Make Homophobia and Capitalism History!

THIS IS the Socialist Party Lesbian, Gay Bisexual and Transgender
(LGBT) group message at this year’s Pride. As thousands are protesting
in Edinburgh against the G8 the London Pride Parade and Rally will be
taking place in London with sponsorship from Ford, Virgin Mobile and
even the Metropolitan Police Authority!.

Marc Vallée, Socialist Party National LGBT Group Convenor

Many LGBT rights organisations say we do not need to fight for “gay
liberation”. We all ready have it, they claim, because of legal reform
and because there are so many gay bars, clubs and magazines to choose
from and the power of the “pink pound”!

The Socialist Party LGBT group has fought for legal reforms, from the
fight for an equal age of consent to getting rid of Section 28. On its
own, however, legal reform is insufficient. The Race Relations Act was
passed in 1967, yet racial prejudice still exists today and homophobia
is still very much alive and all around us.

The Socialist Party believes that prejudice is an intrinsic part of
the capitalist system. Capitalism’s ideology is advanced to justify the
privileged existence of an elite at the expense of the majority and
thrives on the inequalities in society which it creates.

In contrast, a socialist society, with democratic working-class
control and management of industry and society’s resources, would
promote unity and co-operation. Under these conditions prejudice would
begin to evaporate and personal relationships would be freed from the
restrictions imposed by capitalism.

A strategy to achieve lasting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender
liberation depends on linking the day-to-day battles against anti-gay
and anti-transgender discrimination to the struggle to rebuild a mass
movement for socialism and achieve a socialist society.

We need to take the arguments for LGBT liberation and the fight
against capitalism into the trade unions, workplaces, schools, colleges
and youth clubs, and into the communities and voluntary organisations to
rally support behind the call for genuine equality that could stop
homophobia.


Socialist
Party Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender group pages