Stonewall ‘delight’ at decision to outlaw incitement to homophobic hatred
Stonewall this evening welcomed the Government’s decision to include an offence of incitement to homophobic hatred in the new Criminal Justice & Immigration Bill. Justice Secretary Jack Straw made the announcement during the Second Reading debate of the Bill.
Ben Summerskill, Stonewall Chief Executive, said: ‘We’re delighted. We’ve worked tirelessly over the last six months seeking to persuade Ministers to match existing race incitement laws with identical protections for sexual orientation. A new offence will help deter extremists who stir up hatred against lesbian and gay people.’
‘These protections aren’t about preventing people expressing their religious views in a temperate way. However, we refuse to accept any longer that there’s no connection between extreme rap lyrics calling for gay people to be attacked, or fundamentalist claims that all gay people are paedophiles, with the epidemic of anti-gay violence disfiguring Britain’s streets. We anticipate, as always, a tough battle with our traditional opponents in the House of Lords but remain determined to secure complete equality in the criminal law.’
For further information, contact: Alan Wardle, Director of Parliamentary Affairs (020 7593 1854 / 07720 718176) or Ben Summerskill, Chief Executive (020 7593 1853/07949 108798). Out of hours media enquiries 07985 439 660.
Notes
1. Stonewall is the gay equality organisation founded in 1989. Founding members include Sir Ian McKellen.
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