The Rainbow Project has today welcomed the passing of the LCM on the Policing and Crime Bill by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Director of the Rainbow Project, John O’Doherty, welcomed the moves by the Justice Minister saying “This is the first time that the Northern Ireland Assembly has voted in favour of LGB&T legislation. It was only in 1982 that the criminalisation of gay and bisexual men in Northern Ireland was ruled unlawful by the European Court of Human Rights and we are pleased to see these homophobic and discriminatory convictions quashed, especially as they ruined the lives of so many men in Northern Ireland at the time.”
“We recognise that this move can never fully address the hurt, pain and loss experienced by gay and bisexual men convicted of now abolished crimes and believe that those criminalised for same sex relationships deserve an immediate apology as was afforded the family of Alan Turing. It has taken almost 35 years for the UK and Northern Ireland government to acknowledge and address the abuse, discrimination and wrongful criminalisation of our community and the legacy of this is still experienced by our community today.”
“We hope that the passing of this LCM will mark the first of many inequalities experienced by LGBT people in Northern Ireland that our Assembly will address during this mandate.”
ENDS