Phelim Mac Cafferty, National Chair of LGBT Greens asked: "In reaction to Conservative plans yesterday to offer married couples a transferable tax allowance[1], LGBT Greens want to ask why do we have yet more planned tax breaks which favour marriage and thereby heterosexual relationships? Further- what reassurances can the Conservatives give us as to what happens to those in civil partnerships or do they face discrimination through these proposals? As civil partnerships are not actual marriage, these proposals can't apply to same sex couples.
Phelim continued: "While the Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Philip Hammond, said the Tories might have reassessed their original proposals, they are fundamentally short-sighted and based on unequal treatment. They are unfair.
"Greens have been historically right to insist on full marriage rights for same sex couples - as currently the two system style approach bought in by Labour enables the Tories to widen the equality gulf.
"While national statistics show a growing number of citizens- straight and lgbt- are living alone, the Green Party wants to state clearly: we regard all stable relationships as equally valid. We strongly believe that the state's job should be about supporting citizens' freedom, not attempting to push people in a particular direction in their personal life.
Phelim concluded: "Are we not being reminded- yet again- that the homophobia that we were assured had been extinguished in the Tory Party was never driven out? The sort of coded bigotry that we have seen from the Conservatives should be no surprise- it speaks volumes about the historic hate agenda of the Conservatives. We've also seen Labour react not to a lack of fairness but considering how the proposals would be paid for, which sums up some of their attitude. Greens will resist bigoted policies having any part to play in the upcoming general election and we will fight strongly for policies built on equality and fairness."
[1] http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8440589.stm