Where it all began - click here

That was then, this is now - click here

As young LGBT people it is easy to take for granted many of the rights we have in this country, one of the most celebrated being last years' Civil Partnerships Act which recognises gay and lesbian relationships, as well as the new employment laws which protect people from harassment at work. However, the fight has been long and hard and it is important to remember that the movement has survived bigotry and repression to become a leading political force in Britain. This timeline is just a brief introduction to the history of the LGBT movement, showing significant dates in the fight for equal opportunity and social equality.

1885 The offence of "gross indecency" was created, making all sexual acts between men illegal. Previously the only law on gay sex was the prohibition of sodomy (which applied equally to heterosexuals).

1967 The Sexual Offence Act
decriminalises gay sex for males over the age of 21 (compared to 16 for heterosexuals and lesbians).

October 1970 London Gay Liberation Front is formed after a meeting at the London School of Economics.

July 1972 London GLF organises the UK's first Gay Pride march, with 700 people marching through the capital.

May 1988 Section 28 is introduced by Margaret Thatcher's conservative government as part of the Local Government Bill. Section 28 banned the "promotion" of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship by local authorities.

1989 The Stonewall Group is set up in response to Section 28. Also Denmark becomes the first country to legalise gay marriage.

1994 Age of consent for gay men reduced to 18.

May 1997 Culture Secretary Chris Smith becomes the first openly gay cabinet minister when Labour win the general election.

1998 One of the most famous and brutal homophobic murders takes place in Wyoming, USA when two men kill Matthew Shepherd. The story of the murder is now a play and film called The Laramie Project.

September 1999 The ban on gays serving in the armed forces is overturned by the European Court of Human Rights after a battle between the Ministry of Defence and four former military personnel.

June 2000 The Scottish parliament abolishes section 28.

January 2000 The Commons passes legislation to repeal section 28 in England and Wales. The move is defeated by bishops and Tories in the Lords.

January 2001 Age of consent lowered
to 16.

September 2001 The first same-sex couples register is set up which is seen as the first step on the road to equality of partnership rights.

Ocotber 2002 Same-sex couples are given the right to adopt children jointly.

January 2003 Another attempt to repeal section 28 is passed through the House of Commons.

June 2003 Gene Robinson becomes the first openly gay bishop in US. The appointment of the first openly gay bishop in Britain sparks a row that threatens to split Church of England.

June 2003 Government publishes proposals to give gay couples legal status that will see them 'married in all but
name'. Shortly afterwards come proposals for recognition of the real gender of transsexuals.

November 2003 Section 28 is finally defeated in the House of Lords and is officially dead - weyhey!

December 2003 Sexual Orientation regulations became law on 1 December 2003 making it unlawful to discriminate in employment or training on grounds of sexual orientation.

December 2005 Civil partnerships.
Same-sex couples across the UK can have their relationships legally recognized. From then on, any couple that registers a civil partnership will have the same rights as a married couple in areals like tax, social security, inheritance and workplace benifits.

Although much has been achieved in the last few years we must not become complacent. There are still people who would be happy to see these hard won rights taken away.

   Where it all began...

27th June 1969 - The Stonewall Riots

At the 'Stonewall Inn' in New York on this night the police came to make arrests. They were arresting gay people because these people had no protection under law for their right to be gay. Small laws such as the fact that people were required to wear at least three items of clothing appropriate to their gender - at all times, meant that drag queens and lesbians dressed in mens suits could be arrested and detained overnight. It was usual practice for the police to humiliate, beat and rape gay and lesbian people in custody and then to release them in the morning with no charges.

The night of the Stonewall riot, a few dozen police officers turned up to arrest nearly 400 people. On this night the people resisted arrest, first they threw money then they threw bottles, a mass of fighting broke out. The police had to barricade themselves in the pub for protection. The rioters returned for a further four nights to protest against arrest. For many people this day signified the beginning of the modern gay rights movement.

Image taken from the Pink Paper, Issue 843 (11 June 2004)

18th November 2003 - The Repeal of Section 28

Section 28 was an extremely homophobic piece of legislation that contained the phrase:

'cannot promote homosexuality as a pretended family relationship'

Many people in the gay community believe that it is impossible to 'promote' homosexuality. There is nothing pretend about having a gay family relationship, it is not a phase or a decision people take lightly. No gay people have ever been 'made' straight by viewing endless images of heterosexuality, as we see every day on television and in magazines. So how anybody could think that talking about gay issues to young people could make them gay is ridiculous.

The clause only covered the local authorities, their actions and budgets, not schools. It was not illegal to discuss gay issues, only for the local authority to 'promote' them. This made the few groups that did support gay youth very unpopular. After section 28 came in these groups found their funding diverted elsewhere.

Schools became confused, some hid behind section 28 and used the clause as a way to avoid addressing obvious homophobia. Other schools genuinely did not know where they stood. Most feared backlashes from homophobic parents. Many decided that because the line between 'promoting' and informing was so easily crossed that they would play it safe and ignore LGB issues and education altogether.

The clause took 9 months to become law. It took 14 years and 8 months to become undone. In that time it affected generations of young LGB people and created a 'taboo' culture around LGB in education that will take generations to break.