[Sinn Fein]

23-24 March 1996

Sinn Féin Ard-Fheis 1996

Moving On

A POLICY FOR LESBIAN, GAY AND BISEXUAL EQUALITY



Mairéad Farrell Cumann, Dublin












SECTION 1:  OVERVIEW



Lesbian, gay and bisexual people suffer from discrimination and
harassment in every aspect of their daily lives. Whether in the
social, political, economic or cultural spheres, they are denied
equality of rights and opportunities. There is no logical or
rational defence for such exclusion. Only ignorance and
indifference enable such a denial of basic fundamental rights to
continue.


Republicans are only too well aware of what it means to be
treated as second-class citizens. Our politics are the result of
decades of resistance to marginalisation and discrimination.
Self-determination is our core demand, not only as a nation, but
also as diverse communities within that nation.


When confronted with experiences which are similar to our own
(such as those of ethnic minorities, Travellers, women etc) it
should be automatic for us, as republicans, to understand and
actively express that understanding through solidarity. The
denial of justice from one section of this nation is a denial of
the rights of us all.


So it is imperative that Sinn Fein plays an active role in
securing equality not only for the nationalist community, but
also all those other sections of our society that have been
denied the right to play a full and equal part in determining the
course of this island.


It is also important to remember that lesbian, gay and bisexual
people are not  a community set apart from the heterosexual
population. In every community, in every locality and in every
political party, there are lesbian, gay and bisexual people who
are denied equality on the grounds of their sexual orientation.
Sinn Fein has a responsibility to ensure that within its own
ranks and the wider community it represents, that second-class
citizenship is not acceptable, and that the rights of lesbian,
gay and bisexual people are not negotiable.


At a time when the inequities of the society within which we live
 are so readily observable, we must rise to the challenge and
confront all forms of exclusion, discrimination and
marginalisation. It is time we moved on and made our position 
crystal clear - there is no room for discrimination on the
grounds of sexual orientation in our party, in our community nor
in our country.




SECTION 2: LEGISLATIVE REFORM



It is widely recognised that in order to secure full equality in
any society, equality before the law is essential. It is also
argued that in order to redress the impact of decades of
marginalisation, specific proactive legislative measures are
required in a wide range of areas. While recognising and
welcoming the many advances made by the Dublin government in
recent years, Sinn Fein endorses the following proposed
legislative reforms as integral parts of any comprehensive
strategy  for securing equality:


  •  As a matter of urgency the Dublin government should introduce
the Employment Equality Act and the Equal Status Bill, accepting
amendments supported by the lesbian, gay and bisexual
representation groups;


  •  Anti-poverty and exclusion programmes at European and national
level should recognise the lesbian and gay dimension of the
problem and actively seek and resource a partnership with the
lesbian, gay and bisexual communities;


  •  The Community Development Programme of the Department of Social
Welfare (26 Counties) should include the lesbian, gay and
bisexual community within the overall programme and provide for
specific projects to address lesbian, gay and bisexual issues;


  •  The Department of Social Welfare, the Department of Health and
other relevant departments (26 Counties) in developing policies
and programmes to combat the discrimination and disadvantage
detailed below should establish a programme to promote lesbian ,
gay and bisexual community initiatives and voluntary social
services;


  •  The National Anti-Poverty Strategy (NAPS) (26 Counties) should
address disadvantage in the lesbian, gay and bisexual
communities;


  •  The European Union should recognise the lesbian, gay and
bisexual dimension to social exclusion and commission action
research projects in all member states similar to those proposed
here and in a similar partnership manner;


  •  Lesbian, gay and bisexual social service, in a similar way to
other voluntary services, should receive state support from the
Department of Social Welfare (26 Counties);


  •  The Department of Equality and Law  Reform, the Department of
Social Welfare and other relevant departments (26 Counties)
should consider action research projects in a number of areas,
including homelessness among young gay people, tackling
harassment and discrimination in the workplace and in education,
the experiences of gay people living in rural areas, gay people
from the Travelling community and gay people with disabilities;


  •  A public information and education campaign to challenge
prejudices against various groups and to promote social
solidarity should be considered. Utilising all available
mechanisms for communications, the Department of Equality and Law
Reform and the Department of Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht (26
Counties) which has responsibilities in relation to RTÉ and IRTC
would be important in this regard.


    Sinn Fein also endorses the recommendations regarding Family and
Youth, Education and Training, Employment and Unemployment,
Services, Health, Harassment and Violence and Emigration, in the
recent  report Poverty, Lesbians and Gay Men, the Economic and
Social Effects of Discrimination, produced by the Combat Poverty
Agency in conjunction with the Gay and Lesbian Equality Network
and Nexus Research Cooperative.


    With regard to legislative reform in the Six Counties, while Sinn
Fein does not recognise the legitimacy of the British statelet,
it is mindful that any improvement in the provisions for lesbian,
gay and bisexual equality within the current constitutional
arrangements is to be encouraged. Sinn Fein, recognising the
movement in the 26 Counties towards greater lesbian, gay and
bisexual equality believes that legislators for the Six Counties
should look southwards seeking unity in the eradication of
inequality.




    SECTION 3: INTERNAL EDUCATION
    


    While demanding legislative change is central to securing
equality for lesbian, gay and bisexual people, Sinn Fein's role
in achieving such change is minimal. However, much work can be
undertaken both within Sinn Fein and by the countless party
activists across the country. With this in mind, Sinn Fein
commits itself to undertake the following educational measures in
order to advance the struggle for equality within and beyond the
party.


  •  Within a six-month period from this Ard Fheis, education and
training sessions will be made available for all electoral
representatives at both national and council level. The training
will provide general awareness of the issues relating to, and
concerns of the lesbian, gay and bisexual communities and the
role that elected representatives can play in combating
discrimination and securing equality;


  •  Within a nine-month period from this Ard Fheis, education and
training sessions will be made available for all advice centre
workers. The training will  provide a general awareness of the
issues relating to, and concerns of the lesbian, gay and bisexual
communities and the role that advice centres can play in
combating discrimination and securing equality;


  •  Within a 12-month period from this Ard Fheis, all full-time
activists will have a general education and training programme
made available to them dealing with general lesbian, gay and
bisexual equality awareness issues;


  •  Before next year's Ard Fheis, a comprehensive briefing document
will be produced and circulated to all cumainn for the purpose of
informing the membership and generating discussion and debate at
cumann level;


  •  Within the next 12 months arrangements will be made with all
Sinn Fein book shops to facilitate the stocking of lesbian, gay
and bisexual-related newspapers, magazines and books;


  •  The Ard Chomhairle will appoint one of its members to oversee
the implementation of the above through the structures of the
Six/26-County Comhairlí.








    SECTION 4:  CAMPAIGNS
    


    Sinn Fein is a political party whose roots are firmly placed
within the communities we represent. Our politics places
grass-roots, community campaigning at the centre of the political
processes within which we find ourselves. Like many other
movements working towards radical social, economic and political
change, we recognise the value of `bottom up', community-led;
approaches to achieving our goals. With this in mind, Sinn Fein
commits itself to assist the struggle for lesbian, gay and
bisexual equality in the following ways;


  •  To support local, national and international campaigns whose
aim is to further the struggle for lesbian, gay and bisexual
equality. Such support would involve a wide range of
possibilities from joining in marches and street protests to
lobbying and picketing. Campaigns such as Pride, International
HIV/AIDS Day, anti-`queer-bashing' and others should be supported
actively from Ard Chomhairle level right down to individual
cumainn;


  •  AP/RN, as the official newspaper of the Republican Movement
should become more proactive in promoting lesbian, gay and
bisexual equality is needed. This could be achieved through
establishing links with lesbian and gay newspapers and
organisations in order to keep informed of the current issues
affecting lesbian, gay and bisexual people. Publishers with
lesbian, gay or bisexual-related reading lists should be
encouraged to send publications for review to the reviews editor;


  •  A commitment from the publicity departments to respond to
current issues affecting lesbian, gay and bisexual equality. A
Sinn Fein spokesperson on lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB)
equality should be made available for publicity purposes. The
responsibility for responding to such issues of concern should
not be placed on the LGB spokesperson alone. A commitment from
the Ard Chomhairle to release occasional statements on behalf of
the leadership is also required;


  •  Sinn Fein activists should be encouraged to make contacts with
lesbian, gay and bisexual activists in their areas in order to
facilitate the above measures as well as further mutual
understanding. Every effort should be made to attend events and
meetings organised by LGB groups and to extend invitations for
Sinn Fein meetings and events to LGB activists where possible.




    CONCLUSION : RISING TO THE CHALLENGE
    


    None of the ideas in this document are original. They are the
product of decades of effort and ingenuity on the part of
lesbian, gay and bisexual activists whose collective action has
made the LGB movement into a powerful force within Irish
politics.


    There is no denying that there is much work still to be done if
equality is to become a reality for all the people of this
island. While Sinn Fein is a party with stretched resources we
must not let this get in the way of furthering the goals we have
set for ourselves. There is no room for discrimination of any
kind in the 32-County democratic socialist republic to which we
aspire, and so there can be no room for such discrimination in
the movement which we believe can bring us to that future.




    

    

    

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