“Reform Jersey believes we should strive to create an Island where everybody, no matter their race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or social background, can reach their potential and lead happy and fulfilling lives. Equality is the core principle which inspires our policies.”

Jersey has lagged behind the rest of Europe by several decades on our anti-discrimination law, although progress has been made in recent years. The law that Jersey has adopted is based on the old law which existed in the UK but has now been superseded by the Equality Act. We will re-examine Jersey’s anti-discrimination laws, with the aim of consolidating them in our own Equality Act, which will focus on inclusivity, rather than just punishments for those who breach the law.

Women, people from ethnic minorities and disabled people are drastically under-represented in States appointed bodies. Ultimately the best candidate should always get the job, but clearly more needs to be done to encourage more diverse applications so that all groups can be better represented.

Disability

It should be an obligatory requirement for new buildings to be accessible for Islanders with mobility difficulties. The public sector should be leading the way as an inclusive employer and one which goes out of its way to ensure that its services can be utilised by any member of the public irrespective of disability. We will legislate to ensure that there is access for all in every shop and office.

LGBT rights

We are proud of the role we played in forcing Equal Marriage onto the political agenda in 2014. We were disappointed at the extraordinary length of time it took the States to make it a reality once the political commitment had been established. It is clear that there are issues which need to be resolved in our law drafting processes to prevent future delays to important pieces of social legislation. We will seek to amend the Marriages Law to remove the discriminatory clauses against transgender people.

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