Date: Wed, 14 Apr 1999 03:07:27 +0100 Subject: Age of Consent: Lords oppose equality again From: OW-jgh The evil Baroness Young of Farnworth was successful in getting the House of Lords to kill the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Bill, which would have equalised the age of consent for heterosexual and homosexual activity. At the end of a debate which started at tea-time on Tuesday, 13th April, peers divided at 11:55, voting on Lady Young's amendment to postpone the Second Reading by six months. The result, announced at ten minutes after midnight, was 222 "Content", and 146 "Not content". MP's had voted for equality in January by 313 to 130: but the defeat in the House of Lords was expected, given their vote of 289 to 122 against equality on 22-July-1998. -- Statisticians may find some small comfort in the fact that the current defeat of equal treatment is by a reduced majority: by 76 this year, (a ratio of 3:2 or 60%), but by 167 last year, (a ratio of 5:2 or 70%). Baron Alli of Norbury, 34, who took his seat on 21-July-1998, (the day before last year's vote), told how he was still young enough to remember being gay at the age of 16, in a speech that was described later in the debate by a peeress as an "extremely moving personal testament". He related how he had to cope with terms of abuse: some of which had been used earlier in the debate by other "noble Lords". During Lord Alli's speech, the Archbishop of Canterbury, who was two rows in front with six other robed bishops, turned through 180° to watch him, and then turned back with a pronounced expression of distaste. Lord Alli quoted from Pastor Niemoeller: "First they came for the Jews...". Several speakers referred to a risible proposal to allow anal sex (for both sexes) only from 18, whilst permitting other forms of gay sex at 16. Others complained that Stonewall's advertisement in "The Times", which listed organisations in favour of equality, (the NSPCC, Save the Children, Barnado's, NCH Action for Children, the BMA, Royal College of Nursing, Family Welfare Association, Naitonal Union of Teachers, and the House of Commons), had been placed without seeking permission from the bodies to publish their names; and queried whether the decision had been made by select committees, or by a vote of the entire membership. An amusing contribution from Lord Rowallan, during which he admitted to having been a hippy in the 1960's, earned him the epithet of "Lord Rowallan of San Francisco". Apparently looking at Dr. Carey, he explained how, when young, "some of us played 'Doctors and Nurses', some of us played 'Vicars and Tarts'". An estimated 200 protesters, some from as far as Leeds and Sheffield, braved the unseasonable hail, sleet, and biting wind to protest for a couple of hours outside Parliament. Stonewall compromised by appearing briefly at 6 o'clock for a photocall, before seeking physical comfort inside, (at the expense of having to listen to more prejudiced prattle than those who remained outside till 8). Note that the Labour Baroness Young of Old Scone supports equality, and has said that the current legal position puts the U.K. in violation of the Human Rights Convention. ================================ A copy of this article is available at http://www.OutRage.cygnet.co.uk/AoCLord99.htm where photographs will appear later today. http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk_politics/newsid_318000/318661.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk_politics/newsid_318000/318428.stm ================================ ================================ -- You may leave this list automatically by sending a message to list-processor@diversity.org.uk, containing a line that says unsubscribe outrage-world The 'lists' command will give information about other services