae singers to openly advocate the murder of LGBT people.

“Record stores and radio stations are permitted to promote CDs inciting homophobic violence.  The government would never tolerate similar ‘murder music’ against Jewish or black people.  When we complained about the homophobic lyrics of some reggae music, nothing happened – only excuses.

“Labour has exempted religious bodies from the new laws against homophobic discrimination in the workplace.  This means that religious-run institutions – such as schools, hospitals, care homes and hospices – are, in certain limited circumstances, free to discriminate against LGBT employees.

“And the Labour government has failed to ensure that sex education and AIDS advice lessons address the specific needs of young lesbians and gays,” he continued.  “This failure is particularly serious when it comes to safer-sex information for teenagers n same-sex relationships – it is putting their welfare and lives at risk.

Mr. Tatchell then pointed out that a new law against incitement to religious hatred has been enacted, but the government refuses to pass a law prohibiting incitement to homophobic hatred.  “Double standards, yet again,” he suggested, adding that when a fundamentalist Muslim cleric had called for gays and lesbians to be killed, the Crown Prosecution Service refused to prosecute.  “But when a Muslim cleric called for the murder of Jews, he got four years imprisonment,” he pointed out.

“Labour initially rejected calls for laws against homophobic discrimination in the provision of goods and services, such as housing and insurance, and in hotels, bars, restaurants and other leisure facilities. 

“It only belatedly agreed an amendment to the Equality Bill to cover LGBT people.  But this will not become law for at least a year – why do we have to wait, when religious minorities get immediate protection?

“As it stands, the Equality Bill enshrines wide-ranging anti-discrimination protection on the grounds of religion or belief, but not on sexuality.  It is great that we will eventually get protection, but why were we excluded in the first place,” he asked?

Mr. Tatchell reminded students that Labour had vetoed the inclusion of education against homophobia in the National Curriculum Religious Education Guidelines. 

“While all other forms of discrimination is addressed in the Guidelines, the government bowed to pressure from religious fundamentalists to exclude understanding and acceptance of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people,” he said.

“Finally, Labour has announced its intention to ban lesbians from receiving fertility treatment on the National Health Service.  When a Labour government still thinks that every child needs a mother and a father, alarm bells must surely ring.

“These are eleven instances where Labour could have overturned homophobia, but chose to maintain discrimination.  Labour talks about equality, but often fails to deliver – and there is no justification for their failure to remedy these injustices.”

Earlier, Sue Sanders, the co-founder of Schools Out and one of the main organisers of LGBT History Month, suggested that most of the audience had faced enormous difficulties at schools.

“Schools are heterosexulalist places,” she said, adding that the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) were failing to address the problem.

Ms. Sanders admitted that her relationship with the police 20 years ago was not good, as was the case for all LGBT people.

“But today, the police are here and have a stand at this Pride,” she point out.

“But where is the DfES?  Well, they are massively cautious and frightened.”

She called for the National Union of Students – and individual students to campaign to to get all schools included in the Goods and Services Bill.

“If we can get this included, it will then be illegal for lesbians and gays to remain invisible,” she said.

On the international front, Derek Lennard, the UK coordinator of International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO), said that last year IDAHO events were organised in some 50 countries.

“This year, there will be more,” he predicted.

“Last year in Iran, where it is simply not possible to have a public event, gays did something quietly.

“They sent out hundreds of emails to people in other countries asking that they support IDAHO,” he revealed, adding that in the UK we should focus on IDAHO on May 17 and support local events.

“Most of you probably know that there are problems in Moscow where they are having the first-ever Pride in Russia in two week’s time.

“There is considerable resistance from the Mayor of Moscow who can only find excuses why there shouldn’t be a parade – most of the excuses based on the public remarks from Russian religious leaders.

“But the Russian LGBT community is determined to march – and we will be there to march with them and to defend their rights,” he said.