The following has appeared in Kent freepaper Kent on Sunday today (Nov 7th) in advance of
the demonstration against Kent County Council (Leader Sir Sandy Bruce Lockhart) which has retained a part of the old antigay Section 28 in it's policies.
Kent also has some of the most Homophobic MP's in the country. Anne Widdecombe,David Brazier,Roger Gale and indeed Micheal Howard (despite recent comments).
DEMO : MAIDSTONE- KENT. From 1pm COUNTY HALL. (situated right next to Maidstone East
rail station- trains from London Victoria mainly-some London Bridge). Or road- M20.
Theme :Big Gay Out- End Homophobia in Kent. Dress. Shool uniform/Angels.
See:
http://www.queeryouth.org.uk 'Gays activists to hold County hall protest'. by Jamie McGinnes.
Gay campaigners have called on Kent councillors to "fly the rainbow flag from County hall".
They are planning to demonstrate against Tory-controlled Kent County Council's refusal to drop the contraversial Section 28 in schools.
Protestors from groups including the Kent Queer Youth Alliance and OutRage! will gather outside the council's headquarters.
They say KCC's decision to continue enforcing the legislation,which was repealed nationally last year,was "homophobic",and an "abuse of human rights".
Ray D...,from Folkestone,has organised a petition calling on KCC to repeal Section 28 and give greater support to homosexuals.
He said : "We want themto change their entire attitude,starting with KCC,but also the homophobic MP's-mostly Tory- in Kent. There's a lack of sensitivity and understanding towards gay people in Kent. Why else would we reatin an element of Section 28,which has been repealed nationally?" "It sends a message that it's ok to be homophobic despite what they're saying up-front". Mr D... said that the recent homophobic murder in London of gay barman David Morley showed much more needed to be done to address the issue nationally,as well as in Kent.
"Two gay men were murdered in Kent only a couple of years ago.People are still attacked all the time.Three years agoo I was gay bashed myself quite severely."
Under the Local Government Act 1988,Section 28 prohibited local authorities from promoting gay relationships in schools,before being repealed last year. KCC is the only authority in the whole country to refuse to abandon it in the county's 600 schools.
While calling on KCC to repeal Section 28,the petitition being presented by protestors urges councillors to better support gay events and services in Kent.
Mr D... said "KCC should be doing everything it can to establish gay venues and a gay Pride event.They should fly the rainbow flag from County hall."
Saturday's protest starts at 1pm. Around 50 people turned out to a similar protest on the same date last year.
Kent Green Party is supporting the demo.Campaigns officer Dr Hazel Dawe said gay people were a normal part of society and should be treated as such. She added:"This needs to be recognised in our education system.The existing policy is open to accusations of encouraging homophobic bullying and stigmatising of gay issues in the classroom. As well as effectively promoting crime,the existing policy is an abuse of human rights."
KCC's leader,Sir Sandy Bruce-Lockhart has alwayd dismissed claims that the authority discriminates against homosexuals.In an article for Kent on Sunday in April,he said gay people were an "important and valued part of our society." Sir sandy backed the Civil Partnerships bill to give gay couples more rights in the eyes of the law. But he said there was a need for the debate to move on and for greater support to be given to "disenfranchised communities",such as children in care and the unemployed.
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