8/6/2019 Pride Leaflet Leeds

1/2

The right of LGBTQ peopleto equal treatment underthe law is under threat froma Tory-led government thatis also making cuts to publicspending which willdisproportionately affectLGBTQ people. The Torieswith their disastrouseconomic policies and

history of homophobiclegislation want to scrap the2010 Equality Act thatprevents employers andbusinesses fromdiscriminating againstemployees and customerson the basis of sexuality,gender, race, religion ordisability. They say they

want to cut red tape butwhat they really want to dois divide the vast majorityof people who oppose theirvicious cuts along thosevery lines. They are alsocutting funding to LGBTQservices such as sexualhealth, counseling and HIV-AIDS research whilst

maintaining funding toChurch-based charities thatpromote homophobia. TheTory minister for equality,Theresa May, has votedagainst every single LGBTQreform during her career inParliament, as have most ofher cabinet colleagues,including vocal homophobesBaroness Warsi and ChrisGrayling MP. The PrimeMinister himself has shown

his own homophobicoutlook by supportingmoves to ban same-sexkissing on TV before 9pm.Meanwhile the Labour Partyis doing nothing serious tooppose these attacks andhas in fact been voting cutsthrough at local level withnot a single vote against

anywhere in the country.

Damaging cuts alreadyintroduced by the Con-Dems include big reductionsin housing benefit, whichmeans many LGBTQ will beforced to move to areaswhere they may be at riskof experiencing homophobicand transphobic abuse,which is already on the rise

due to divisions in societywhich the Tories are playing

Defending LGBTQ rights, jobs and services

Leeds Socialist Party members on the Leeds Pride Parade last year

LGBT group

Upcoming meetingsDefending LGBTQ Rights and Services

Monday 8th August @ 7.30pmThe Wrens Hotel, 59-61 New Briggate, Leeds, LS2 8JD

Queer Politics & MarxismTuesday 9th August @ 7.30pm

The Packhorse, 208 Woodhouse Lane, Leeds, LS2 9DX

Socialism and LGBTQ StruggleWednesday 10th August @ 7.30pm

Factory Workers Club, 6 Town St, Guiseley, LS20 9DT

Join us today - Text: JOIN plus your name and postcode to 07761818206 / Write to Socialist Party, PO Box 24697,London, E11 1YD / Visit: www.socialistparty.org.uk / E-mail: join@socialistparty.org.uk / Phone: 020 8988 877

8/6/2019 Pride Leaflet Leeds

2/2

upon. Cuts to services forpeople with mental healthproblems, a

disproportionately highnumber of which areLGBTQ, are also beingrolled out, often withoutconsultation of service-users. Mentally ill peoplewill be at risk of increasedrates of self-harm andsuicide because of theclosure of mental health

day centres. They will alsobe at risk of not qualifyingfor Employment SupportAllowance because thegovernment has introducedtests that take littleaccount of disabilities thatare not physicallyimpairing. This meanspeople who cant work due

to severe psychologicaldifficulties could findthemselves on thescrapheap, leaving themextremely vulnerable. As

for employment, as ratesor joblessness sore thegovernment wants to make

it easier for bosses to sackworkers without recourseto legal action, includingmaking it easier todiscriminate against LGBTQworkers. Is it any wonderthat there are rising levelsof homophobic andtransphobic violence andhigh levels of mental illness

among LGBTQ people at atime of such adversity anddivision?

What we need is unity,regardless of sexuality,gender, race or religion.We need unity ofopposition to ALL cuts,because we know there isenough wealth in society in

the hundreds of billions ofuncollected taxes fromwealthy corporations and inthe profits of the banksters

who have ripped off theordinary workingtaxpayer to the tune of3 trillion pounds sincethe world capitalist crisisbegan. These

corporations should benationalised on asocialist basis and rundemocratically bycommittees of workerswith a socialist plan of

production to meet theneeds of all. The increasedproduction resulting from

this would allow for thecreation of many thousandsof new jobs and for fullinvestment into publicservices, which should bedemocratically run bycommittees of workers andservice-users. A new planof social housing couldcreate many new,

affordable homes and endthe ongoing housing crisis.An end to imperialist warsand nuclear weaponsproliferation would free upyet more money to investinto jobs, economic growthand environmentalsustainability. A socialistplan of production wouldmean no repeat of thecapitalist crisis that got usinto this mess, meaning nomore unnecessary austerityand division. This wouldlead to a more equalsociety in which divisionson the grounds of genderand sexuality would losetheir material basisbecause people would not

have to compete to survivebut could live tolerantlytogether with the thingsthat they need to livepeaceful and productivelives.

Agree with us - Then Join the Socialists!The Socialist Party argues for more than just fighting the cuts. As

long as capitalism exists working people will face a future of uncer-

tainly. What we gain today, the bosses will try to take back tomor-row as they are doing with the NHS. We need an alternative way ofrunning society, a socialist society, based on meeting the needs of

the many by planning production in that direction rather than making profits for a few at the top. To dothis we need to take the banks and the other monopolies that dominate our economy into public owner-ship and run them democratically. The Socialist Party is made up of ordinary people like you, so if you

agree then join us in the struggle for socialism.

It is vital to link up with trade unionsdefend jobs and services

LGBT group