During the run up to the 2005 general election we made sure lesbian and gay voters had all the information they needed in order to make an informed choice in the voting booth.
As well as setting out our five demands for a better Britain. we also listed the voting records of MPs during the last parliament and produced a set of postcards urging people to use their vote.
On this page:
Stonewall's demands for a better Britain
Much has been achieved in the last Parliament for lesbian and gay equality and many of Stonewall’s 2001 general election demands have been met. We’re hugely grateful to every parliamentarian who has supported our issues over the years. Significant steps forward include:-
However, there remains more to do. Homophobic bullying is endemic in schools and the NHS ignores our specific needs. And there is still only a tiny number of openly-gay MPs able to speak with experience of our community. So we call upon all parties to commit to the following five issues:
1 - Legal status equal to other minorities
We want equality legislation to be the same for everyone. Early introduction of a Single Equality Act would achieve this, to ensure the promotion of equality for everyone by public bodies.
A Single Equality Act would put a duty on public bodies to promote equality. Areas of public life where gay people have traditionally had problems – the NHS, the police, education - would thus be obliged to ensure the services they provide don’t discriminate on the grounds of sexual orientation. Stonewall calls for this important piece of legislation to be introduced as soon as possible.
2 - Schools free from homophobia
Section 28 may have been repealed but its deeply damaging legacy lives on. More than four out of five teachers felt it was a barrier to honest discussion around sexual orientation, even though it didn’t apply to schools. That’s why Stonewall, in partnership with a number of other organisations, launched a major Education for All campaign in January 2005 to tackle homophobia and homophobic bullying in our schools.
Research now demonstrates that the unwillingness of many schools to tackle homophobic bullying is the reason that gay or lesbian 16 year olds with good GCSE results are less likely to stay in full-time education than their straight peers. Failing to tackle this issue is permanently damaging young people’s life chances. Stonewall calls on the government to give a strong lead on this issue and ensure schools finally meet their obligations to protect and educate all young people.
3 - A statutory body to protect gay people
The current government has already announced that it plans to introduce a new Commission for Equality and Human Rights (CEHR) which will give statutory protection to lesbians and gay men for the first time. The CEHR will challenge discrimination across society and will mean, for the first time, that LGB people’s needs will be addressed through such a body. Stonewall calls for the Equality Commission to be introduced as soon as possible to ensure lesbians and gay men get the protections we deserve.
4 - Our needs recognised by public services
Far too often, gay people are under-served by the public sector. Victims of hate crime are not properly treated by police, many people don’t get the best medical treatment because they remain anxious about coming out as gay to their GP, couples in social housing are still hounded out of their homes by homophobic harassment. It’s vital that people responsible for the delivery of these public services, which lesbians and gay men pay for, recognise the specific needs that can arise in respect of people’s sexual orientation. Stonewall calls on all parties to commit to addressing second class provision of public services, making them properly accessible to all citizens.
5 - Our community represented in Parliament
Government actuaries now estimate that lesbians, gay men and bisexuals comprise six per cent of the general population. However, the number of openly-gay MPs and peers is much smaller than that. Angela Eagle is still the only woman in Parliament able to speak of her life experience as a lesbian. Lord Alli and Lord Smith are still the only openly-gay peers out of almost 700. This is not good enough. We acknowledge the large number of heterosexual MPs and peers who have fought hard for our rights for many years and we are enormously grateful to them. But it is only LGB MPs and peers who have our lived experiences. They need to be in parliament so the voice of gay people is heard. Stonewall calls on all political parties effectively to address this issue of serious under-representation.
MPs' voting records
Click here to find out how your MP voted on lesbian and gay issues during the last parliament. You will see that in seven key votes on lesbian and gay equality since 2001, 117 MPs came joint first, voting for gay equality on every occasion. Thirteen MPs scored 0%, consistently opposing all measures to bring about full equality for the lesbian and gay citizens they represent.
'Use Your Vote' postcards
We had two postacrds available during the run up to the general election:
Click here to see our 'use your vote' postcard. These were sent to whoever needed reminding to use their vote on election day.
Click here to see our pledge card. People were able to send these to their MP to find out where they stood on the key issues.
Stonewall accept no responsibility for the content of external sites.
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