LGBT dividuals often ask, “What is the gay age of nsent?". Here’s everythg you need to know about California’s gay age of nsent.
Contents:
- STRAIGHT VS. GAY AGE OF CONSENT: THE DIFFERENCE
- LOVE WS! AGE OF NSENT EQUALISED FOR GAY AND BI MEN
- THE AGE OF NSENT FOR GAY AND BI MEN WAS FALLY EQUALISED 20 YEARS AGO TODAY, MARKG A MAMMOTH VICTORY FOR LOVE
- GAY MEN NEED TO TALK STRAIGHT ABOUT PAEDOPHILIA
- TWO S AFTER AGE OF NSENT WAS EQUALISED FOR GAY MEN, LGBTQI RIGHTS HAVE STALLED
STRAIGHT VS. GAY AGE OF CONSENT: THE DIFFERENCE
* what is the age of consent for gay men *
Historilly England and Wal the age of nsent for heterosexual terurse for girls was 12, there was no lower age lim for heterosexual terurse for boys, buggery (but not other forms of gay sex) was illegal between men and boys at any age, and there were no explic laws about lbian sex. The Crimal Law Amendment Act 1885 raised the age of nsent for girls to 16, and also troduced the offence of gross cency between mal, effectively makg all kds of gay male sex illegal, irrpective of age. Equivalent legalisatn happened Stland wh the Crimal Jtice (Stland) Act 1980, and Northern Ireland two years later through the Homosexual Offenc (Northern Ireland) Orr 1982.
The Sexual Offenc (Amendment) Act 2000 troduced a mon age of nsent of 16 (17 Northern Ireland) for both mal and femal, and for both heterosexual and homosexual acts. In November 2013 Profsor John Ashton, print of the Faculty of Public Health, said there should be a natnal bate on lowerg the age of nsent (prumably for both gay and straight sex) to 15, as this would make easier for 15-year-olds to get sexual health advice om the NHS. To mark LGBT + History Month, this blog post draws on a recently released Prime Mister’s Office file which documents a signifint advance gay rights soon after the turn of the lennium.
The Sexual Offenc Act of 1967 reprented a partial crimalisatn of male homosexualy: allowed two men to have sex private England and Wal provid they were over 21; much later, this provisn was extend to Stland and Northern Ireland.
LOVE WS! AGE OF NSENT EQUALISED FOR GAY AND BI MEN
Securg an equal age of nsent for gay and bi men was a long procs and provoked ugly bat ground harmful stereotyp. * what is the age of consent for gay men *
In 1994 Conservative MP Edwa Currie troduced an amendment to lower the age of nsent for homosexual acts, om 21 to 16 le wh that for heterosexual acts. Movg the amendment on 21 Febary 1994, Mrs Currie clared: ‘It is the first time over a quarter of a century that the age of nsent for homosexuals has been discsed by the Hoe of Commons. The next polician to take up the mantle and advote for change on the age of nsent for gay men was Jack Straw, who served the Cabet om 1997 to 2010 unr the Labour ernments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.
In his memoirs Straw gave powerful ttimony about the terrible st ed by the burns of shame and huiatn that were borne by young gay men. Note the formaly of the phrase ‘Homosexual rights’ which is ed to scribe the document (and appears on the file ver) rather than ‘Gay rights’, for example, but this is to be expected when referrg to ernmental documents of this perd. The file shows that he had only been Office for ls than two months when he started to prs for reform on the homosexual age of nsent.
In this letter to John Prtt, the Home Secretary’s stated aim is clear: ‘the purpose of this letter is to seek lleagu’ agreement to rcg the homosexual age of nsent to sixteen’. At the age of 17, 1994 Mr Sutherland had plaed to the Commissn that the higher age of nsent for homosexuals (18) as opposed to that for heterosexuals (16) was a breach of his right to privacy unr Article 8 of the European Conventn for the Protectn of Human Rights and his right not to be discrimated agast his private life unr Article 14. On 8 January 2001, the Sexual Offenc (Amendment) Act fally me to force, rcg the age of nsent for gay and bisexual men to 16 England, Stland and Wal, and 17 Northern Ireland.
THE AGE OF NSENT FOR GAY AND BI MEN WAS FALLY EQUALISED 20 YEARS AGO TODAY, MARKG A MAMMOTH VICTORY FOR LOVE
Rather than mpaign on the age of nsent, might silence anti-gay bigots if some gay men spoke out agast atroci towards children * what is the age of consent for gay men *
On 8 January, 2001, the Sexual Offenc (Amendment) Act fally me to force after was passed by parliament on 30 November, 2000, lowerg the age of nsent for gay and bisexual men to 16 England, Stland and Wal, and 17 Northern Ireland – fally grantg queer people the tonomy over their bodi they so sperately craved. The bate surroundg the age of nsent for gay and bisexual men the UK began as early as 1957, when the Wolfenn Report first remend that the ban on homosexualy be overturned. Ccially, that same report also remend that the age of nsent for gay and bisexual men be set at 21, a full five years later than for straight people.
A on, the remendatns ma that report fally ma to law the form of the Sexual Offenc Act 1967, which partially crimalised homosexualy England and Wal. As was remend the Wolfenn Report, gay and bisexual men would be allowed to have sex, but only certa circumstanc – and only when they were aged over 21. Acrdg to historian Florence Sutcliffe-Brahwae, this “discrimatory provisn” was add to the law to reflect “the longstandg associatn between homosexualy and rptn, particularly the rptn of the young by the olr, supposedly ‘harned’ homosexuals”.
Bee of the way the legislatn was drafted MPs who voted for the age of homosexual nsent to be lowered to 16 were at the same time also votg for the age at which girls uld be subject to buggery to be lowered om 18 to 16. In rponse, the Hoe of Lords passed a promise amendment which kept the age for buggery at 18 for boys and girls, but left tact the provisns the Government Bill which permted other homosexual acts at 16. In January 2001 the age of homosexual nsent was rced to 16 and the age at which girls uld be subject to buggery was also rced to 16.
GAY MEN NEED TO TALK STRAIGHT ABOUT PAEDOPHILIA
This article the bat surroundg the age of nsent as a broad umbrella to qutn the ntued efulns of Queer Theory. The bat surroundg the age of nsent illtrate that Queer Theory has not fulfilled s origal promise and that is not (and possibly never been), “f for purpose”. Towards the end of 2013, the topic of lowerg the age of nsent England and Wal was once aga much the news. This article suggts that much of that bate foced exprsly or impliedly on the age of which men and boys have sexual terurse (whether gay or straight), rather than when people have sexual terurse. Queer Theory (origatg om femism), was tend to be a liberatg phenomenon, but ntrary to the hop and tentns, Queer Theory evolved to bee synonymo wh whe gay men, th nyg s origs and beg distctly anti-femist. Those who argue for a rctn the age of nsent have ed (whether knowgly or not) an approach which is nsistent wh this evolved versn of Queer Theory. Consequently, the bate on the age of nsent has ignored, or given sufficient attentn to, the effect(s) a lowerg of the age of nsent will have on girls and women. This article, therefore, seeks to qutn, dispt and unsettle, what Queer Theory has bee, suggtg that, several signifint aspects, fails to fully acknowledge patriarchy; renr (lbian) women visible; acknowledge and acmodate the lived experienc of women. * what is the age of consent for gay men *
At the time Northern Ireland, the heterosexual age of nsent was 17, so the age of nsent for buggery of a male and homosexual acts the Provce was rced om 18 to 17, not 16. It is important to note that the 2003 Sexual Offenc Act sought to remove any legal distctn the crimal law between heterosexual and homosexual activy.
The Sexual Offenc (Northern Ireland) Orr 2008 rced the age of nsent (heterosexual and homosexual) to 16 the Provce, spe wispread opposn. Equalisg the age of nsent wh the age for heterosexual activy sends out the msage that homosexual activy is morally equal to heterosexual activy.
The Church mt re pastorally for those facg homosexual temptatn, but also teach publicly that homosexual practice is always wrong. 1 Corthians 6 mak clear that some members of the church Corth had prevly been volved homosexual activy, but God’s grace had transformed them. Although liberalism has ma many roads to the Wtern church, most Christian nomatns throughout the world still uphold biblil teachg on homosexualy.
TWO S AFTER AGE OF NSENT WAS EQUALISED FOR GAY MEN, LGBTQI RIGHTS HAVE STALLED
Legalisg homosexual acts wh teenage boys puts them at risk bee they are at an age when they n be vulnerable to sexual approach om other mal, pecially olr men. Legimisg homosexual acts volvg teenage boys threatens that by creasg the likelihood that they will be drawn to homosexualy, nyg them the opportuny of tradnal marriage and havg children. 5 Ever sce the ma study was published 1992, subsequent SIGMA rearch has unrled the non-monogamo character of homosexual relatnships.