The Stagecoach boss should rethink his foolish, bigoted million-pound campaign in support of Section 28.
Brian Souter, millionaire boss of Stagecoach, wants to buy political influence. Using money from his bus and train operations, he is funding a campaign to pressure the Scottish Parliament to scrap plans for the repeal of Section 28.
Mr Souter is reportedly giving £1 million to save this bigoted law. He hopes to use his wealth to subvert the public and parliamentary majorities in favour of equality. If we allow millionaires like him to skew the balance of public debate, democracy is finished. No one should be able to spend their way to political victory.
Section 28 discriminates. It singles out gay people and imposes special legal restrictions that cause particular suffering to lesbian and gay teenagers. Many teachers fear that Section 28 makes it illegal for them to discuss gay issues in an honest, supportive way. Uncertain about how far they can go in encouraging tolerance and understanding, they say nothing and homophobic abuse passes without challenge. As a result, 90 percent of gay teenagers say they were teased, bullied or harassed at school, with one-fifth attempting suicide.
Section 28 is a cruel law, and Mr Souter wants to preserve it with his million pound bounty. If he has that kind of money to spare, why doesn’t he spend it compassionately? By building flats for homeless people, putting computers in Scotland’s cash-strapped schools, or equipping the NHS with urgently needed cancer-scanners?
Brian Souter’s support for Section 28 is the moral equivalent of the business-funded campaign to maintain racial segregation in the Deep South of the USA in the 1950s. But as these racist millionaires eventually discovered, bigotry is bad for business. Black people boycotted their products. Profits plummeted.
Closer to home, the Bank of Scotland was last year forced to abandon its deal with the homophobic American evangelist Pat Robertson after Scottish consumers withdrew their cash. Perhaps Mr Souter is about to get his comeuppance too?
His “pounds for prejudice” funding of the pro-Section 28 campaign is likely to destabilise his lucrative business ventures with Richard Branson, who has long supported gay equality.
But the biggest threat of all comes from the millions of fair-minded Scottish people who abhor discrimination and intolerance. Many will vote with their feet by refusing to travel on Stagecoach services. They will find alternative means of transport – using other companies, organising car pools and walking – rather than contribute to the coffers of a hateful campaign.
Published in edited form as “Using Wealth to Subvert the Majority”, Sunday Mail (Scotland), 16 January 2000.
Copyright Peter Tatchell 2000. All rights reserved.