Following the bomb outrage in Soho, the Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association (GALHA) has renewed its call to the Home Secretary for racial hate crimes legislation to be extended to lesbians and gay men.
Prompted by the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry, GALHA sent a letter to Jack Straw on 26 February 1999, calling for such legislation to be implemented. It pointed out that gays frequently encounter prejudice, especially in employment, and that there were concerns in the gay community about police commitment to resolving gay-related murders. The letter concluded by asking whether we would have to wait for a gay incident similar to Stephen Lawrence’s murder before attitudes and the law would change.
The Government has already rejected calls in Parliament for hate crimes legislation to be extended to lesbian and gay people, and a Government minister is reported to have drawn a distinction between racial violence and anti-gay violence, saying that the former affects the whole community.
GALHA spokesperson Keith Wood said: “We call on the Government to prove it is neither homophobic nor indifferent to violence against gays by extending all race legislation to cover lesbians, gay men and bisexuals.”