Pride month, and why we need it

As LGBT month draws to a close, we mustn’t put the issue to the back of our minds. Equality, in its

various shapes and forms, is a constant battle, and has been for generations.

As an out gay man, some might say I’m biased towards this issue in particular; and they may well be right. But then again, I’m not black or a woman, yet racism and sexism are very much at the forefront of my mind.

There is no defining form of discrimination where one can say it is more ‘acceptable’ than another, but for me homophobia (and particularly transphobia) stands out as the seemingly most open forms of discrimination. Now I know I may rattle a few cages with such a view, but here’s why.

For many decades, even centuries, homosexuality had been looked upon with disdain; something

which many simply didn’t understand. As with many things, if it weren’t viewed as ‘normal’ to the societal classes in charge, it was considered lesser, or worse, an abomination. But not only that, if it were considered a threat to the ruling class, it was immediately put down by law. We know this from the time of slavery, as well as the way in which women were treated by their husbands. It wasn’t until 1922 when women were entitled to equality of inheritance, and 1926 when women were allowed to hold and dispose of property on equal terms to men.

Which brings me to homosexuality.

Since the 1500s, homosexuality had been illegal in Britain – the buggery act brought in by Henry 8 th wasn’t specifically aimed at gay men, but during it’s time in law, gay men were far more commonly convicted and publicised, and such acts were punishable by death. In 1828, the buggery act was repealed, and replaced by the Offences against the Person act, which specifically focused on male same-sex activity. The penalty for conviction remained capital. It wouldn’t be until 1835 that the last two men be executed for homosexuality under this law. In 1861, the law was amended to make it no longer a capital offence, instead giving a sentence of hard labour and prison between 10 years a life.

What about women, you might ask? Well, in 1921, a handful of MPs tried to bring in legislation

which would outlaw sexual relations between women as well, punishable by the same legislation as the Offences against the Persons Act. However, despite a general consensus that lesbianism was “an attack on the fundamental institutions of society”, both houses voted down the legislation.

The legislation had wide-impacting consequences, and after World War Two, the number of men convicted for homosexuality increased dramatically. Included in these convictions, were Alan Turing, the man behind the decoding of the German Enigma, and Lord Montagu. The then Home Secretary, Sir David Maxwell Fyfe, proclaimed "a new drive against male vice" that would "rid England of this plague." As many as 1,000 men were locked up in Britain's prisons every year amid a widespread police clampdown on homosexual offences. Undercover officers acting as "agents provocateurs" would pose as gay men soliciting in public places. In the USA, a similar anti-homosexual drive was underway, during a time they called the ‘lavender scare’. Montagu was convicted and imprisoned for 12 months, whereas Alan Turing was convicted for ‘Gross indecency”, and was chemically castrated. Turing later took his own life, many suspect by lacing his apple with cyanide, which was speculated due to his love of the film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Between 1954 & 1957, a committee called the Wolfenden Committee investigated the legitimacy of the Criminal Law Amendment Act, which was ultimately responsible for the prosecution of gay men. It recommended that homosexual acts be legalised for men over 21, but that it still be banned from the armed forces. Despite support from the then Archbishop of Canterbury, the Government rejected the recommendations. It would be another 10 years before homosexuality was decriminalised for over 21-year-olds in England and Wales, another 23 years before Scotland followed suit, and a further 35 years (1992) before homosexuality was removed from the list of mental health disorders by the World Health Organisation. It was extended to Northern Ireland in 1982. Up until 1992, many gay men were subjected to gay conversion therapy due to it’s listing as a

mental health disorder.

In the 1980s, a copy of ‘Jenny lives with Eric and Martin’ was found in a school library in London. It was complained about and picked up on by the then Secretary of Education Kenneth Baker, who

accused the then Labour-run Inner London Authority of promoting homosexuality to children. Hysteria was rife already in the 80s due to the increasing cases of HIV/AIDS which was attributed to the Gay population in Britain. In May 1988, the Conservative Government, fuelled by anti-homosexual propaganda, brought in the now infamous ‘Section 28’ of the Local government Act, which denied local authorities funding if they supported LGBT activities or material, with funding withdrawn from arts projects, and educational and resource materials which ‘prompt an alternative gay family’ were censored. It would remain in place until 2003 (2000 in Scotland).

In 1994, the age for consent was lowered to 18, and again to 16 in 2001, in line with heterosexual

consent. The ban on LGBT individuals serving in the military was lifted in 2000, before this, they had to keep their sexuality a secret, else face being fired.

Since then, many other forms of legislation granting equality have been brought in, from same-sex adoption in 2002, to civil partnerships in 2004, to same-sex marriage in 2013. Most importantly, the equality act of 2010 granted equal treatment of individuals regardless of age, sex, race, religion and sexual orientation. The act, however, still allowed for a form of discrimination based on religious

grounds.

Some may therefore ask, “why is pride still needed?”. And it’s a fair question for those who perhaps don’t have any involvement with the LGBT+ community. Well, for a start, the Equality act 2010 does not apply in Northern Ireland, and all but one attempts to give the LGBT+ community such equality has been voted down. On the one time it was voted for, it was vetoed by the Democratic Unionist Party using the Petition of Concern mechanism.

But taking aside the legal aspects of homosexuality, social attitudes are still openly hostile. Many men and women feel unsafe holding their partners’ hand in public for fear of abuse or even assault. 7 in 10 LGBT+ people said they felt at risk in public and changed their behaviour to reduce the risk, with over half saying they felt more at risk when with their partner in public. This is what has led to the creation of ‘safe spaces’ where the LGBT+ community can be themselves without risk of persecution. Since 2010, hate crimes against the LGBT+ community have doubled, with some saying it’s simply been an increase in reporting said crimes. But according to the Equality and Human Rights commission, nearly 7 in 10 victims of homophobic abuse do not report it.

We are seeing a wave of anti-LGBT+ propaganda sweep across the UK in recent years, fuelled by

(usually) far-right extremist views that the LGBT+ community are ‘groomers’, and in particular, Transgender being ‘child-mutilators’. This has stoked hatred even more so, with some even videoing themselves openly burning the pride flag.

Across the world, 71 countries have laws which explicitly ban homosexuality – many of them commonwealth countries which still hold the laws of the former British Empire. In 10 countries, it is punishable by death.

There is no other form of discrimination in the world which punishes people by law with

imprisonment or even death. Whilst religious discrimination is widely known, no country punishes other religions by law with death. Globally, we are seeing the rollback of LGBT+ rights, from India to China, Kenya to Uganda, even EU countries such as Poland and Hungary. Many in the LGBT+community are hugely worried for our futures and those of our children, not just around the world, but also here at home. With the rise of populism and the bitter campaigns being waged by far-right extremists gaining traction, those who perhaps felt less inclined to take direct action in public, now feel more empowered than ever, risking the lives of those of us who wish only to live our lives as

equals in peace.

Let’s be clear about something, I hope and pray for the day where pride will no longer be needed. So why is Pride needed? You just read why.