Petition against Theresa May holding the post of equalities minister

[Jaybird37]

Dear Mnetters

Theresa May holds the post of Minister for Women and Equality in addition to being the Home Secretary.

There are two reasons why object to this.

Firstly, as Home Secretary she will not be able to devote enough time to this role.

Secondly, I do not think she is the right person to be an advocate for equality within the Government, given her voting record on homosexual issues:

She voted against the lowering the age consent for homosexuals to 16;
against gay adoption rights; and
against the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill which would give lesbians the right to fertility treatment.

If you agree the petition is here

www.gopetition.co.uk/online/36217.html

I support Theresa May - let her have her own opinions.

Complimentary - Pedants corner, but EVERYONE has biological parents. Not everyone lives with them. On the Gay adoption front, one of your opinions seems to be that adoptive Gay parents are in your opinion not as good as straight ones and that any research is not let long term enough to contradict your opinion. This seems to me to be setting the bar far to high. The question should not be are gay or straight parents better, but are either of them better than being in care? I would have thought your 56% would drop considerably if this questioned was answered. The same is true of adoption outside of the child ethnic group in my opinion. We can't always wait for the results of long term studies much as we would like to. Being in care clearly causes immediate and long term harm to young people. To deny them the opportunity to escape the system due to a risk that the option they have (being adopted by a gay couple) MAY not be as optimal as an option that may not ever materialize (being adopted by a straight couple), seems cruel.

Inappropriate @ Complimentary pressing Lenin on whether she would really want her own children brought up by a same sex couple.

would have thought that gay parents were likely to have better outcomes than straight - as they have to be better motivated and organised in planning conception.

complimentary - if my DS was taken into care, I would be gutted. As he has SN (albeit mild) my priority would be any person/combination of persons who would deal with the SN issues well, rather than gender/sexuality/couple or non-couple status.

Oh good grief!

What is going on on here lately?!!

A person who voted to say that clause whatever it was - the fmous one - about "promoting" homosexuality in schools - anyone who agreed with that pretty much by definition can't hold an equalities post. Don't people remember the outrage and disgust at that at the time? It beggars belief that someone who agreed that homosexuality should not be "promoted" in schools ie that children should not be told homosexuality is normal could be a good choice to stand up for equality.

Even before you look at the rest of her voting record.

And if 58% of the public think that homosexual people shouldn't be allowed to adopt - well more fool them. A similar proportion think that women who are raped are "asking for it" and probably want to bring back the death penalty. The great british public are not always at the forefront of progressive and groundbreaking thinking on bettering our society in terms of equality and tolerance and kindness.

I would not want my MIL in charge of equalities in this country (she who has saved up plenty of old books for the DCs with all sorts of things in to counteract "PC gorn-mad") and for similar reasons I am not happy with the choice of teresa may.

And just but equally ROFL @ Lenin being pressed for her views on same sex adoption.

Lenin are you sure you would trust a same sex couple with your children's care?

ImSoNotTelling, if you actually bothered to look at her voting record, you'll see that she didn't vote in favour of Section 28 (prohibition of promotion of homosexuality) at all.

Ha yes good point. The links are a bit confusing.

She didn't bother voting one way or another, I think I have read that right now.

"if at all possible these children need the best start, and that cannnot be provided by two men or two women"
This is just RUBBISH!
And I totally agree with ooojimaflip. Having loving, stable parents (no matter what gander mix) has got to be better than being in care.
And also rofl at questioning lenin about her children being looked after by same sex couple.

I've just signed the petition.

Tbh, arguing about whether TM voted against or abstained from various gay rights legislation is irrelevant. A Minister for Equality should be someone with a public commitment to equal rights and a track record of working in the field. So that counts TM out.

Two of my neighbours are gay and their godchildre nregularly at their house. The idea that these two delightful, kind, intelligent men should in any way be unfit to care for children is unbelievably offensive.

I've just signed the petition.

Tbh, arguing about whether TM voted against or abstained from various gay rights legislation is irrelevant. A Minister for Equality should be someone with a public commitment to equal rights and a track record of working in the field. So that counts TM out.

Two of my neighbours are gay and their godchildren regularly stay at their house. The idea that these two delightful, kind, intelligent men should in any way be unfit to care for children is unbelievably offensive.

More than happy for her to hold this brief.

Perhaps she will bring something more to it than simply following the agenda of single-issue groups.

The question of equality inevitably deals with single-issue groups - those who have been discriminated against. What would you like her to bring to it?

TM has just said on Question Time that she has 'changed her mind' about gay couples adopting. I think I will still be signing the petition though......

My lesbian friends have a child and another couple are trying to adopt. I was frequently left with a male gay couple as a child (mum's best friend and his partner) and they are very much part of my children's lives. But I also know a lesbian who think gay couples 'have no right to adopt'. She was brought up Catholic. I disagree with her but she always pulls the 'but I actually AM gay' line (therefore she knows better in this instance).

Anyway, I suspect the religion of her family and the fact she hasn't told them she's gay plays a part in her opinion. She might change her mind one day. People's opinions are formed by more than Tory 'phobias'. I don't think TM has a record that suits her for this post but I do think she has a right to change her mind and be believed. (However expedient her new opinion might seem.)

I reckon she read this thread and was convinced by my arguments.