London is home to the largest and most diverse lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) population in Europe and as Mayor, I am committed to ensuring our city retains its reputation as a welcoming and safe place for lesbian and gay people to live in and visit.
The lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans community make an enormous contribution to the life of the capital, adding to its economic, cultural and social success. I am proud that my administration has been able to effect real change in tackling homophobia and promoting equality for LGBT people. This includes setting up the UK’s first Partnership Register in 2001, which paved the way for the 2004 Civil Partnership Act; successfully lobbying for new anti-discrimination laws to protect the LGBT community; high profile projects targeting anti-homophobic bullying in London schools; and banning ads for holiday resorts that discriminated against lesbian and gay people, forcing them to change their policies.
I am determined that London continues to lead the way for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans equality. This year I published the most comprehensive action plan on sexual orientation equality produced in the public sector. However, we also need continued vigilance to tackle inequality and discrimination. This means ongoing work with the police to combat homophobic hate crime and discrimination in the capital and working closely with campaigning organisations such as Stonewall as well as community groups representing London’s diverse LGBT community.
It is also important to support LGBT culture. Just a few weeks ago tens of thousands of lesbians and gay men converged on central London to celebrate Pride. I am also delighted that with my support London has won the right to host the International Gay and Lesbian Football Association World Championships. They will be the first event of the Cultural Olympiad in London in the run up to the 2012 Olympics in the capital. The Championships will sit alongside Pride, LGBT History Month, the Black LGBT Community Awards, Soho Pride, International Day Against Homophobia and the London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival making London one of the main centres of gay culture in the UK and one of the gay capitals in the world.
However, at the same time we have witnessed attacks on the basic human and civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and trans people to peacefully demonstrate and to live the lives they choose. In the past year lesbian and gay people have come under attack – sometimes physically – in countries such as Cameroon, Croatia, Estonia, Hungary, Iraq, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Nigeria, Poland, Romania, Russia and Uganda. While cities such as London, Amsterdam, Berlin, Copenhagen and San Francisco celebrate their lesbian and gay communities, homophobic hatred and violence remains a global phenomenon with state institutions fanning the flames of homophobic violence against their own citizens, most recently in Israel, Iran, Jamaica and Nigeria.
Any attack on rights of lesbian and gay people undermines all of our human rights. This is why it is important to support LGBT equality, challenge discrimination and celebrate diversity in this country, so that London sets a world-class benchmark that others are inspired to follow.
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