Eleanor Marx was the youngest daughter of Karl Marx. But her place in history isn’t because of her name and who she was related to. Her work, commitment to the cause and self sacrifice earned her that place in her own right.

Last year saw the fortieth anniversary of the decriminalisation of male homosexuality in England and Wales – it took over a decade for Scotland and Northern Ireland to catch-up. Gay people had won the right to have sex: as long as you were both over 21, the curtains were shut, the doors closed, there was nobody else in the house and you weren’t in the armed forces. Oddly enough heterosexuals have never had to fight for this very limited privilege.

We republish this article from Socialist Appeal April 1995 on proportionality as part of  the ongoing discussion in the labour movement about reserve places as a means of overcoming discrimination. Since its original publication it has become more evident that proportionality and reserved seats have been used to undermine democracy in the trade union movement, while not resolving the issues of discrimination.