Pride & Prejudice: A Brief History of Gay Rights in the UK

By Milan Gregory Perera, Featured Contributor

2022 marks the 50th anniversary of the first Pride march in London. Materially, it appears that things have vastly improved for the LGBT+ community over this period. Yet, it has certainly not been an easy journey: many obstacles and setbacks have been overcome along the way, giving rise to some seismic milestones. As part of its LGBT+ History Month initiative, The Bristorian looks into the history of gay rights in the UK. 

One of the most seismic events in the LGBT+ history of the UK is the Sexual Offence Act, passed in 1967, which decriminalised sexual relations between gay men over the age 21. Until that point, gay men could be arrested for engaging in sexual acts and be handed a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Even though the decriminalisation of homosexual acts in 1967 was a major victory, there were still many laws in place at the time which meant that gay people did not have the same rights as heterosexuals - such as the right to family life.

This was followed by a watershed moment on the other side of the Atlantic. The Stonewall Riots of 1969 in New York City emerged as a show of defiance against the police brutality suffered by the LGBT+ community there. The tremors of the Stonewall riots were very much felt on these shores, and their legacies triggered a surge in activism in the UK. 

Students at the Stonewall Protests of 1969

In London in 1972, the first Gay Pride march was organised. Pride highlighted the fight for equal rights for LGBT+ people and subsequently it was adopted by countries around the world to address the same issues. The first Pride march was attended by some 2000 people, whereas now the annual Pride March in London enjoys the attendance of over one million people. 

Peter Tatchell, the renowned gay rights campaigner who took part in the first Pride march, told the BBC in 2017 that: 

“We have made fantastic progress. Compared to two decades ago, Britain is almost a different country. All the main anti-gay laws have been abolished. We are now one of the best countries in the world for gay equality." 

The progress of activism from 1972 was impeded by the implementation of the controversial Section 28 of the 1988 Local Government Act. Passed by the Thatcher government of the time, it resembled a cynical bid to tap into her conservative base, expounding that “family values” were under threat from the LGBT+ movement. Thatcher commented that:

“Children who need to be taught to respect traditional moral values are being taught that they have an inalienable right to be gay. All of those children are being cheated of a sound start in life." 

The ramifications of such cynical legislation were felt across the school system – as teachers were not allowed to discuss matters pertaining to LGBT+ rights and gay relationships with students. It was not until 2003 that this legislation was overturned, and schools were once again able to discuss LGBT+ issues faced by students. 

In 1992, the World Health Organization declassified same-sex attraction as a mental illness, constituting a major step in the war on conversion therapy. In 2000, the UK changed the age of consent for homosexual couples to 16, the same as the heterosexual couples. That same year, the ban on LGBT+ people serving in the armed forces was lifted. 

Another monumental victory on this long road was the Gender Recognition Act that came into force in 2004, giving those with gender dysphoria a legal route to change their gender. 2004 marked another important landmark with the passing of the Civil Partnership Act, giving civil partners the same rights as married couples in all but name. Yet civil partnership is not marriage, and it was not until 2013 that gay marriage was legalised.  

Throughout history, the contributions and agency of the LGBT+ community have often been overlooked, and the history of the injustices suffered have all-too-quickly been swept under the rug. 

One of the most notable examples of this is the treatment of Alan Turing. His deciphering of the ‘unbreakable’ Enigma code, perhaps constituting the single-most important contribution to the war effort against Nazi Germany, was quickly forgotten by the British government. 

After WWII, his contribution hardly received the recognition it deserved. Rather, after his house was burgled in 1952, he disclosed his homosexual relationship with Arnold Murray to the police. The police proceeded to drop the investigation into the burglary and charged both men with ‘gross indecency’ instead. Turing pled guilty to the charge and, as a condition of his probation, was subjected to the hormonal treatment DES, a synthetic oestrogen, to ‘reduce his libido’. The treatment rendered him impotent and caused breast tissue to form. A broken man after the ordeal, Turing took his own life on the 8th of June 1954. 

He was posthumously “pardoned” and in 2021 the Bank of England issued a £50 banknote featuring Alan Turing. One might argue that it’s too little, too late; yet such victories ought not to be ignored.

As we celebrate LGBT+ History Month, we must remember the struggle for equality was hard-fought, but that there is still much to be done.