LGBT Labour
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File:LGBT Labour logo.jpg
The LGBT Labour Logo.
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Abbreviation | LGBT Labour |
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Formation | 1975 |
Type | LGBT, Labour |
Purpose | To campaign for LGBT rights within the Labour movement and for Labour within the LGBT community |
Headquarters | PO Box 306, London, N5 2SY |
Region served
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United Kingdom |
Co-chairs
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Tom Burke & Cllr Bev Craig |
Main organ
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National Committee[1] |
Affiliations | Labour Party |
Website | www.lgbtlabour.org.uk/ |
LGBT Labour, the Labour Campaign for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights, is a socialist society[2] affiliated to the Labour Party in the United Kingdom. Originally called the Gay Labour Group,[3] the stated purpose of this organisation is to campaign within the Labour Party and wider Labour movement to promote the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals, as well as to encourage members of the LGBT community to support the Labour Party.
2015 marks the 40th anniversary of the organisation.[3]
Contents
Organisation
Membership is primarily made up of members of the Labour Party and trade unionists. Membership is also open to non-members of the Labour Party, as long as they are not members of another political party.[4]
LGBT Labour is run by an elected national committee which is elected every year at its annual general meeting.[1] LGBT Labour also has a number of regional groups to carry out its work in those areas, which have their own smaller committees to run them, also democratically elected. LGBT Labour has no staff members and all committee members are volunteers.
The LGBT Labour AGM also agrees its policy positions as well as identifying the work programme for the National Committee.
There are regional groups for the North West, London and the South East, West Midlands, Yorkshire & the Humber, East Midlands and the South West. Convenors are elected to run the Scottish and Welsh campaigns. The small committees for the regional groups are elected at their own local AGMs. These groups carry out LGBT Labour's work on a local basis and also campaign on local issues.[5]
Affiliates
LGBT Labour also works with the wider Labour movement and accepts affiliations from trades unions, co-ops, local Labour parties, university Labour groups and local trades union branches.
Labour Students are affiliated to LGBT Labour along with a number of national trades unions including: Community, the Communication Workers Union (CWU), GMB, Unison, Unite and the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (USDAW).[6]
LGBT Labour is affiliated to Rainbow Rose[7] the LGBT group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats which brings to the LGBT groups of the centre left parties in European Union countries. They are also affiliated to ILGA-Europe.[8]
Patrons
LGBT Labour invites out LGBT politicians from the Westminster Parliament, European Parliament and the UK's devolved bodies to act as patrons of the campaign.[9] The current patrons are:
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- Lord Allen of Kensington CBE
- Lord Alli
- Clive Betts MP
- Rt Hon Ben Bradshaw MP
- Rt Hon Nick Brown MP
- Chris Bryant MP
- Lord Cashman CBE
- Lord Collins of Highbury
- Tom Copley AM
- Seb Dance MEP
- Stephen Doughty MP
- Angela Eagle MP
- Gerald Jones MP
- Dr Peter Kyle MP
- Rt Hon Lord Mandelson
- Gordon Marsden MP
- Olly Martins (Bedfordshire Police Commissioner)
- Steve Reed OBE MP
- Catherine Smith MP
- Rt Hon Lord Smith of Finsbury
- Cllr Wes Streeting MP
- Stephen Twigg MP
History
LGBT Labour is the successor to the Gay Labour Group.[3] The Gay Labour Group, sometimes referred to as the Gay Labour Caucus was set up in 1975 and one of the group's first banners is currently displayed at the People's History Museum[10] in Manchester.[11] In 1978 the name was changed first to the Labour Campaign for Gay Rights and later the Labour Campaign for Lesbian and Gay Rights.[12]
In 2002 the Campaign became a socialist society and affiliated to the Labour Party.[13] As a socialist society, the organisation has the right to submit motions and send a delegate to the Labour Party Conference, participate in Party structures including electing 3 members of the National Policy Forum and a representative to the National Executive Committee (NEC). Since 2012 LGBT Labour has been entitled to directly elect a representative to the National Policy Forum in its own right. Members are able to vote in Party elections alongside other socialist societies and members of affiliated trade unions who pay the political levy.[citation needed]
Elections & The Chris Smith List
For the 2010 general election LGBT Labour established a campaign fund called Dorothy’s List to support Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Trans candidates Labour parliamentary candidates. This fund continues for other elections and has since been renamed The Chris Smith List (after Chris Smith the first British MP to come out as gay whilst in office in 1984[14]) for which an annual fund-raising dinner is held.[15] The campaign fund draws its inspiration from Emily's List in the US.
An initial fundraising target of £2,000 was set, later raised to £5,000. The final fund was in excess of £12,000[16] and the money was distributed amongst 28 LGBT parliamentary candidates with money being focused on candidates in marginal seats. There was also extra money provided to support women candidates, acknowledging all political parties have shortage of representation of lesbian and bisexual women.[17][not in citation given]
The Chris Smith List continues and is being used for the 2015 election.[18] A total of £25,000 was raised for the 2015 election with money being distributed to 27 of Labour's 36 LGBT candidates - money was not provided to the nine sitting out Labour MPs.[19]
LGBT Labour produced an LGBT manifesto for the 2010 general election with the Labour Party launching the document in Soho with the party's Deputy leader Harriet Harman and the then Foreign Secretary, David Miliband.[20]
An LGBT manifesto was also produced, jointly with the Labour Party, for the 2015 general election.[21] This was launched in Brighton by Angela Eagle and Amy Lame shortly after the main Labour manifesto,[22] which was subsequently endorsed by Sir Ian McKellan.[23]
A leaflet campaign was also run targeting gay bars across the country in 2010 as well as a campaigning days in key seats, especially those with gay and lesbian MPs. Since 2010 this format has continued with campaigning for out candidates in council elections and the European elections. A programme of election campaigning is being carried out for the 2015 general election with both local campaign days and phone banks.
Labour leadership election 2010
During the Labour leadership election of 2010 LGBT Labour decided not to endorse any candidate but use the opportunity to lobby all candidates on LGBT issues, a process that had previously been used during the deputy labour leadership election in 2007. A series of questions were sent to all candidates asked by LGBT Labour members and readers of PinkNews.com[24] During the leadership campaign LGBT Labour received promises on a number of LGBT issues most notably on support for gay marriage.[25]
Significant achievements
LGBT Labour has been able, working with unions and constituency Labour parties, to ensure included a number of motions were carried at the Labour Party Conference. The most recent of these As of 2005[update] was a Contemporary resolution at the 2005 Party Conference on the inclusion of sexual orientation in the protections against discrimination in goods, facilities and services in the Equality Bill then going through Parliament (later to become the Equality Act 2006).[26][not in citation given]
In 2008 LGBT Labour submitted[not in citation given] a rule change to add gender identity to the discrimination policies of the Labour Party rule book. It was carried by 98.43%[27]
Events
LGBT Labour attend Prides every summer including London, Brighton and Manchester Prides. During the year regular events are held from fundraising events to social events.
LGBT Labour is also active at the annual Labour Party conference every autumn with a place on the Socialist Societies stall in the conference exhibition area. They hold a Saturday night social at the start of Labour conference every year,[28] originally launched in 2006 under the name 'The Only Party in the Village',[29] and an annual fringe meeting with Stonewall.
Sister political groups
Sister organisations around the world:
- Rainbow Labor (Australia)
- Soho (Austria)
- Homosexualités et Socialisme (France)
- Schwusos (Germany)
- Labour LGBT (Ireland)
- LGBT Labour (Malta)
- PvdA (Netherlands)
- Rainbow Labour (New Zealand)
- Arbeiderpartiet (Norway)
- Grupo LGBT del PSOE (Spain)
- HBTs (Sweden)
- GaynossInnen (Switzerland)
- Stonewall Democrats (USA)
- Rainbow Rose (European wide)
See also
References
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- ↑ http://www.lgbtlabour.org.uk/25000_raised_for_general_election_candidates
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- ↑ http://www.lgbtlabour.org.uk/manifesto
- ↑ http://www.gaytimes.co.uk/Interact/Blogs.aspx?articleid=14739§ionid=798
- ↑ http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2015/04/22/sir-ian-mckellen-makes-surprise-endorsement-of-labours-lgbt-manifesto/
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- LGBT political advocacy groups in the United Kingdom
- Labour Party (UK) socialist societies
- 1975 establishments in the United Kingdom
- Labour Party (UK)
- LGBT affiliate organizations of political parties