A recent article on the Warwick Tab has attacked the newly elected left-wing presidents of Warwick Labour, Fraser Amos, and Warwick Pride, Ky Andrea, over tweets about LGBT Tories. The “offending” tweets by the President of Warwick Pride say, “Tory Gays F*** off,” and “Tory Gays go home”, whilst Fraser retweeted a comment claiming you cannot be both gay and right-wing.
These attacks are, beyond a shadow of a doubt, a politically motivated move aimed at discrediting leading left-wing activists in Warwick. The recent strike movement has resulted in the Left sweeping the board in the Labour society executive elections, with increasing numbers of students and staff drawing the conclusion that the capitalist system as a whole must be fought. Like their counterparts in the national right-wing media, the Tab seeks to undermine this movement through scandal-mongering and abuse. This is illustrated by their inclusion of Fraser Amos, Warwick Labour’s left-wing president, who is “guilty” of little more than retweeting a meme three months ago. Meanwhile the crimes of the Tory party – such as its active support for the Saudi Arabia, which routinely executes LGBT people – are completely ignored.
It is clear that the right-wing press will always be ready to pounce. The slightest scent of blood sends these people into a feeding frenzy. We should therefore do our best to avoid mistakes like clumsy or crude tweets, but when they come for any comrade, we must respond in full solidarity. The wording of these tweets was unfortunate, but the political sentiment was wholly correct.
The aims of Warwick Pride are, in their own words, to, “campaign on various issues on behalf of the LGBTUA+ community both within the university and in the wider community. We campaign for changes when we feel they are needed.” What, though, is the source of oppression of the LGBT community in our current society?
The persecution of LGBT throughout history has flowed from the nature of the family under class society. As Engels explained in his masterpiece, “The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State”, the family in class society converted the woman into the domestic slave of the man and served as the channel, through inheritance, for the preservation of private property. Even today, only a small number of middle class women can liberate themselves from this position through the employment of au pairs, cleaners, nannies and other domestic servants. Meanwhile, Tory austerity is removing what little social assistance existed for working class women: attacks on benefits, healthcare, education, childcare and social care for the elderly are all throwing a greater and greater burden upon women who are expected to pick up the slack as caregivers. It is the capitalist class’ worship of the family unit – sanctified by the church – which is the source of all sorts of homophobia and oppression.
The Tory Party – as the party of British capitalism – has therefore never been a friend of LGBT people. Their austerity policies show utter disregard for the LGBT community, with youth groups, services and mental health provisions being slashed. As youth homelessness grows to epidemic proportions, LGBT people are disproportionately hit. We have already spoken of the Tories’ support for the world’s most oppressive regimes. This is before we get to the disgusting record of the Tories in actively discriminating against LGBT people, such as Thatcher’s notorious Section 28, which forbade schools from “intentionally [promoting] homosexuality or [publishing] material with the intention of promoting homosexuality”. And of course, we then have our own Prime Minister, with her long-held opposition to LGBT Rights, who personally voted against reducing the age of consent for LGBT people and allowing gay couples to adopt.
We must have no faith in the ruling class to liberate the LGBT community. Doing so ultimately requires the end of class society, which depends on the bourgeois family. Concessions can be given in certain historical conditions but ultimately oppression must be ended at its source. Any group which seriously wants to fight for liberation must oppose class collaboration. If people wish to fight for LGBT liberation they must oppose the system which gives rise to oppression and the class which enforces it.
For Warwick Pride to fight for the liberation of the LGBT community they must actively oppose the Conservative government and class-based society. They should not attempt to distance themselves from their statements, but link the fight against oppression with the fight against capitalism.
Full solidarity against right-wing attacks!
No faith in the Tories to fight for liberation!
The fight for LGBT rights is the fight for socialism!
By Warwick Marxists
