From: steff@inet.uni2.dk Date: Mon, 17 Aug 1998 22:05:25 +0200 (METDST) Subject: EuroLetter 62 part 2/2 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: steff@inet.uni2.dk http://inet.uni2.dk/~steff Tel. +45 3324 6435 or +45 2033 0840 Fax: +45 4049 5297