Stop Clause 28

Transcript

NEVER GOING UNDERGROUND

LESBIANS & GAY MEN

OUT AND PROUD

Stop Clause 28, Supporting Gays and Lesbians in Britain

Today, thirty thousand lesbians and gays will be marching on London to protest new legislation – known as Clause 28 of the Local Government Bill – which bans all government funding of programs that “promote homosexuality” and forbids teaching “acceptance of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship.” (“Promotion” is likely to be defined as anything that does not define homosexuality as unnatural or unacceptable).

We are here outside the home of the British Consul General to show international support for lesbians and gays in Britain who are under attack by the Conservative government. The Thatcher Government is aggressively pursuing a “traditionalist” view of family, society, and morality which explicitly destroys the civil rights and freedoms of lesbians and gays. The intent of the law is to utterly ban any treatment of homosexuality that validates lesbian and gay lifestyles. The result will be a severe curtailment of free speech in virtually all areas of education and culture.

We demand that Clause 28 be repealed!!!

The implications of Clause 28 are far reaching. Gay rights advocates say the Clause could invalidate employment and housing rights for lesbians and gay men, ban library books by gay authors, threaten hostels for homeless lesbian and gay youths, remove liquor licenses from lesbian and gay establishments, disrupt counselling services, and curtail artistic freedoms. Lesbian and gay groups will lose access to resources and meeting places. AIDS activists are concerned that the measure will foster a homophobic climate that could hinder efforts to halt the AIDS epidemic. There has been a massive campaign against the Clause all over the world, and the biggest gay demonstrations ever mobilized have been taken place in cities throughout Britain. Many celebrities have come out of the closet to support the campaign against Clause 28.

This demonstration is part of the National Spring Week of Actions 1988, sponsored by the national AIDS activist group ACT NOW…