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Gay News: Stonewall urges LGBT people to vote in the General Election
By: Nigel Robinson
Use your vote - the bigots will
Use your vote - the bigots will
Stonewall: Use Your Vote Today - The Bigots Will
Under the title Use Your Vote - The Bigots Will, gay rights organisation Stonewall is urging all LGBT people to vote today in the General Election.
As an aid to deciding which candidate to choose they have created a table scoring each MP on their support for gay issues.
The percentage scores given to each MP are based on their voting record on seven specific gay- related issues, including the Equality (Sexual Orientation) Bill and the Incitement to Hatred Bill, with 100 being the top, and “gay-friendliest” percentage score.
The percentages were calculated by awarding an MP two points if he or she voted in support of Stonewall’s position, one point if they didn’t vote for whatever reason, and no points if they voted against the bill.
Of the three main party leaders, Nick Clegg has a score of 86, while Gordon Brown comes in at 71. David Cameron has a score of 36 on his pro-gay rights voting record.
Chris Grayling, the shadow Home Secretary who recently said that B&B owners had the right to turn away gay couples has a percentage score of 29, and shadow Defence Minister Julian Lewis, who last week regretted the equal age of consent, has a score of 14.
The lowest ranked 102 MPs, with a score of 14 per cent or less, include two Democratic Unionists, one Labour Co-Operative MP, and 98 Conservative MPs.
Labour MP Kate Hoey is the lowest rated Labour MP with a score of 14. She is MP for London’s Vauxhall area which is one of the capital’s largest “gay villages”.
See how your MP voted on the Stonewall website
