Monday 20 September 2010

Stonewall Says No


If I'd been at the Liberal Democrat conference today this evening I would have been at Delga (LGBT Lib Dems) diversity fringe event. This would have been before heading to the General Election candidate's reception later.

However, reading what I have just read suspect that I would have been sat in a corner writing what I now am. Thanks to Zoe O'Connell whose blog brought my attention first to what went on earlier.

Twas the night before Equal Marriage was debated in the hall,
And Stonewall weren't stirring they were scared as a mouse.

Well that is what we all thought they refused to respond to Pink News asking them a simple question on their stance on gay marriage. Stonewall weren't being singled out, but as one of the LGBT community's larger group their silence when 9 other groups did was noted.

Well Ben Summerskill tonight broke that silence. But here are some of the bizarre reasons that he gave. My comments in red.

  • Giving Civil Partnerships to heterosexual couples would be too expensive £5bn over 10 years. Since when has cost been a reason to stop equality and correct wrongs.
  • That the feminist movement are fundamentally opposed to marriage. Just because one group is opposed to something while others want it is no reason to stop it being taken up by others.
  • Finally while people are being murdered in homophobic attacks we should he fighting that, focusing on that and not other things. While there is a difference in term for relationship surely that merely sparks the discriminators that there is something different, or 'wrong' in same sex unions.
I'm surprised he didn't use the argument that same same sex unions will ultimately fail. But I would say to that of course they will fail, not every heterosexual relationship lasts until the grave. Yes gay and lesbian couples will have arguments, they will fight, some of the those unions marriages or partnership will end in divorce (some of course already have).

But we need to give them the opportunity to fail so that we can rejoice with those that succeed. Those who in 20 years time celebrate their silver anniversary. Hopefully some having updating their CP into marriage as part of tomorrow's motion enables.

I look forward to the day that young gay men or women dream of their wedding in the same light as heterosexuals do. Look forward being it a ting that brings family and community together and isn't seen as odd or lout of whack, but a natural progression. Maybe when the relationships are normalised the homophobia will die down, maybe not entirely but to a greater extend.

3 comments:

  1. It does make me wonder what is going in in the meeting rooms in Stonewall.

    I didn't realise we had to limit the things we campaign for.

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  2. I'm supposing the "good" Stonewall folks are simply saying some are more equal than others; but, wait (slaps himself upside the head) isn't that the way it's always been? On the other hand, hasn't that been what the whole movement for equality (regardless of whose banner we're campaigning under) has essentially been all about?

    EQUAL mean simply that EQUAL. There can be no dissembling about it. PERIOD. We either are all equal before the eyes of the Law, and one another, or we're not. What's it going to be folks? I think that it's time everyone got on the same page here.

    Incidentally Mr. Glenn, whoever actually writes this stuff for you should entertain the thought of using even the most rudimentary of spell-checkers.

    Just my two-cents worth from Toronto, Canada

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  3. @Warren C.E for the head of a 'major' LGBT pressure group to come to a party of Government's conference and break his organisations previous silence which I had reported on this issue with these lamest onf excuses would be inexcusable. To do so on the eve of that party passing a equal marriage policy which allows for religious sam-sex unions and mixed-sexed civil partnerships as well as allowing Humanist celebrants to perform weddings for both in England and Wales to bring it in line with Scotland shows the range of the equality that was being dealt with.

    Incidently I write all of the post on my own blog but have been involved in caring for a friend these last couple of day and appeared to have forgotten to spell check before publishing.

    ReplyDelete