The new social attitudes survey that shows 36 per cent of people now think that homosexuality is always or mostly wrong, as opposed to 62 per cent in 1983, is good news. But it’s far from the end of the story and campaigners for equality mustn’t rest on their laurels.
For a start, the change in attitudes has not come about without enormous political willpower. It required the courage of people like Chris Smith who came out as an MP long before celebrity gays were popular.
Significant changes in the law, especially the equalisation of the age of consent and the introduction of civil partnerships also helped transform public opinion. The fact that we have had a liberal equality-minded government for the last 13 years pushing the agenda, allowing gays in the military, accepting gay adoption and outlawing discrimination in employment and the provision of goods and services has helped change the whole landscape of opinion.
But we should be careful of two things. First, a less equality-minded government could not only overturn some of these advances. It could also turn the tide of public opinion. David Cameron’s party’s voting record, including his own and many of his shadow team, betray the Tories’ very unreconstructed nature.
Second, the vast majority of the world will always be straight and growing up and discovering that you are gay or lesbian will to a greater or lesser degree always be tough. Bullying at school will never completely go away and we will always need a government that is determined to tackle homophobic bullying.
Moreover, we have to be a beacon of enlightenment on sexuality for other countries, both in Europe and further afield. That means tackling human rights abuses in countries like Iran and Jamaica. The one thing it should never mean is signing up to a political grouping in the European parliament or the Council of Europe with homophobes and right-wing zealots.
Labour should be commended for the progress towards equality that we have seen since ’97 but I’m concerned that they have lost their way.
For example, the Equalities Bill, does not appear to be all it’s made out to be and clearly indicates confusion with respect to LGBT rights by the government. On the one hand there was the ammendment that would seem to limit the church’s ability to be prejudical on the grounds of sexual orientation. On the other there clauses 28, 32, 33, 34, and 82 that explicitly exclude LGBT people from protections on the areas of property, provision of goods and services, and education.
I am not alone in my confusion and concern that Labour is no longer sure where it stands on this issue.
You guys are appalling celebrating the decline in national morality in the UK. In the US we have also experienced a decline but not as sharp as over there. You should be saddened not happy.