Lib Dem Andy Darley challenges opponents to sign up for gay equality

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Fri 25th May 2001

Lib Dem candidate Andy Darley has challenged Labour's Alan Keen and Tory Liz Mammatt to show their support for the gay community by signing up to an online campaign for equality.

The campaign on the website www.thegayvote.co.uk takes the form of a petition calling for the implementation of a range of policies so that lesbians, gay men and bisexuals can play their full part in an inclusive society. All major-party candidates have been asked to sign, but so far in Feltham and Heston only Andy Darley is recorded as having done so.

"I hope it is only pressure of time that has so far prevented Alan Keen and Liz Mammatt from signing, and I call on them to do so immediately," he said.

"I welcome the recent re-creation of the Hounslow Lesbian and Gay Group, and the support shown to it by local police. It's now time for politicians to show their support too."

Ends

The five demands of thegayvote.co.uk's e-petition are:

• The immediate repeal of Section 28 in England and Wales

• Fast track domestic legislation to implement the European Union Employment Directive protecting lesbians and gay men from discrimination in employment and occupation.

• Ensuring that the recommendations of the Sexual Offences Review are put into law, removing discrimination on grounds of gender and sexual orientation from our sex offences laws.

• Recognition of same-sex relationships in all areas including housing, pension rights, parenting, next of kin and immigration

• Extension of the legal duty on providers of public and private services to promote equal opportunities, so that lesbians and gay men have full and equal access to services.

Notes to editors:

Thegayvote.co.uk was set up by gay.com, the Pink Paper, and Unison because: "The last Parliament has shown that politicians are more than happy to make often ill-informed statements and decisions about the gay community; at this election, the gay community should make well-informed decisions about politicians."