By Wes Streeting / @wesstreeting
In the words of Stonewall chief Ben Summerskill, something "historic" happened this week: David Cameron apologised for the piece of Tory hate legislation well known to the LGBT community as 'Section 28'.
Reactions to the Conservative leader's apology have been mixed; some see it as a superficial rebranding exercise, while others who have been directly affected by the impact and legacy of the pernicious ban on schools 'promoting' (interpreted widely as 'discussing') homosexuality may feel unable to forgive and forget. David Cameron's apology on Section 28 may be overdue, but - having called for an apology for so long - the LGBT community would be churlish to reject it.
In fact, David Cameron's apology for Section 28 - which caused lasting damage to generations of vulnerable young LGBT people - and compulsion to support civil partnerships, ought to be added to the long list of Labour achievements that have made a real difference to the lives of LGBT people. The creation of New Labour in the nineties sought to build a coalition in the Party and in the country, capable not only of carrying the Labour Party into government but of securing lasting progressive change for Britain. That most national newspapers today are covering the battle for the 'pink vote' is a testament to the change in social attitudes that Labour has achieved alongside a legislative programme for LGBT equality that seemed a distant dream in 1997.
But as Ben Bradshaw highlighted in his recent blog, the voting record of the Tories, including Cameron himself, leaves a lot to be desired. The Labour response should be to put Cameron to the test with our own forward-looking programme to defend and extend the rights enjoyed by LGBT people thanks to the Labour government. Let's publish our achievements and publish our pledges and challenge Cameron to back them line by line.
I genuinely hope that David Cameron is serious about shifting the Conservative Party away from its recent history of bigotry and intolerance. But until he sets out his forward offer and sorts out his parliamentary party, I'll remain unconvinced that his apparent epiphany isn't just a piece of clever positioning.
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As a conservative supporter I agree with you - on this issue you can take the credit for the Tories' progress. It wouldn't have happened without Labour's legislation on same-sex age of consent, and most notably civil partnerships. You have much to be proud of.
So why is it that polls now suggest gay people are more likely to vote Conservative at the next election? After all, that's what prompted Bradshaw to make his spiteful comment.
May I suggest this. That, having fixed a grave injustice, you've forgotten that injustice is no longer there to campaign on and win votes. Just as with 1945, after Churchill had won the war, the British people quickly moved on, they didn't need a PM to fight wars any more, and were more interested in health. Labour has landed itself in the same boat here. Gay people don't need Labour for civil partnerships, because they've now had them for 5 years. The change in social attitude you (rightly) brought about means this part of the electorate can move on, and have different needs and priorities when it comes to government. Just think (whether you agree with them or not) pro-marriage policies, which used to be inherently anti-gay are no longer so. Some of those in or contemplating a civil partnership may appreciate a tax break. Maybe gay people are now more concerned about health, education, the police, the national debt; and just maybe after 12 years of this government they prefer the Cameron alternative.
In other words, you fixed a grave injustice. Thank you and well done. But maybe you have just taken that success for granted a little too long.
In terms of the polling you mention: are you referring to the JAKE poll that's been given a lot of press attention this week? Without meaning to sound like I'm ducking the wider point you're making, that poll was of 666 members of JAKE, which constitutes an incredibly wealthy section of the LGBT community. Like many other affluent people, they're choosing to vote Conservative. I do think it shows that any party's stance on LGBT rights is perhaps *an* influence on voting behaviour rather than *the* decisive factor in determining voting behaviour. It would be interesting for someone to do a representative poll of the entire LGBT community to see how the voting intentions match the population in general, as well as to ask about their perceptions of the different parties and how far their stance on LGBT issues will influence votes.
Your comment that 'injustice is no longer there to campaign on' worries me. There are plenty of posts on Labour List, and elsewhere, this weekend that emphasise that the battle of LGBT equality is far from over. Sure, lots of legislative hurdles have been passed, but I want a government that recognises that the education secretary has a duty to act to tackle homophobic bullying in schools, a health secretary that recognises that healthcare provision needs to be tailored in different ways to tackle problems that are particularly acute in the LGBT communuty, an immigration minister who understands the complexities of cases of LGBT asylum seekers etc. In short, not only do I think the cultural barriers to discrimination have been removed, I also believe that government has a role to take action.
Finally, proposition 8 in the USA shows how quickly hard won rights can be reversed. That's why I want Cameron's Conservatives to endorse Labour's existing achievements on LGBT equality and set out how they would tackle the problems above. The problem is, as the Tories' stance on the current Equalities Bill demonstrates, I'm not convinced they do support Labour's platform on LGBT rights so I think tackling injustice remains a very pertinent and necessary campaigning issue.
"Labour has ripped the last recognition of marriage from the tax system by abolishing the married couples’ allowance and spend an inordinate amount[sic] of time trying to allow the promotion of homosexuality in schools by repealing Section 28.
He is also going to announce policy, yes you heard it here first...David Cameron will announce policy giving tax breaks to married couples and encouraging the family unit as the norm.
Cameron has no intention of sticking up for the rights of gay men and women. He is merely taking us all for fools and saying sorry so that he can look like he cares. Do not get taken in by this good people.
Hopefully there will be tax breaks to encourage the family as well.
I am yet to hear David Cameron supoort any issue take could lose votes, he is pro everything. I think he is just Bandwagon Cameron.
I think you can have a face lift and look great, but on the inside you are the same as before!
Remember the Tory heritage & remember, what I would call, the criminal acts performed by the Tory Government, BBC & the Police against the Miners of this country.
Read - The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists
Wes, I don't want my kids school "promoting homosexuality" or discussing it really. Thankfully they don't.
If they did I'd pull the kids from the lessons.
I don't know what people mean by 'promoting homosexuality'. It's not something we recruit for or something that's packaged up and sold like a product! But schools do need to cover sexuality in appropriate contexts, like sex and relationship education, religious studies, literature, history etc. Education exists to overcome ignorance, not to reinforce it.
(On an aside, I think even my biggest critics in NUS would have to concede that I'm not one for bandwagons. I tend to make my own weather.)
I don't want my kids school "promoting homosexuality"
It always amazes me when people say this. What on earth do you expect them to be doing?
And while we're doing apologies perhaps we can have one for the Iraq war. Tx.
I didn't support the Iraq war, but I believe that MP's who did support it should only apologise if they mean it. Jon Cruddas has, Tony Blair hasn't. Fair play to both of them.
I seriously doubt that governments legislate on the basis of hate. Get a grip.
Don't tell me hating tories is illegal now! It's PC Gorn Mad!!1!
He has been very shrewed to be perceived as cleaner than Labour giving the media the impression of measures on the level of exactions over the expenses. It was his actions against his own MP's that showed him how much he could flex his political muscle, the consequences being he now has a good idea how hard he can push his party and his MP's.
With gay rights, anyone who believes the Conservatives will fall backwards here is living in cloud cuckoo land. Cameron has read the Blair books and wants to go down in history as being exciting and radical just as Tony Blair did. So far he is doing a very good job. Remember the core of Conservatism is more concerned with taxation and the shrinking of the State, so he can play to the popular needs of the publi easily on this subject and still deliver the core polices to his supporters. Remember this is about power and doing whatever it takes to get it for all parties.
Because when you are out of power you are nothing. So the Conservatives have wisely followed Labour's example included gay members to play an active role.
In fact the raising of the Gay issue by Labour was badly thought out. Labour would have been wiser celebrating the reforms they created in the media with promises of more (let's be realist its a great policy area that costs nothing from the Treasury at a difficult time) and highlighting the past injustice so that people are aware of where the Conservatives were historically on this issue.
Instead by going on the attack the Conservatives can now highlight how much they done in modernising thier party. It was a bad strategic move and has gained our party nothing.
Labour should celebrate its achievements and it should be talking about what else it plans to do.
In Unity
MA