Politics

Jack Straw’s promised new legislation to equalise the age of consent will exclude the repeal of other discriminatory sexual offences laws.

Labour’s sad, shameful record on gay human rights.

Labour’s refusal to crack down on queer-bashing violence and homophobic discrimination.

Hopes that Europe and Labour would deliver equality have turned out to be wishful thinking.

Tony Blair sent a message of support to last summer’s Pride Festival pledging Labour’s commitment to “build a new Britain free from discrimination”. But since then, Labour has flunked and fudged on lesbian and gay equality.

Before the election, Labour courted the queer vote with promises of gay law reform. Peter Tatchell says that since winning power, Labour’s record has been mostly a succession of delays, u-turns and half-baked reforms.

The homophobic onslaught suffered by Peter Tatchell when he stood for parliament in the 1983 Bermondsey by-election – and the lessons he learned from the most homophobic election in British history.