At least 14 candidates have signed a pledge to honour the ‘Rainbow Asks’ set by Liberate ahead of the election this June.
The Rainbow Asks are a series of pledges that the equality charity has asked candidates in Guernsey’s general election to stand by.
“We would like to invite anyone wishing to stand as a Deputy in 2025 to pledge their support for the following ‘asks’ to help ensure a brighter, more inclusive, and understanding future for Guernsey’s LGBTQ+ community,” explained the charity, on its website.
These five pledges start by asking candidates – if they are elected to the States of Deliberation – to “do nothing about us without us”.
Liberate says this is a pledge to “commit to not creating or voting on laws and policies that directly affect the LGBTQ+ community without first engaging” — “either through consultation with LGBTQ+ individuals or with representative organisations such as Liberate”.
The second Ask requests a continued commitment to ensuring fair laws and equal rights for everyone “no matter who they are or who they love”.
Ask three centres around education, which Liberate says “should be fair and inclusive”.
Within this Ask are pledges around tackling bullying, allowing LGBTQ+ topics to be taught in local schools, and guaranteeing support and respect for LGBTQ+ children and their families.
The fourth Ask is a pledge to ensure “fair and supportive healthcare for everyone” while the fifth is about increasing support and representation for LGBTQ+ people within local political and public life. Within this Ask, Liberate is asking for States funding for the Channel Islands Pride event that is held in Guernsey biannually.
There are 82 candidates in the upcoming election, with 38 seats in the States of Deliberation available.
Of those candidates, by last week 14 had pledged to abide by the Rainbow Asks.
They were: Gary Collins, Haley Camp, Tom Rylatt, Lexi Lundberg, Tom Moore, Rhona Humphreys, Jayne Ozanne, Tina Bury, Andy Cameron, Gavin St Pier, Charles Parkinson, Sofi Noakes, Charlie Murray-Edwards and Stuart Jehan.
These 14 candidates reflect a wide cross section of the candidates in the upcoming election, with members of the only political party and independents represented.
Current and former States Members have made the pledge, along with political newcomers.
Some of those who have pledged are members of the LGBTQ+ community while others are known allies.