Revolution thinks again on gays

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FOR many years the Militant tendency has had a monolithic domination in the LPYS. This year the monolith cracked, on At a fringe meeting called by the recently formed Gay LPYS group, Ellen Coady from Kirkby LPYS declared, "I've come here as a Militant supporter to apologise for the attitude of the National Committee and to say that we'll be taking up the fight among Militant supporters". Two other Militant comrades also spoke, supporting the gay rights The meeting was packed. Over 250 must have been and many could not squeeze in to hear Peter Tatchell that gay rights are not irrelevant to the working class anti-gay bigotry is used above all against the left and As Brian West from Islington pointed out, it's difficult enough for working class gay youth to come out without socialists adding their voice to the bigots' chorus.

Gay LPYS was one of the most active groups around the conference. There were 'Gay 16 OK' badges everywhere — It is clear, though, that there is a long fight still ahead.

Many comrades had to suffer jibes and outright bigotry, even from leading LPYS members, especially at the fringe A man who is known by the Turkish military dictatorship to be a supporter of national rights for the 11 million Kurdish people who live in Turkey, and who is a member of the banned socialist organisation 'Dev-Yol', is being refused political Generals he would face persecution, imprisonment, torture 1. Write a letter to the Home Secretary, Rt. Hon. William Whitelaw, MP, Queen Anne's Gate, London SW1, requesting that he reconsiders his decision to refuse political 2. Write to your Member of Parliament, c/o House of Commons, London SWIAOAA, and urge him or her to take 3. If you are a member of a trade union, political party or professional asociation, pass a resolution through your 'This Branch supports the Kurdish democrat and socialist Selim Duzgun in his request for political asylum in Britain.

We urge the Home Office to reconsider its decision to refuse him asylum, in the interests of democracy, as we understand he will suffer persecution and imprisonment if forced SUPPORTERS of 'Revolution' (linked to Socialist Action) were present at the LPYS conference in greater numbers than before, and Class Fighter tried to establish joint work with them on the tionary leadership; and Jane many issues on which CF and Ashworth (Islington. North Revo broadly agree as against LPYS) explained that, however Militant.

There were of course some issues — like Central America out campaigning in the coming — on which Class Fighter would consider Militant's policy better YCND, linking up with the than Revo's. But the real probwomen's and gay movements lems were elsewhere.

The whole record of the political current to which Revo/ Socialist Action belong is one of repeatedly subordinating: the there, argue _ that even on some Militant supporters.

LPYS, c/o 13 Buxton Road, London N19. immediate struggle for revolutionary ideas, and Marxist confidence in the development of the working class, to taith in an historic process 'moving in a mysterious way, its wonders to perform' , through Stalinist and nationalist formations, for example.

This trait is already very visible in Revo's new orientation to the LPYS. Although the Revo comrades eventually supported the Gay LPYS meeting, they had originally condemned this group as 'sectarian towards Militant' 'YSs for YCND' has been similarly condemned.

At the 'Socialists for a Labour Victory' meeting, Socialist Action editor Alan Freeman and other Revo/SA supporters stressed that the SLV must be 'not an alternative campaign, but a drive to influence the official campaign' '. John O'Mahony of Socialist Organiser responded: "Through the official campaign - as far as possible. But also unofficially - where necessary'.

There were a number of other conflicts: but at the Class Fighter meeting Revo capped it all with sugary appeals for unity, spiked with criticisms of CF for not accepting their proposal to withdraw the CF candidate. for the LPYS place on Labour's NEC, in favour of a joint candidate (theirs) under the 'SLV' label.

In the event the Revo candidate had declared herself at the hustings, not as Revo, but as YCND/SLV. She got more votes than CF's Pete Cashman -29 as against 18 - apparently through securing the Tribunite vote.

Revo certainly seem to have modified their attitude on the Gay LPYS group. Let's hope that leads them to a wider rethink. asylum by the British Home Office.