| 2021 Holyrood Manifesto
The Scottish Greens stand for equality. We are 100% committed to building an equal, inclusive Scotland where everyone is welcome and has the opportunity to thrive. We are proud that we were the first political party to back marriage equality, and that we pioneered legislation to tackle transphobic and homophobic hate crime, but we know that so much more needs to be done. Recent times have been tough for the LGBT+ community and for intersex people around the world, but we are confident that together we can make progress again. The Rainbow Greens 2021 manifesto sets out how. A bold and ambitious policy agenda that will see Scotland restore our place as a world leader on LGBT+ and intersex rights.
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 Rainbow greens manifesto 2021.pdf | 764.86 KB |
 Rainbow Greens Manifesto 2021 plain text.docx | 27.17 KB |
The Scottish Greens believe in a progressive and inclusive Scotland where the LGBT+ community and intersex people can live and thrive freely. We believe in the right of all people to live without harassment, discrimination or persecution and in the full provision of services regardless of where a person lives in Scotland.
The Scottish Greens were the first party in the Scottish Parliament to support equal marriage. Over a decade before this was achieved in 2014, Scottish Greens’ Co-Leader, Patrick Harvie, pushed for civil partnerships to become law. The Scottish Greens have also consistently pushed for the protection of the LGBT+ community and intersex people through hate crime legislation and advocating for a more equal society.
We recognise that trans women are women, trans men are men, and that non-binary identities are valid. We see no conflict between this statement of fact and the rights of others. The Scottish Greens will always promote intersectionality and inclusive eco- feminism through working with those of us in the Rainbow Greens and with other representative groups such as the Scottish Greens’ Women’s Network, Disabled Greens, Greens of Colour and the Scottish Young Greens as well as with external partners and organisations. The Scottish Greens have always stood for the rights of the LGBT+ community and intersex people and we will continue to do so.
There are huge challenges to overcome in Scotland, and the UK, as a rising tide of anti- LGBT+ bigotry infects our political and media discourse. We have already seen a dilution of promised LGBT+ policy reform and witnessed the continued assault on the rights of our LGBT+ and intersex siblings in other nations across the planet. With both the powers of devolution and independence, we stand ready to push back.
The fight for LGBT+ equality in Scotland begins with:
Scottish Green MSPs will work for a Scotland that can tackle these challenges by proudly advocating for new policies for LGBT+ and intersex inclusion, fighting discrimination, harassment and hate crimes affecting LGBT+ and intersex people and enforcing existing duties.
We recognise the unique challenges faced by the LGBT+ community and intersex people in securing appropriate health and social care in Scotland. The Scottish Greens will seek to remove barriers that impact on the wellbeing of LGBT+ and intersex people when securing these services.
We aim to:
Sport and sporting events offer many benefits to people, including promotion of health and wellbeing and development of social networks. LGBT+ and intersex people can still face discrimination including transphobia, homophobia, biphobia and other forms of discrimination within sporting communities. We aim to:
Education is vital to achieve LGBT+ and intersex equality, both in schools and with the wider public. The Scottish Greens recognise that more needs to be done to ensure that LGBT+ and intersex inclusive education becomes a reality in Scotland. We aim to:
The Scottish Greens will champion equal protection and recognition before the law in Scotland and across the UK for the LGBT+ community and intersex people. The legal framework established by the Equality Act (2010) and the Gillick competency, enshrined in Scots law through the Age of Legal Capacity (Scotland) Act 1991, must be preserved and progressed. Access to essential services, such as health and social care or education, and protection from discrimination should not be denied due to legal barriers. We aim to:
The Global Green and LGBT+ Rights movements are truly international. We recognise that people deserve human rights, security, dignity and freedom to be themselves no matter where they come from. The LGBT+ community, alongside others, can often face persecution when resources are short. The climate crisis will see further resource depletion and displacement of peoples creating a perfect storm in which the forces of bigotry can grow. We aim to:
The global Covid-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on Scotland and Scottish society. The Scottish Greens know that spending on public services have a disproportionate effect on the LGBT+ community and intersex people. This can include financial hardship from redundancies, changes to social security, reduced access to safe accommodation and a reduction in the health and social services that meet their specific needs. Scottish Green MSPs will fight to protect and support funding for healthcare and education services, and to reduce the effects of the pandemic on services for LGBT+ and intersex people.