amicus-lgbt

Official amicus communication: e-equality newsletter - emergency edition January 2007

Urgent call to action on LGB Legislation - amicus Equality Department

Following a vociferous campaign by religious organisations and scaremongering by parts of the media, there is now a danger that the Government will cave in and weaken the legislation coming into force in April to protect Lesbian, Gay and Bisexuals, (LGB) from discrimination in the provision of goods and services.

It is feared that the Government will provide wide exemptions from the regulations for religious organisations. This must not be allowed to happen and a trade union delegation has already met with Ruth Kelly to make it clear that it will not be acceptable for the legislation to be weakened. The LGB community is entitled to be treated and protected equally in this country.

To strengthen our campaign we would ask that you to write to, Ruth Kelly, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, to urge the Government to resist additional exemptions. Her contact details are at - http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1159207
and
Write to your local MP. If you are not sure who your local MP is you can find out at - http://www.upmystreet.com/commons/l/

• Entire communiqué

Petitions on the Number 10 website

• http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/GSFRegs/
  «We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to prohibit discrimination in the provision of goods, services and facilities on the grounds of sexual orientation for the remainder of the UK at the earliest point possible. Exemptions for religious organisations from the Goods, Services and Facilities regulations, are of great concern and entirely unjust. The use of services, goods and facilities that heterosexuals take for granted, should be allowed to those from the lesbian, gay and bisexual communities; the protections that minorities and religious groups have in law should be granted to the lesbian gay and bisexual communities also; the end of a two-tier system which denies justice in the provision of goods, services and facilities to the lesbian, gay and bisexual communities should be implemented with no further delay and at the earliest point possible throughout the entirety of the UK.»
• Note: the following link was notified by individual members and, as per the disclaimer, does not necessarily reflect the official views of the amicus trade union or its National LGBT Committee.
  http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/kellyweu/
  «We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to remove Ruth Kelly from the position of Minister for Women and Equality. Ruth Kelly is incompatible with this position as she holds views about homosexuality (and other issues) which are contrary to the equality agenda which it is her ministerial duty to promote. She has voted for motions to deny homosexuals rights to adoption, hurting chances of equality for homosexuality. The government would not find it acceptable to have a minister with a non-existent record of opposing racism in Kelly's position, and it should not be acceptable for Kelly to be in her position with a non-existent record of opposing discrimination against Homosexuality.»
• http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/TransDiscrim/
  «We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to prohibit discrimination in the provision of goods, services and facilities, includng health care,on the grounds of transsexual or transgender status, at the earliest point possible. This government promised minority groups, including the trans community, to end the two-tier system which denies justice and fairness to those attempting to access goods, services and facilities. Of great and particular urgency is the need to ensure equality of access to, or use of, health care services, goods and facilities, including surgical treatments, to trans people, and to end the 'postcode lottery' for the funding of such treatments. The shorter waiting times that other people now experience should be similarly available to trans people when accessing health care relating to gender dysphoria. Further, we petition now our unhappiness with any exemptions to protection which might be suggested in the areas of Goods Services and Facilities. It would be unjust, unfair and unequal to afford religious bodies (or other organisations or individuals) the capacity to continue to arbitrarily and unjustly discriminate against trans people who seek to access goods, services or facilities.»

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