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Foreword by Peter Tatchell - gay human rights campaigner
The EU is a force for
anti-discrimination, and Green MEPs have been at the forefront of promoting new
policies to ensure equal employment and partnership rights across the EU.
The Green Party wants the Europe’s towns and cities
to be world-class gay-friendly places: ensuring equal opportunities and
non-discrimination on the grounds of sexuality, gender identity and HIV status.
The lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT)
population deserves political allies who will work with us to benefit our
community. That is what the Greens are promising: a serious commitment to tackle
homophobic discrimination and hate crimes, to support LGBT welfare
organizations, and to affirm and celebrate queer lives and culture.
The party’s theme for this year’s elections is Real
Progress - and real progress means, not least, developing a proudly diverse
region, where all citizens, no matter what their sexual orientation, have the
freedom to live their lives free from prejudice, discrimination, harassment and
violence.
I have joined the Green Party and will be voting
Green in the forthcoming elections because I believe they are the radical,
progressive party of the future – for gay people and for everyone.
Our two MEPs Caroline Lucas and Jean
Lambert have done much to promote equal opportunities and social inclusion in
the past five years.
1.1
The Greens have had to battle to maintain the EU commitment to anti-
discrimination in the objectives of the new EU Constitution, the draft of which
is currently being discussed by the Member State Governments. We have managed
to ensure that Article 3 commits the EU to combating social exclusion and
discrimination, and the promotion of social justice and protection, equality
between women and men, solidarity between generations and protection of
children's rights.
1.2
Jean Lambert MEP has also been working to extend the EU definition of
"family" which forms the base upon which EU nationals may move
freely. Her report on the coordination of social security tried to tackle the
issue of the recognition of partners rights when accessing certain social
security provision should a partnership exercise the right to move
1.3
The Parliament's 2004 report on fundamental rights in the EU was written by a
Green MEP. The report attempted to speak out in favour of sexual rights,
including the right of gay and lesbian couples to adopt and marry, and of full
equal rights to free movement in the EU of unmarried partnerships, be they
heterosexual or homosexual. Unfortunately, the report was rejected by
Parliament after heated debate.
1.4
In February 2004, European Parliament adopted a resolution establishing the
EU's recommendations for the 2004 UN Commission on Human Rights.
Following a proposal made by the Green group, the paragraphs referring to the resolution on sexual orientation were
improved to call for support of the full integration of a gender perspective
throughout the United Nations system. The Parliament's Intergroup on Gay and
Lesbian Rights offered thanks to the Greens for the work they did on
this.
Real
Progress to secure queer equality
2.1 The Greens want full LGBT equality, including
full partnership, insurance, pensions, employment, and housing rights. This
includes banning homophobic and transphobic
discrimination in access to goods and services, such as insurance and
mortgages.
2.2 Greens want to ensure
all EU member states comply with the EU directive outlawing discrimination
against lesbians and gay men in the workplace.
2.3 Greens across Europe will back local LGBT
organisations in proposals to set up an effective "Diversity Training
Package", encouraging small businesses to take on more LGBT employees and
to provide a homo-friendly working environment.
2.3 Greens will press for gay friendly policing,
for example ensuring that homophobic remarks and behaviour by police officers
be considered an explicit offence. Also working with the police in furthering
their relationship with the LGBT community, including LGBT organisations:
improving the rapport between police forces and the LGBT community; highlighting
queer-bashing hotspots to bring the culprits to justice; and addressing the
under-reporting of hate crimes.
2.4 Greens will work to legalise same-sex marriages
and registered partnerships across the EU and extend the EU definition of
"family" to include LGBT partnerships, particularly in asylum
legislation.
2.5 Greens will continue to work towards
non-prosecution of consenting, victimless gay offences, such as cruising.
Police resources should be concentrated on violent, corporate and hate crimes
and active measures to create safer cities, towns and villages.
2.6 Greens will support HIV Action Plan to improve
safer sex education, remedy any inadequacies in the provision of HIV services,
and upgrade the standard of treatment and care. This will include pressing the
UK government to resolve the under-funding and under-staffing of
sexually-transmitted infection (STI) clinics.
2.7 Greens want all companies doing business with
the European Union, or governments and local authorities within it, to be required
to have equal opportunities policies that prohibit discrimination against
lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and HIV-positive people; thereby enabling
local authorities to take a proactive role in encouraging businesses to end
homophobic discrimination.
2.8 Greens propose to celebrate queer culture and
history, for example by proposing the establishment of more Lesbian & Gay
Museums.
A Green vote means a vote for Real Progress.
That means truly progressive policies for the economy, for democracy, for
health and for environmental protection, and in all spheres of social justice,
equality and inclusiveness. We want to positively and proudly celebrate gay
culture.
The Green Party will keep on campaigning for a
Europe that we can be proud of, where the LGBT community is treated as an
essential and valued part of the our rich and diverse culture.