Subject: EuroLetter 62 part 2/2
From: [email-masked]
Date: Mon, 17 Aug 1998 22:05:25 +0200 (METDST)

RECRIMILASATION OF PROSTITUTION IN SWEDEN
By Martin Andreasson, vice president, RFSL

Helmut Graupner's article about the recriminalisation of
prostitution in Sweden (Euroletter no. 61) calls for some
clarifications. Graupner writes:

"Why didn't we hear of any protest from gay rights associations
so far? Didn't it reach us or hasn't there been any? If not, how
can that be possible?"

As a matter of fact, RFSL (the Swedish Federation for Lesbian
and Gay Rights) has protested the new legislation ever since it
was proposed by a governmental committee in 1995. Our position
is that the social problems connected with prostitution cannot
be solved by a criminalisation. On the contrary, the social
problems for persons selling sexual services are only likely to
get worse. Furthermore, we fear that the new law will lead to
police persecutions of gay men cruising in public areas, as
experience has shown that few police officers or social workers
have enough competence to tell the difference between gay
prostitution and gay cruising in public areas. 

RFSL has tried to stop the new legislation by newspaper
articles, meetings with politicians from different parties,
joint action with other associations and other means of
lobbying. Much of this work has been reported in our newsletter
News from Swedish Lesbian/Gay Politics, which contains a summary
in English (se our website at http://www.rfsl.se). 

We can only deplore that our work was not successful: the
proposal to make it an offence to pay for a sexual contact was
supported by 70 percent of the members of the Swedish
parliament. Only the Conservative and Liberal parties voted
against. The new law will come into effect on January 1, 1999. 

HOUSE OF LORDS STALLS AGE-OF-CONSENT CHANGE
By Rex Wockner

Britain's unelected House of Lords vetoed the House of Commons'
reduction in the age of consent for gay-male sex July 22. The
vote was 290-122.

The Commons overwhelmingly passed the measure June 22 by a vote
of 336-129, lowering the age for male-male sex from 18 to 16,
which is the legal age for lesbian and heterosexual sex. 

Among the Lords voting against gay teens was former Prime
Minister Margaret Thatcher.

The House of Lords, which includes the nation's Anglican
bishops, has repeatedly thwarted Britain's new Labour government
since the government announced plans to deprive hereditary Lords
of their guaranteed seats in the chamber.

Peter Tatchell of the gay group OutRage! called the vote "a
disgraceful decision and an insult to democracy."

The gay lobby group Stonewall said: "There is absolutely no
justification for the criminalization of gay men between the
ages of 16 and 17. [Stonewall] deplores the intemperate and
downright insulting tone of some of the speeches made in the
House." 

Gay Labour MP Ben Bradshaw said of the three-hour debate before
the vote, "I have never heard so much bile, so much ignorance."

When the vote was announced on radio, about 100 gays stormed the
entrance to Parliament but were turned back by police. Later, as
the Lords left the building, the activists shouted, "Shame!
Parasites! Scum!"

For the time being, the government will likely capitulate to the
Lords' homophobia and drop the age-of-consent fight in order to
salvage the measure it is attached to, the Crime and Disorder
Bill, a major Labour initiative.

Austria is the only other European Union nation to retain
differing ages of consent for gay and straight sex.

UK GOVT PROMISES GAY RIGHTS REFORM NEXT YEAR
REUTERS, July 27, 1998

LONDON, July 27 (Reuters) - Britain's Labour government said on
Monday it would not try to overturn a vote in the House of Lords
last week blocking the lowering of the age of consent for gay
sex from 18 to 16. 

But it promised campaigners for a change in the law that it
would help them push forward the reform in the next session of
parliament.

Ann Keen, the Labour MP who sponsored the original clause
lowering the age of consent, told a news conference: "We are
delighted by the outcome."

She spoke after receiving a letter from Home Secretary Jack
Straw which explained why the government did not want to put at
risk its flagship Crime and Disorder Bill by challenging the
upper house just before parliament's summer recess.

"There is every prospect that if the Commons rejected the Lords'
amendment on Tuesday and sent the Bill back to the Lords, the
Lords would reject it again in turn," Straw wrote.

Straw said the government was neutral on the issue and would
allow a free vote when the issue returned to the Commons in the
next session, beginning in October.

"I will reluctantly recommend the Commons, with your support, to
abide by the decision of the Lords to omit your amendment," he
wrote to Keen.

Keen said returning her amendment to the Lords would only have
allowed the peers to "come out with more bigotry and offensive
remarks."

The government is under pressure to reform the law because of a
pending court case in the European Court of Human Rights
alleging that British law discriminates against homosexuals
because the heterosexual age of consent is 16.

Peers voted by 290 to 122 in a free vote on July 22 to overturn
an overwhelming House of Commons majority the previous week in
favour of the reform.

Ann Mason of the gay rights lobby group Stonewall told the news
conference she was happy with the compromise and Straw's
promise. 

AGE OF CONSENT IN THE UK
Stonewall pres release

MPs will have their day

Stonewall and Ann Keen MP today welcome Home Secretary Jack
Straw's announcement that Government legislation will be
introduced as soon as possible to ensure that the UK gets an
equal age of consent for gay men. 

The Home Secretary has also pledged to invoke the Parliament Act
if necessary to ensure the measure's safe passage through the
parliamentary process.  We expect the Bill to become law in the
New Year.

Crucially, by today's move the Government has asserted the
principle that all sexual offences legislation in future must be
non-discriminatory.

Ann Keen MP said: "It is vital that the Crime and Disorder Bill
receives Royal Assent and so 1 have reluctantly agreed to
withdraw my amendment in the light of the assurances 1 have
received from Jack Straw. 1 am delighted that there will now be
Government legislation to achieve age of consent equality.

"I have received all-party support, and the support of Jack
Straw, for an Early Day Motion reaffirming the House of Commons'
commitment to the principle of equality in the age of consent
and urging the earliest possible introduction of a Government
Bill to achieve it."

Angela Mason, executive director of Stonewall, said: "The
Government is determined to see the huge vote for equality by
MPs is translated into legislation.  It will invoke the
Parliament Act to prevent the Lords defeating the will of the
House of Commons. 

"It is also of enormous significance to us that this will be
Government legislation with a Minister speaking to it, making
the case for equality.  Jack Straw has made it clear that any
measures relating to sexual offences will, from now on, apply
equality to both boys and girls and men and women and will be
absolutely non-discriminatory.  This is exactly the principle we
have been fighting for.

***************************
Steffen Jensen
E-mail: [email-masked] 
http://inet.uni2.dk/~steff
Tel. +45 3324 6435 or +45 2033 0840  Fax: +45 4049 5297