Protecting Muslims could bring New Discrimination to Lesbian and Gay People

New laws to protect Muslims from “incitement to hatred” could result in more discrimination for lesbian and gay people, says the Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association (GALHA). The new laws, proposed today by the Home Secretary, David Blunkett, to give specific protection to Muslims, will mean that lesbian and gay people – who are victims of violence and sometimes murder on a daily basis – are one of the few minorities that will be left vulnerable to hate crimes. It could also mean that Muslims are given a free hand to discriminate and hatemonger against them.

Terry Sanderson, a spokesperson for GALHA, said: “The Home Secretary should consider extending hate crimes legislation to cover everyone, not just religious minorities. Lesbian and gay people have been subject to queerbashing and intimidation for decades, and there is no specific law to stop incitement to these crimes. We are also concerned that Muslim leaders will use their new protection to launch even more vituperative attacks on the lesbian and gay community than they have done already. Some Muslim leaders in Britain advocate extreme discrimination against this community and a few have even called for the death penalty for homosexual practices. Who will protect our community from the incitement to hatred that comes from religious sources?”

GALHA has called on the Home Secretary to think very carefully about the implications of this legislation before rushing it through. Terry Sanderson commented: “We want to see Muslims living their lives free from the fear and discrimination that many lesbians and gay men suffer, but we do not want them given the right to freely hatemonger against our community. We want individual believers to be protected, but not their beliefs.”