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Jack Straw announces its time for the law to reflect our society

Making gay hate a crime

Saturday, 13 October 2007

Making gay hate a crime

Justice secretary Jack Straw has announced plans to make inciting hatred against gay people a crime. Part of amendments to be made to the forthcoming Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill, this new law would cover gay, lesbian and bisexual people and may well be extended to also cover disabled and transgendered people. Announcing the plans, Jack Straw said it was time law reflected that society was "appalled by hatred and invective" directed at LG&B people. He said: "It is a measure of how far we have come as a society in the last 10 years that we are now appalled by hatred and invective directed at people on the basis of their sexuality. It’s time for the law to recognize this”.

Ben Summerskill, chief executive of Stonewall the professional lobbying group fighting for equality and justice for lesbians, gay men and bisexuals is pleased with the plans. “We're delighted. We've worked incredibly hard over the last six months seeking to persuade Ministers to match existing race incitement laws with identical protections for sexual orientation and drafting proposed clauses for the Bill. A new offence will help tackle extremists who stir up hatred against lesbian and gay people.”
“However” he continued, “in spite of this very good news we mustn't be complacent. Our traditional opponents are already spreading typically lurid misinformation about what the new law might mean and will try and get it overturned. We'll almost certainly face a tough fight to get these protections through the House of Lords.”

Whilst some evangelical Christian groups will baulk at the thought of LG&B people being protected from hate crimes citing freedom of speech issues Richard Kirker from the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement has a head and heart clear of such prejudices. "Hate crimes are particularly heinous” he comments, “As victims are solely and deliberately chosen because of their race, religion, gender, ability, or sexuality.” At their best communities of faith offer LGBT people the best of welcomes, friendship, and pastoral care – at their all too common worst their discriminatory attitudes risk whipping up the very hatred that inspires such crimes. We welcome the government’s proposals to make incitement of hatred against lesbian and gay people a crime it's tiime for the law to changeand we hope they will resist any attempt to permit the fundamentalist religious lobby any ‘get-out’ clause."
www.stonewall.org.uk