| A message from Ben Summerskill, Chief Executive If you’re heading to any party conference in the next few weeks – or you live near Liverpool, Birmingham or Manchester – we’d be absolutely delighted to see you at one of Stonewall’s fringe meetings. We’ll be hosting an event at each of the three main conferences, with a fantastic line-up of political speakers. |
We’ll be pressing the new government to get on with introducing the protections for gay people secured in the new Equality Act and also the new right of gay people to celebrate their partnerships in religious premises, a campaign in which Stonewall was instrumental earlier this year. We’ll also continue to explore the wide range of views of lesbian and gay people about civil partnership in the future.
Do join us for a complimentary glass of wine and a lively panel debate. Visit our website for full event listings of Stonewall events – plus details of other LGB events at the Liberal Democrat, Labour and Conservative party conferences.
At the conferences we’ll also have the opportunity to meet so many of the new MPs who are openly lesbian, gay and bisexual. The Conservative Party now leads the pack after making huge progress in this year’s election. However there are still just two openly-lesbian MPs in the House of Commons – Margot James and Angela Eagle – and there would be 20 if Westminster looked anything like modern Britain. That’s something we’re determined to help change.
With best wishes
PS Perhaps the oddest feature of prisons minister Crispin Blunt’s announcement that he’s gay was the report that he received a message of support from Tory MP Peter Bottomley. Mr Bottomley scored just 14% in Stonewall’s voting analysis for the last parliament and the voting record of his wife, Virginia, in the House of Lords is pretty similar. With friends like these …
Nike voiced its support for a proposed ordinance to prevent the city from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. The ordinance would have also included an accompanying resolution for language protecting LGBT employees in city contracts, but was withdrawn last week due to lack of support from the thirteen-member Memphis City Council.
Find out more about Nike’s letter to the Memphis City Council here >>
