UKIP vows to gut LGBT rights in extreme new manifesto
Underwear with the UKIP logo are seen for sale during the UKIP annual conference at the International Convention Centre on September 21, 2018 in Birmingham, England. (Christopher Furlong/Getty)
LGBT+ activists were described as child abusers at the pro-Brexit UK Independence Party’s conference on Friday, as it launched a new manifesto that takes drastic new anti-LGBT stances.
UKIP faced a mass exodus of LGBT+ members earlier this year in protest at its increasingly hardline views.
For several years, the party attempted to distance itself from homophobic views often expressed by its representatives, but leader Gerard Batten has launched a new manifesto that swings the party’s direction heavily against LGBT+ rights.
UKIP leader Gerard Batten MEP addresses delegates during the UKIP annual conference. (Christopher Furlong/Getty)
The manifesto pledges to oppose LGBT-inclusive primary school education, explaining: “UKIP opposes gender confusion ideologies and the implementation of compulsory LGBT-inclusive relationships education in primary schools.”
At the party’s conference, UKIP Families and Children spokesman Alan Craig said: “I consider it to be child abuse when adults go into primary schools and try and get them to question whether they’re actually born one way or the other. That is child abuse.”
LGBT+ rights campaigner Peter Tatchell told PinkNews: “This stance reinforces UKIP’s reputation as a hard right, anti-LGBT+ political party. It clearly does not care about the welfare and human rights of LGBT+ people.
“These school initiatives are designed to combat ignorance and prejudice, and to make life easier to LGBT+ pupils.
“UKIP has made it clear that it does not care. It is content for no action to be taken to tackle anti-LGBT+ bullying, depression and self-harm.”
The party also vowed to make sweeping changes to anti-discrimination and hate crime laws that currently protect LGBT+ people and other minority groups.
The manifesto claims that the concept of “so-called ‘hate speech,’ driven by the political doctrine of Cultural Marxism” has been used to push “extreme left-wing ‘politically correct’ viewpoint[s].”
The UKIP annual conference (Christopher Furlong/Getty)
It vows to “repeal hate speech guidelines,” “scrap the Crown Prosecution Service’s guidelines on ‘hate crime,'” and “repeal the Equality Act 2010.”
The 2010 Equality Act was the law that extended full anti-discrimination protections to LGBT+ people across employment and public accommodations.
But UKIP now claim that it “gives special rights and privileges to certain groups with ‘protected characteristics.'”
UKIP also pledged to “shut down the Equalities and Human Rights Commission,” which is responsible for enforcement of anti-discrimination protections, and axe the Government Equalities Office, which has led work on LGBT+ rights.
Dan Bloom, a political editor for the Daily Mirror‘s website, also found an anti-LGBT book titled The Health Hazards of Homosexuality at the annual UKIP party conference, where the manifesto was unveiled.
The books are produced by the US-based MassResistance, which is listed as an anti-gay hate group by extremism watchdog the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC).
Delighted to day I’m back at UKIP conference for another year pic.twitter.com/TrOc6qaW0w
— Dan Bloom (@danbloom1) September 21, 2018
A similar leaflet seen by PinkNews says, “The sexual revolution and mainstreaming of homosexuality have created a public health crisis affecting us all. But the media give little attention to the danger of gay and lesbian sexual practices and the resulting health problems experienced by the gay-lesbian-bisexual population.
“Worse, the medical authorities deliver mixed messages to those at high risk while failing to protect the broader public.
“Homosexual and bisexual men are most severely affected and are driving the recent increases in STDs. Lesbians, heterosexuals and youth are increasingly at risk by imitating dangerous ‘gay’ practises.”
Meanwhile, Nigel Farage condoms were on sale at the event.
Condoms with a picture of former UKIP leader Nigel Farage are seen for sale during the UKIP annual conference (Christopher Furlong/Getty)
UKIP’s renewed focus on the LGBT+ community follows the appointment of Alan Craig in May to serve as Families and Children spokesman, despite a a long history of extreme views on LGBT+ rights and criticism of gay parenting.
In a post on his Alan’s Angle blog in 2016, Craig wrote: “Following Brexit… I’d like to see the gay marriage debate reopened.
“There is now credible peer-reviewed evidence that same-sex parenting is damaging to children compared with that of still-married heterosexual biological parents.”
Craig added: “In the light of this and for the sake of our children, I personally reckon we should resurrect the gay marriage debate and consider repealing the same sex marriage Act.”
After PinkNews reported his appointment, the party faced mass resignations from LGBT* in UKIP—a small group of activists who have long campaigned for the party to take a more tolerant stance on LGBT+ rights.
