presents an award to Dr Evan Harris MP
MP VOICES FEARS ABOUT NEW EQUALITY BILL
KENILWORTH, 14 NOVEMBER 2005 — Liberal Democrat MP Dr Evan Harris has said that he fears the new Equality Bill will contain large-scale religious exemptions that could severely undermine the rights of lesbian and gay people.
Speaking at the annual lunch of the Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association (GALHA) on Saturday 12 November 2005, Dr Harris expressed concerns about the way in which gay rights had been introduced into the Bill at the last moment – leaving little scope for debate or objections to any religious exemptions. He said that when secondary legislation was used – as in this case – there was no possibility of amendment, it was a matter of take it or leave it, and that meant that there is no possibility of changing the gay rights element of the Equality Bill, however badly it is drawn up. The religious discrimination elements of the Bill, on the other hand, have been consulted on, endlessly debated in both Houses of Parliament and the exemptions are now firmly in place. Dr Harris said that if a hotel claimed to be for the religious it could still refuse to let rooms to gay or lesbian couples, and that this would apply to other services provided by supposedly “faith-based” organisations.
Dr Harris, who is one of GALHA’s vice-presidents, was presented with an award at the lunch by the group’s chairperson, Lee Stacy, in recognition of his “tireless and effective” support for LGBT and secular rights both in his constituency (Oxford West and Abingdon) and in Parliament since he was first elected an MP in 1997.
Mr Stacy highlighted the MP’s support for lowering the gay age of consent, gay and lesbian adoption rights, and the acceptance of lesbians and gay men in the armed forces. He also drew attention to the MP’s work to keep Britain “a truly secular nation”, which has included opposition to the proliferation of faith schools and the Racial and Religious Hatred Bill. So diligent was he in pursuit of these causes, said Mr Stacy, that the Christian Institute had dubbed him “one of Parliament’s least moral voters”.
In his speech responding to the award, Dr Harris recollected that he had received a previous one – from Rank Outsiders, then the group for gays and lesbians in the armed forces. They gave him the award to acknowledge his staunch support for their campaign to get rid of the armed forces ban in the run-up to the 2001 election.
Referring to the Labour government’s record on lesbian and gay law reform, he reminded his audience that this had been painfully slow and, in the case of the age of consent and the ban in the armed forces, the Government had been forced to act by the European Court of Human Rights.