Memorandum submitted by Stephen M Smith (CJ&I 140)

 

As a practising Catholic, I am writing to express my concern and alarm about the proposed amendment which would make it a criminal offence to 'incite hatred on the grounds of sexuality'. I feel that such a law, if it reached the Statute Book, would have a deleterious effect upon religious liberty and freedom of speech in this country and would militate against the quintessentially English tradition of tolerance. This proposed law would show no tolerance towards those who would, like myself, beg to differ regarding the morality or otherwise of homosexual activities and lifestyle on religious grounds and/or upon the grounds that such acts are contrary to the Natural Law.

 

Furthermore I am not sure that such legislation, were it to be enacted, would actually benefit those who are engaged in the homosexual lifestyle and who already receive adequate legal protection from abuse in the same way that we all do so.

 

Hard though it may be to believe in a society which is far more accepting of homosexuals than in previous generations - which on its own is one reason why this amendment is unnecessary - there are many such people who would rather not announce to the world who they are for fear of alienating family and/or friends. If attacked physically or if they perceive themselves as being attacked verbally by, for example hearing a Christian pastor condemning homosexual acts quoting passages in the Bible, they would only be able to avail themselves of the 'protection' afforded by such a law by at the same time identifying themselves as homosexual, which is something which, for the reasons already stated, they might wish to avoid. Such 'protection', would therefore be no protection worth having.

 

I also wish to point out that in statistics relating to "hate crimes", there is scarcely ever any differentiation between those crimes perpetrated against homosexuals by heterosexuals ie physical attacks and those attacks upon homosexuals by other homosexuals. In a recent evening television news bulletin broadcast by the BBC for the London area (BBC London News), 9 out of ten assaults against homosexual men go unreported. Why is this if not because those against whom such crimes are committed have no wish to make known the reason for them being attacked? And how many of these assaults are launched by other homosexuals?

 

If this is the scenario regarding physical attacks, how wise or just or enforceable is a law going to be that criminalises condemnation of homosexual acts regarding the quite reasonable practice of religious belief by those who regard the practice of their religion as being rather more than attending church.

 

Furthermore the 1967 Sexual Offences Act which legalised homosexual acts in private between consenting male adults of 21 (since amended to 16) was brought in to prevent homosexual men from blackmail. Since the introduction of this liberalising measure, we do not have homosexuals being blackmailed by heterosexuals but homosexuals blackmailing each other eg the activities of Peter Tatchell's campaigning group OutRage! whose tactics are disavowed by the pressure group Stonewall who, ironically enough, are supporting this measure about which I write to you today and which for the reasons stated above, I ask you to exclude from the Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill.

 

Thank you for your attention.

 

October 2007