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A good reason to support the Equality Duty
Posted on April 27th, 2009 5 commentsOver the last few days, members of a group called ‘Pride In Canterbury’ have come to us looking for help. Since 2002, they have been lobbying Canterbury City Council to help them in encouraging the local LGBT community, through simple means: promoting the city’s LGBT tourism potential or staging performances of interest to the Gay Community at the council-owned city theatre.
Despite their best efforts, the group has been ignored, shut out and fobbed off by the council-members. After delivering an official complaint detailing their aims in November 2008, ‘Pride in Canterbury’ recieved no official acknowledgement. They followed up their complaint in December, and again in January, but to no avail. It is now nearly May, 24 weeks after lodging their complaint (double the stated response time) and they have still recieved no answer: despite taking their case to the Local Government Ombudsman.
In direct correspondence with the director of culture and communications of Canterbury City Council, they have been told that it would be their responsibility, not the council’s, to encourage LGBT dance or drama at the council-run Marlowe Theatre.
The details go on. But the message is clear: the council are refusing point-blank to engage with the LGBT community They have no interest in the issues, and no desire to even consider the proposals.
It is unacceptable.
With an Equality Duty, this behaviour would be made quite literally illegal.
We will be investigating this story over the next few weeks.
5 responses to “A good reason to support the Equality Duty”
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equalitybill.com - da best. Keep it going!
Thanks
Eremeeff -
Independent thought May 5th, 2009 at 20:24
Things like this and many other issues makes me want to vote for the far right I hope they win.
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I fully support the Equality Bill however I do think we need to go further.I work for a very large private company who do not have to abide by the equality duty. I am a disabled person who is having a very tough time staying in my current employment but if i worked for my local council for instance I wouldn’t be having these problems. Make the duties apply to all employers not just public bodies so we get real Equality.
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Michael May 8th, 2009 at 21:26
Why should the council spend public money to promote this particular group?
Imagine if a religious group started asking for particular plays of interest, or their particular style of dance? Surely if they want their dance, or play, they should work to put it on themselves.
As long as the plays don’t discriminate, for example by refusing to let gay people attend, this can hardly be called discrimination. What exactly is stopping them from attending the plays that are put on? Or attending any other form of dance? There is real injustice in the world, please focus on that!
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Hi there,
Not sure that this is true:), but thanks for a post.
Have a nice day
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Eremeeff April 30th, 2009 at 07:02