LGBT laws of the UK Part Two
Last fortnight I started LGBT laws of the UK, this I will now finish! This rolls from 1994 – 2013. So we shall start in February! Here is part one, in case you missed it!
February 1994
The age of consent for gay men comes down from 21 -18, it was debated to be bought down to 16, but the vote was defeated. Girl on girl action age of consent was not set.
June 1994
I love this one, as it sounds like a fun Marvel Movie – The London Lesbian Avengers was founded (I so want to see that as a film title!), their first action was to demonstrate near Buck House, against the alleged assertion that lesbians did not exist. This is probably why girl on girl action in the UK never had an age of consent….yet.
1998
Seven men, which were either gay or bi were convicted of gross indecency under the Sexual Offences act 1956. They only got this conviction – as it was still illegal for more than two men to have sex together.
2001
Lesbians and gays were officially allowed in the armed forces. Before this point in time, they were banned, and if you were able to keep it a secret, but were found out, you could be fired.
Also, the age of consent for all sexuality/gender identity was lowered to the age of 16.
2002
The Adoption and Children Act 2002 allowed gay and lesbians – singled or coupled to adopt. This also allowed straight single people to adopt too.
2003
This was the year Section 28 was repealed in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, this was also the year of Employment Equality Regulations, as up to this point, you could be discriminated against at work for being LGBT+. From 2003 onwards, this made it illegal.
November 2004
Civil Partnership Act – this Act was introduced to give same-sex couples the same rights and responsibilities as their straight counterparts. Also, the Gender Recognition Act came out, giving trans people the chance to change their gender on their birth certificate.
2010
The Equality Act came out, which legislates equal treatment for access to employment, private and public services, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage
and civil partnership, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. It does however allow religious and faith institutions in England, Scotland and Wales permission to refuse a same-sex
marriage ceremony if it contravenes their beliefs.
July 2013
Marriage (same-sex couples) Act allowed same-sex couples to get married like any other couple. Before this, same-sex couples could only have a civil partnership.
As you can see from these two posts, we have come a LONG way in the last 20+ years.
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