What is in Kelvin's Head?

  • 10 Things Gay People Still Need

    Once the law changes and we have access to marriage, is that it? Will equality have been achieved? Will we suddenly have become full citizens? Will the job be done?

    Here’s my run down of what we still need.

    • We need it to be impossible for the authorities to accept a plea less than murder in a suspected homophobic killing where the defendants admit killing the deceased with a hammer in his own home. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-24122514. I guess that means a review of hate crime legislation at least in Northern Ireland.
    • We need to be safe when we travel – that means building on the good work that this country has done in terms of foreign policy, but a review here wouldn’t do any harm either. Oh, and trade deals do need to be linked to human rights. (Yes, LGBT rights are human rights, where have you been?)
    • We need to keep working for marriage equality. We’re getting a step towards it – a massive step towards it, but it ain’t equality and equality is what we are after, right? Interesting question for the various gay rights organisations this – will they still work towards equal marriage once this legislation has gone though. They know this is a pragmatic compromise – will they keep up the fight? – and no, I’m not talking about mixed-sex civil partnerships.
    • We need an urgent comprehensive review of all religious exemptions from legislation.
    • We need better age appropriate sex education in schools.
    • We need access to education free from prejudice.
    • We need further work done by companies and institutions on supporting gay folk at work especially in order to develop access to leadership positions where LGBT people have not found these easy to access.
    • We need appropriate representation in the media.
    • We need the Archbishop of Canterbury to commit to supporting his senior gay clergy and work to undermine the systems which keep so many of them in lacy but impeccable closets.
    • We need Hollywood to understand that we don’t all end up dead or heartbroken – Brokeback Mountain, I’m talking about you.

    Have I missed anything?

    ,

4 responses to “Alternative Queen’s Speech”

  1. Pluralist Avatar
    Pluralist

    They are only in office for a year. Then the Lib Dems will collapse, the Conservatives lose out to UKIP, Labour will also lose out to UKIP, but should, I hope, win if only to produce a luke-warm left government that will continue to bully those on benefits.

    Reply
  2. Revruth Avatar
    Revruth

    Jolly good. May we also have fairtrade bananas sold loose instead of bags of 6 or 8, please?

    Reply
  3. Elizabeth Avatar
    Elizabeth

    Hear, hear!!

    Ruth – you can find such loose and fair bananas in many fine emporia in this fair city of Glasgow. Do come visit soon!

    Reply
  4. Alan McManus Avatar
    Alan McManus

    Kelvin, on the point of privacy, after being forced to opt-out (probably too late) from having my address (and perhaps email and telephone information) sold to anyone by Glasgow City Council, I’ve just sent the email below to Hugh Munro the Chartered Accountant who is Electoral Registration Officer for GCC. It strikes me that roll-calling in the Bible is usually A Bad Thing and in this case it quite obviously is. As Rosemary H. pointed out (in the middle of a rather heated debate on the Referendum – where she was very restrained and others including me were not) the problem with devolving power to Local Authorities is that they have to be both competent and ethical (my paraphrase, I can’t re-find her exact words).

    On Monday, 3 November 2014, 12:53, Alan McManus:

    Dear Mr Munro,

    I have just opted out of the Open Electoral Register by email, something which I should not have had to do. You, or whoever has executed this scheme, had no authority to sell my contact information and in doing so you, or they, have abused my trust. I expect a signed apology in writing and that this scheme be terminated with immediate effect.You are well aware that you are preying on the trust of the elderly who have no access to the internet and who will be too confused by this betrayal of confidence by their Local Authority to take action by telephone. You have sold the rights of privacy of the citizens of Glasgow for material gain. This is despicable and does nothing to ameliorate the legacy of the low reputation of the leadership of GCC.

    regards, Dr Alan McManus

    Reply

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