| Editorial:
Queer Development? Section 28.5:
(1) Impact, the journal of the Career Development Group shall:
a) intentionally promote open debate and discussion on Section 28 of the UK Local Government Act 1988 within the library/ information profession.
b) promote the rights of library/ information professionals to act as facilitators to all types of information pertinent to user needs, regardless of the views expressed by bigoted patriarchs in positions of power.
(2) That this clause will encourage library/ information professionals to challenge the views of those who seek to inflict narrow minded, prejudiced legalisation on others.
Everyone is talking about it - well almost everyone. The UK press have made it the subject of fiery editorials with big feature pieces discussing the issues in depth. Television news have kept us up to date with the latest developments. You can discuss it online. Groups and organisations across the UK are mobilising support both for and against it. It is being passionately debated by politicians, the clergy, teachers, community leaders, parents - almost everyone except, of course, by librarians/ information professionals. I’m talking about Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988 and the current government’s attempts to get rid of one of the Thatcher administration’s most contentious pieces of legislation.
The essence of Section 28 is that it prohibits local authorities from intentionally promoting homosexuality or publishing material with the intention of promoting homosexuality. As legislation, Section 28 is confusing and unclear, but the message it most clearly conveys is that lesbians and gay men are second class citizens in the UK. Since its establishment on the statute books, Section 28 has been used to erode the rights of lesbians and gay men to equal access to information and public services. It is a law which undermines the principle of freedom of information. Clearly, Section 28 cannot be acceptable to library/ information professionals.
Yet despite all the renewed public interest in Section 28, library/ information professionals and the groups that represent them have remained silent on the issue. At this crucial time, we need to re-examine the issues and the implications of the statute on the library/ information profession. In this issue of Impact, in association with Stonewall: the national lesbian, gay, bisexual civil rights group, we’re giving over space to a discussion of Section 28: it’s interpretation as law and how it has affected the lives of UK citizens. We hope the material opens debate among readers on the issues explored, so don’t be shy - write in and air your views on the matter!
Also in this issue,
Impact launches three new regular features:
- the chartership support page - filling you in on divisional activities across the UK that support candidates pursuing
Associateship.
- the publications page - keeping you abreast of news relating to Career Development Group publications and of the activities of Group’s very busy Publications Promotion Officers
(PPOs).
- Library Pains - our very own ‘professional’ problem page for
Impact readers!
We hope you like these new features - again, do get in touch and let us know what you think.
In the meantime, enjoy.
Peter Fairbrother
Associate Editor
|
