BBC Radio Jersey: Sunday 19 October 2014 (timecode: 01:52)

Jersey Evening Post: Friday 10 October 2014

BBC Radio Jersey: Saturday 11 October 2014 (timecode: 01:07)

Channel Island equality charity Liberate and affiliate group Trans*Jersey asked those standing for election to the States of Jersey for their view on LGBTQ issues. The results show a strong commitment to equality by the 2014 election hopefuls.

Liberate and Trans* Jersey emailed all 69 candidates standing for election to the States of Jersey asking them to complete an online questionnaire about the most pressing issues affecting the island’s LGBTQ community. 45 candidates responded (65%), of which 9 did not complete the questionnaire.

Jersey Co-ordinator for Liberate Vic Tanner Davy said:

“We are really pleased with the response from the election candidates to our questionnaire and we would like to thank those who took the time to do so. The fact that 65% of the candidates responded demonstrates that there is a realisation that LGBTQ issues will need to be addressed by the States in the coming term if Jersey is going to be taken seriously as a modern democracy that believes in equality for all its citizens regardless of race, gender, sexuality or ability.

“Even those candidates who did not feel they could complete the questionnaire demonstrated a willingness to engage with us and our issues, which is encouraging.”

The full answers and comments provided by candidates can be accessed here: Link to survey results

Headline results

Support for equal marriage: Of the 35 respondents to this question, 28 (80%) were in favour of same-sex civil marriage and same-sex religious marriage that includes an opt-out for faiths who do not wish to celebrate same-sex marriages.

Support for civil partnerships for opposite-sex couples: Of the 34 respondents to this question, 28 (82%) were in favour of opening up civil partnerships to opposite-sex couples.

Inconclusive response to the question of how to equalise adultery under the law: Of the 31 respondents to this question, 42% wanted to introduce adultery as grounds for dissolving a civil partnership, 32% wanted a new definition of adultery in law and 23% wanted to remove adultery as grounds for divorce in marriage.

Support for no discrimination exemptions (with the exception of religious organisations): Of the 32 respondents to this question, 28 (88%) were against any exemptions for businesses or service providers allowing them to discriminate on the grounds of sexual orientation or gender reassignment.

Some support for introducing the “X” marker: Of the 29 respondents to this question, 23 (79%) were in favour of introducing the use of the internationally recognised “X” marker by the passport office and registry office, allowing those who wish to register themselves as gender-neutral or intersex to do so.

Overwhelming support for allowing same-sex couples to adopt: All 32 respondents to this question were in favour of same-sex couples being allowed to adopt as a couple.

Some support for inclusive sex education in schools: Of the 29 respondents to this question, 24 (83%) were in favour of compulsory, age-appropriate, LGBTQ-inclusive Sex and Relationship Education in all schools.

Some support for removing the ban on blood donation by homosexual men: Of the 25 respondents to this question, 21 (84%) were in favour of removing the restriction.

Some support for self-reporting of gender transition: Of the 22 respondents to this question, 21 (96%) were in favour of removing the requirement to have obtained a gender recognition certificate from another jurisdiction before a transperson’s gender could be registered in the Royal Court.

Jersey Co-ordinator for Liberate Vic Tanner Davy said:

“It is clear from the number of responses to each question that the issues of equal marriage and discrimination have been well aired and are well understood by the candidates. The other issues that are of importance to LGBTQ islanders are not so familiar and caused candidates some problems in answering. Many felt they did not have enough information to respond at present. This shows us where we need to do some work to better inform our elected representatives.

“The most pleasing result was the overwhelming support for a change to allow same-sex couples to adopt as a couple. The comments from candidates on this issue highlighted the importance of placing children in loving homes irrespective of the gender of the adoptive parents. This view from the candidates is something we will be looking to build on and we will seek to work with the States on it sooner rather than later.”

Those candidates who chose not to engage with the LGBTQ community by responding to the questionnaire were: Gerard Baudains, Jane Blakeley, Simon Bree, Rod Bryans, Ian Gorst, Andrew Green, Angela Jeune, David Johnson, Konrad Kruszynski, Russell Labey, Chris Lamy, John le Bailly, Andrew Lewis, Kevin Lewis, Murray Norton, Mary Osmond, Darius Pearce, Susie Pinel, Hugh Raymond, Richard Renouf, David Richardson, Richard Rondel, Paul Routier, Graham Truscott.

To find out more about the candidates who are standing in your parish or district, go to vote.je where a full list of candidates can be found. Election day is 15 October so don’t forget to vote!