LGBT group

Defending LGBTQ rights, jobs and services

The right of LGBTQ people to equal treatment under the law is under threat from a Tory-led government that is also making cuts to public spending which will disproportionately affect LGBTQ people. The Tories with their disastrous economic policies and history of homophobic legislation want to scrap the 2010 Equality Act that prevents employers and businesses from discriminating against employees and customers on the basis of sexuality, gender, race, religion or disability. They say they want to cut red tape but what they really want to do is divide the vast majority of people who oppose their vicious cuts along those very lines. They are also cutting funding to LGBTQ services such as sexual health, counseling and HIVAIDS research whilst maintaining funding to Church-based charities that promote homophobia. The Tory minister for equality, Theresa May, has voted against every single LGBTQ reform during her career in Parliament, as have most of her cabinet colleagues, including vocal homophobes Baroness Warsi and Chris Grayling MP. The Prime Minister himself has shown

Leeds Socialist Party members on the Leeds Pride Parade last year

his own homophobic outlook by supporting moves to ban same-sex kissing on TV before 9pm. Meanwhile the Labour Party is doing nothing serious to oppose these attacks and has in fact been voting cuts through at local level with not a single vote against anywhere in the country.

Damaging cuts already introduced by the ConDems include big reductions in housing benefit, which means many LGBTQ will be forced to move to areas where they may be at risk of experiencing homophobic and transphobic abuse, which is already on the rise due to divisions in society which the Tories are playing

Upcoming meetings
Defending LGBTQ Rights and Services Monday 8th August @ 7.30pm The Wrens Hotel, 59-61 New Briggate, Leeds, LS2 8JD Queer Politics & Marxism Tuesday 9th August @ 7.30pm The Packhorse, 208 Woodhouse Lane, Leeds, LS2 9DX Socialism and LGBTQ Struggle Wednesday 10th August @ 7.30pm Factory Workers Club, 6 Town St, Guiseley, LS20 9DT

Join us today - Text: JOIN plus your name and postcode to 07761818206 / Write to Socialist Party, PO Box 24697, London, E11 1YD / Visit: www.socialistparty.org.uk / E-mail: join@socialistparty.org.uk / Phone: 020 8988 877

LGBT group upon. Cuts to services for people with mental health problems, a disproportionately high number of which are LGBTQ, are also being rolled out, often without consultation of serviceusers. Mentally ill people will be at risk of increased rates of self-harm and suicide because of the closure of mental health day centres. They will also be at risk of not qualifying for Employment Support Allowance because the government has introduced tests that take little account of disabilities that are not physically impairing. This means people who cant work due to severe psychological difficulties could find themselves on the scrapheap, leaving them extremely vulnerable. As for employment, as rates or joblessness sore the government wants to make it easier for bosses to sack workers without recourse to legal action, including making it easier to discriminate against LGBTQ workers. Is it any wonder that there are rising levels of homophobic and transphobic violence and high levels of mental illness among LGBTQ people at a time of such adversity and division? production to meet the needs of all. The increased production resulting from this would allow for the creation of many thousands of new jobs and for full investment into public services, which should be democratically run by committees of workers and service-users. A new plan of social housing could create many new, affordable homes and end the ongoing housing crisis. An end to imperialist wars and nuclear weapons proliferation would free up yet more money to invest into jobs, economic growth and environmental sustainability. A socialist plan of production would mean no repeat of the capitalist crisis that got us into this mess, meaning no more unnecessary austerity and division. This would lead to a more equal society in which divisions on the grounds of gender and sexuality would lose their material basis because people would not have to compete to survive but could live tolerantly together with the things that they need to live peaceful and productive lives.

What we need is unity, regardless of sexuality, gender, race or religion. We need unity of opposition to ALL cuts, because we know there is enough wealth in society in the hundreds of billions of uncollected taxes from wealthy corporations and in the profits of the banksters who have ripped off the ordinary working taxpayer to the tune of 3 trillion pounds since the world capitalist crisis began. These corporations should be nationalised on a socialist basis and run democratically by committees of workers It is vital to link up with trade unions with a socialist plan of defend jobs and services

Agree with us - Then Join the Socialists!

The Socialist Party argues for more than just fighting the cuts. As long as capitalism exists working people will face a future of uncertainly. What we gain today, the bosses will try to take back tomorrow as they are doing with the NHS. We need an alternative way of running society, a socialist society, based on meeting the needs of the many by planning production in that direction rather than making profits for a few at the top. To do this we need to take the banks and the other monopolies that dominate our economy into public ownership and run them democratically. The Socialist Party is made up of ordinary people like you, so if you agree then join us in the struggle for socialism.