I have just signed a global petition on behalf of Stroud District Green party for a proposed United Nations resolution in favour of the universal decriminalisation of homosexuality.Photo left: Gloucester's first Gay Pride march (see my Blog entry on 13th August 2006 for details).
There is sadly still discrimination in Gloucestershire, but in more than 70 countries, homosexuality is a crime by law, and punishable by death in 12 of them. This petition and campaign has support from thousands including David Bowie, Desmond Tutu, Elton John, Michael Palin, Tom Stoppard, Martin Amis and Ian McEwan. The Green Party of England and Wales has been the first political party to support the campaign, but other main parties will hopefully declare their support soon.
I would urge everyone who supports fundamental human rights to support this petition and to ask their friends and co-workers to do so too. The petition can be accessed via www.idahomophobia.org
In the meantime I have also contacted Stroud District Council and Gloucestershire County Council to see if they would consider supporting this move. See news releases re the recent ridiculous High Court judgement, the Civil Partnership Bill, a local asylum seeker and Gloucestershire MPs poor record on gay rights.
1 comment:
Thanks, Philip and the local Green Party, for your support on this issue. I am in Vietnam now and here homosexuality is not illegal although social pressures make it very difficult for homosexuials to be open. The situation was very very bad in Africa where countries appeared to be out-doing each other in coming up with harsher and more restrictive anti-gay legislation, fueled in part, it must be said, by their so-called Christian faith. In this respect, full marks to South Africa for having full protection for homosexuals and for being teh fifth country in the world to allow same-sex marriage.
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