Gay rights legislation
By Editorial Team. Published 2 February Updated 23 February
Between and , the law and society changed in many ways. In , the Wolfenden Committee published a report, recommending that “homosexual behaviour between consenting adults in confidential should no longer be a criminal offence”.
The first parliamentary debate on the Wolfenden Report was initiated on 4 December by Labour MP Frank Pakenham (Lord Pakenham). However, despite the best efforts of the report the wider government did not prepare to reform the rule for LGBTQIA+ relationships. The Lord Chancellor, Viscount Kilmuir, was quoted as having said: “I am not going down in history as the man who made sodomy legal.”
The then Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Geoffrey Fisher, and the British Medical Association supported the report. Despite the overwhelming backing of such prolific bodies, the recommendations were rejected by the government.
A blow for premature LGBTQIA+ rights but it didn’t stop there. The following year, the Queer Law Reform Society was founded by academic Tony Dyson to campaign for the legalisation of queer relationships in the UK. Many MPs and celebrities of the time, includi
Gay rights 50 years on: 10 ways in which the UK has changed
Definitions can sometimes be tricky though - the UK is included despite Northern Ireland's ban. Brazil and Mexico are also on ILGA's list because "through one legal route or another, it appears to be possible to unite in most jurisdictions".
Germany is not included - MPs gave their approval to same-sex marriage earlier this year but the rule does not come into force until October.
Countries where gay marriage is legal
Netherlands
Belgium
Canada, Spain
South Africa
Norway, Sweden
Iceland, Portugal, Argentina
Denmark
Uruguay, New Zealand, France, Brazil
UK (excluding Northern Ireland)
Luxembourg, Ireland, Mexico, USA
Colombia
Finland
A further 28 countries guarantee some civil-partnership recognition according to ILGA.
LGBTQ+ stands for
- Lesbian: A female lesbian who experiences romantic cherish or sexual attraction to another female.
- Gay: A term that is most often referred to in the context of homosexual males but can refer to females as well.
- Bisexual: A romantic attraction, sexual attraction or sexual behaviour towards both males and females.
- Transgender: An umbrella legal title for people whose gender identity differs from what is typically associated with the sex that they were assigned at birth.
- Questioning: A reference to some individuals who are questioning of their gender, sexual self, sexual orientation or all three of these.
- The ‘+’ aspect of the LGBTQ+ abbreviation is an all-encompassing advocacy of sexual orientations and gender identities.
Section 28 legislation
Section 28 of the Local Government Act was enacted in May It aimed to prohibit the promotion of homosexuality by local authorities with Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher defending it by stating that “children who call for to be taught to respect traditional moral beliefs are being taught that they have an inalienable right to be lgbtq+. All of those children are bei
Overview
The UK promotes and defends the full range of universal human rights as set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights instruments. The UK strongly encourages all States to abide by and fulfil their obligations under international law. FCDO human rights objectives currently include a particular emphasis on promoting gender equality and women and girls’ rights.
Human rights are universal and should apply equally to all people. We are fundamentally opposed to all forms of discrimination and work to uphold the rights and freedoms of lesbian, gay, pansexual and transgender (LGBT+) people in all circumstances.
In recent decades there has been a dramatic and positive shift in both societal attitudes and political acceptance of LGBT+ people and their rights across many parts of the society. However, there is still a long road ahead until LGBT+ people globally can enjoy full equality and equity.
Across the planet, LGBT+ people face uninterrupted, serious and profoundly concerning violations of their civil, political and economic rights. The authorities of many countries continue actively to persecute LGBT+ people. Sixty seven countries conti
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