2014: The Marriage (Same-Sex Couples) Act 2013, which recognises same-sex marriage, came into force in England and Wales. Several same-sex couples married at midnight on March 29, 2014, when the law officially came into effect. David Mundell announces on his personal website that he is gay. He became the first openly gay Conservative minister. Justin Fashanu is the first professional footballer to come out as gay. He later died by suicide. Following a meeting on the sidelines of the Federal Conference of Liberal Democrats in 1991, Press For Change was founded, a leading lobbying and legal support organisation for trans people in the UK. Michael Cashman, co-founder of Stonewall UK, becomes the first openly gay British MEP elected to the European Parliament. Celia Kitzinger and Sue Wilkinson, both British university professors, legally married in Canada. Upon his return, his same-sex marriage will not be recognized by British law. My new research shows that in the decades following the 1967 liberalization, it is estimated that more than 15,000 gay men were convicted. Not only was homosexuality only partially decriminalized by the 1967 law, but the remaining anti-gay laws were monitored more aggressively than before by a state that opposed gay acceptance and equality. In total, nearly 100,000 men were arrested for homosexual acts between 1885 and 2013.
The decriminalization of homosexuality did not take place until July 27, 1967 under the Sexual Offences Act. British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher introduces section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988. The law states that a local authority “may not intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intent to promote homosexuality” or “promote instruction in a grantaided school on the acceptance of homosexuality as a false family relationship.” 1954 – The Wolfenden Committee is formed on 24 August 1954 to review British laws relating to “homosexual offences”; the report of the County Committee on Homosexual Crimes and Prostitution (better known as the Wolfenden Report) was published on 3 September 1957. It recommended that “homosexual conduct between consenting adults should no longer be a private criminal offence,” noting that “homosexuality cannot legitimately be considered a disease, as in many cases it is the only symptom and is otherwise compatible with complete mental health.” The British Crown`s dependence on the Isle of Man completely decriminalized homosexuality. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008 recognises same-sex couples as legal parents of children conceived using donated sperm, ova or embryos. The Committee for Homosexual Equality, which retained the same initials, became the Campaign for Homosexual Equality (CHE). The Gender Recognition Act 2004 is passed, granting trans people full legal recognition in their respective genders. The law allows trans people to get a new birth certificate, although gender options are still limited to “male” or “female.” 1964 – The North Western Homosexual Law Reform Committee (NWHLRC) is formed. This group campaigned for legal and social equality for lesbian, gay and bisexual people. It is now known as the Campaign for Gay Equality. Fifty years ago, the Sexual Offences Act 1967 came into force. The law, which decriminalized same-sex acts between consensual men over the age of 21, opened the door to a series of legal and social changes that would change the way British society viewed same-sex relationships over the next 50 years.
This measure came into effect in March 2014. However, did you know that fifty years ago it was illegal to be gay? British courts ruled in favour of gay couple Martin Hall and Steven Preddy when bed and breakfast owners refused to provide them with a double room. It was not until the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 2000 that the age of consent was legalized for same-sex couples. Chris Smith, Labour MP for Islington South and Finsbury, speaks openly about his sexual orientation and becomes the first openly gay MP, 10 years after Maureen Colquhoun came out as the first lesbian MP. Mark Rees, a trans man, is taking the case to the European Court of Human Rights, explaining that British law prevents him from obtaining a legal status that recognises him as a man. The case was lost, but the court noted the seriousness of the problems trans people face. Ireland votes overwhelmingly to legalise same-sex marriage, making it the first country in the world to do so by referendum. Coinciding with this intolerant atmosphere, there has been a massive increase in arrests of gay men for consensual behavior. In the archives of the Ministry of the Interior, I found that in 1989 there were 1,718 convictions and warnings for gross indecency.
The 2,022 crimes of gross indecency recorded this year were almost as many as the 2,034 recorded in 1954, when male homosexuality was completely illegal. The Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations come into force in the UK, making it illegal to discriminate against lesbian, gay and bi people in the workplace. Denmark is the first country in the world to legally recognize same-sex partnerships. The Minorities Research Group becomes the UK`s leading lesbian social and political organisation and publishes a monthly magazine – Arena Three. 1988: Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher introduces an amendment to the Local Government Act 1988 prohibiting public schools from teaching or promoting “the acceptance of homosexuality as a false family relationship”. Christopher Cramp and Matthew Roche are the first couple to enter into a civil partnership in the UK. Mr. Roche died the next day of terminal cancer. 1966 The trans support group, the Beaumont Society, is formed to inform and educate the general public, physicians and legal professionals about “transvestism” and to promote research aimed at a broader understanding. Homophobic discrimination in housing, employment, and the provision of goods and services remained legal until between 2003 and 2007, with no legal protection against it. People have been denied jobs or fired because of their sexual orientation and gender identity.
Others were denied rented accommodation or evicted. Some were turned away from pubs and restaurants. Gay fathers and lesbian mothers have lost custody of their children in divorce cases. They had no legal recourse. Section 28 is repealed in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, lifting the ban on local authorities “teaching acceptance of homosexuality in a grant-aided school”. 1955: Peter Wildeblood, a journalist convicted of sodomy and sentenced to 18 months in prison at Wormwood Scrubs, publishes Against the Law, a book detailing his persecution by the law, which helps normalize the taboo subject of same-sex relationships. That same year, Wildeblood was the only openly gay man to testify before Lord Wolfenden`s inquiry, which eventually recommended the decriminalization of homosexuality. Waheed Alli becomes the first openly gay member of the House of Lords and one of the few openly gay Muslims. 1951 – The first known case of sex reassignment surgery was Roberta Cowell, a trans woman. She was classified as male at birth, but later her gender was legally changed to female and she underwent vaginoplasty. Stephen Twigg became the first openly gay MP upon his election.
Ben Bradshaw, also openly gay, was also elected just 21 minutes later. Angela Eagle is the first British MP to voluntarily come out as a lesbian. The Royal Vauxhall Tavern is the first building in the UK to receive special list status due to its LGBT history. Sodomy (or sodomy as it was then called) became a civil offence, punishable by death, in 1533 when Henry VIII issued a formal decree on the subject, the Statute of 1533. With the exception of a brief period in the 1500s, sodomy remained a capital crime in England until 1828. During the rest of the 18th century, the act of sodomy was a crime punishable by imprisonment. 1992 – The World Health Organization classifies homosexuality as a mental illness. This was a big step forward, as LGBTQ+ people had already received controversial and often harmful treatments in an attempt to “cure” their sexuality. The North West Homosexual Law Reform Committee became a UK-wide organisation and was renamed the Committee for Homosexual Equality (CHE). The committee is supported by leaders from the medical profession, the arts, and the church. Despite bipartisan support for the bill, lawmakers have barely lined up to accept homosexuality as a legitimate orientation.
“Even those who support decriminalization have called homosexuality a `handicap` and a `great weight of shame,`” writes the Huffington Post. Scotland legalised same-sex marriage in December 2014. Same-sex marriage is still illegal in Northern Ireland. Brian Dowling becomes the UK`s first openly gay children`s television presenter. Same-sex marriage is legalized in the British Crown dependency of Jersey. Same-sex marriage becomes legal in Northern Ireland. 2003 – The ban on “promoting” homosexuality in schools (Article 28) is lifted. Same-sex marriages become legal in New Zealand. The Sexual Offences Act 1967 decriminalizes sexual relations between two men over the age of 21 and “in private”. It did not extend to the merchant navy or armed forces, nor to Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man, where sexual relations between two men remained illegal. One of the most important moments in LGBT history in the UK was the introduction of laws to legalise same-sex marriage.
The British Crown dependency on the Isle of Man repealed sodomy laws (homosexuality was illegal until 1994). Decriminalisation or decriminalisation is the legal reclassification of certain acts or aspects thereof that are no longer considered a criminal offence, including the lifting of criminal sanctions concerning them.