California still has an anti-gay marriage law on the books. Voters uld remove next year | The Inpennt

Contents:

• A TIMELE OF GAY RIGHTS THE UK
• GETTG MARRIED THE UK GAY MARRIAGE LAWS UK
• GAY RIGHTS 50 YEARS ON: 10 WAYS WHICH THE UK HAS CHANGED
• MANY BRONS HAVE CHANGED THEIR MDS ON GAY MARRIAGE
• CALIFORNIA STILL HAS AN ANTI-GAY MARRIAGE LAW ON THE BOOKS. VOTERS ULD REMOVE NEXT YEAR
• WHEN DID BEG GAY BEE LEGAL THE UK?

A TIMELE OF GAY RIGHTS THE UK

The act, which crimalised homosexual sex acts between nsentg men over the age of 21, opened the door to a slew of legal and social chang which would transform the way Brish society viewed same-sex relatnships over the next 50 are some of the key dat the history of gay rights the UK:1533: The Buggery Act, the first ever law to specifilly outlaw anal sex, was signed to English law. 1835: Jam Pratt and John Smh beme the last men Bra to be executed for homosexual acts. The same year Wilblood was the only openly gay man to ttify before Lord Wolfenn's quiry, which would ultimately remend the crimalisatn of homosexualy.

1957: The Wolfenn mtee published s report, based on three years of ttimony om police, psychiatrists and gay men but one of the mtee's 15 members, drawn om the world of polics, law, medice and amia, agreed that homosexual acts between nsentg men over the age of legal majory - 21 at the time - should not be a matter for the law.

Dpe cross-party support for the Act, MPs were hardly lg up to accept homosexualy as a legimate orientatn.

GETTG MARRIED THE UK GAY MARRIAGE LAWS UK

"Even those supportg crimalisatn lled homosexualy 'a disabily' and 'a great weight of shame', " says the Huffgton Post. 1972: By the early 1970s, "gay rights anisatns were sprgg up lolly and natnally, " says the Lbian and Gay Newsmedia Archive.

In 1972, upwards of 2, 000 gay men and women marched London's first Pri para. 1988: Then-Prime Mister Margaret Thatcher troduced an amendment to the Lol Government Act 1988 banng state schools om teachg or promotg the "acceptabily of homosexualy as a pretend fay relatnship" notor "Sectn 28" ed wispread outrage and as the talyst for a massive surge gay activism, cludg the formatn of LGBT rights group Stonewall UK. Several gay upl were wed at the stroke of midnight on 29 March 2014, when the law officially me to effect.

Stland legalised gay marriage December 2014.

GAY RIGHTS 50 YEARS ON: 10 WAYS WHICH THE UK HAS CHANGED

Gay marriage remas illegal Northern Ireland. Media ptn, Peter McGrah and David Cabreza, John Coffey and Bernardo Marti, and Andrew Wale and Neil Allard were among the first gay upl to marryThe first same-sex weddgs have taken place after gay marriage beme legal England and Wal at midnight. David Cameron said the move sent a msage that people were now equal "whether gay or straight", but some relig groups rema opposed.

"The law change would enurage young people unsure of their sexualy, he source, Getty ImagImage ptn, Tera Millward and Helen Brearley married HalifaxImage source, APImage ptn, Sean Adl-Tabatabai and Sclair Treadway married the uncil chamber at Camn Town Hall LondonImage source, PAImage ptn, Sandi Toksvig and her partner Debbie renewed their civil partnership vows at an event London celebratg the law changeLater on Saturday morng, Mr Cameron tweeted: "Congratulatns to the gay upl who have already been married - and my bt wish to those about to be on this historic day. "This is an credibly happy time for so many gay upl and lbian upl who will be gettg married, but 's an credibly proud time for our untry as well, regnisg equal marriage law, " he said. Mr Tatchell said the uple and all the others gettg married had "ma history" and "ma Bra a more tolerant, equal place" a crowd of photographers, journalists and well-wishers wag, the uple took the opportuny to highlight the ternatnal stggle for gay McGrah said: "Very few untri afford their gay and lbian cizens equal marriage rights and we believe that this change law will brg hope and strength to gay men and lbians Nigeria, Uganda, Rsia, India and elsewhere, who lack basic equaly and are beg crimalised for their sexual orientatn.

MANY BRONS HAVE CHANGED THEIR MDS ON GAY MARRIAGE

"Image source, Getty ImagImage ptn, Andrew Wale and Neil Allard were the first same-sex uple to marry BrightonImage source, AFPImage ptn, Phil Robathan and Jam Prton later married at Brighton Town HallLater on Saturday, a crowd of about 2, 000 people - which clud a number of celebri - gathered to watch edian Sandi Toksvig and her partner Debbie renew their civil partnership uple, who entered to a civil partnership seven years ago, exchanged vows on stage at the Royal Ftival Hall London at a special event to celebrate the troductn of gay marriage the UK. But some relig groups rema opposed to gay Williams, chief executive of Christian Concern, said: "We n't jt refe an stutn - refe somethg that always has been - bee we say 's somethg that we want.

CALIFORNIA STILL HAS AN ANTI-GAY MARRIAGE LAW ON THE BOOKS. VOTERS ULD REMOVE NEXT YEAR

The Roman Catholic Church oppos the change the gay virs, though, have said they are prepared to fy their bishops by sistg they have a right to ptn, The Rev Andrew Ca says he do not want nontatn wh the Church, but "mt do what is right"Among them is the Reverend Andrew Ca, who said the Church was enterg uncharted terrory, but he would not be "ightened" out of dog what he believed was Ca, who plans to marry his partner the summer, said he would do so whether the Church approved or not. Image source, Getty ImagIt's 50 years sce the partial crimalisatn of homosexual sex England and Wal. Approval fell the 1980s when the Aids crisis and the troductn of sectn 28 - a law prohibg the promotn or teachg of homosexualy schools - uld have swayed public opn acrdg to NatCen, the thk tank which ns the a steady and rapid rise om the early 1990s reflects a wir trend of social liberalisatn, somethg also seen changg attus to pre-maral sex.

Approval of pre-maral sex grew ially among the young - as they got olr they retaed that belief, and soon both old and young were more liberal on the same-sex relatnships the shift attu has been quicker - not only did young people wh liberal views get olr, but olr people changed their mds, might part be bee chang the law, such as the legalisatn of civil partnerships and then gay marriage, have a powerful fluence on people's views, a NatCen spokman suggts. There have been a number of other key dat on the journey towards sexual and genr equaly, not jt for gay men but for the rt of the LGBT muny. For example, gay sex remaed illegal Stland and Northern Ireland until 1982 while transgenr people weren't protected equaly legislatn until 2010.

1967 - Sex between two men over 21 and " private" is crimalised1980 - Decrimalisatn Stland1982 - Decrimalisatn Northern Ireland1994 - The age of nsent for two male partners is lowered to 182000 - The ban on gay and bisexual people servg the armed forc is lifted; the age of nsent is equalised for same- and oppose-sex partners at 162002 - Same-sex upl are given equal rights when to adoptn2003 - Gross cency is removed as an offence2004 - A law allowg civil partnerships is passed2007 - Discrimatn on the basis of sexual orientatn is banned2010 - Genr reassignment is add as a protected characteristic equaly legislatn2014 - Gay marriage be legal England, Wal and Stland3. Crimalisatn of gay people ntued to this centuryIn 1967, homosexualy was only partially crimalised.

WHEN DID BEG GAY BEE LEGAL THE UK?

Those keen to crimalise any public displays of nsensual homosexual activy still had tools to do so through the offence of "gross cency", which had a broad terpretatn.

Prosecutns were far more mon until the 1990s but have tailed off sce, partly bee of social attus to gay relatnships, says Kate Goold, a solicor at Bdmans. Government has attempted to redrs this legacyGiven this legacy of crimalisatn, the ernment troduced a scheme October 2012 allowg those prosecuted unr funct gay-sex-related laws, to have their nvictns removed om police and urt Home Office timat that there were about 50, 000 such offenc rerd on the system om the 1950s until of the 50, 000, only an timated 16, 000 are for people who are still livg and so able to all of the 16, 000 offenc are eligible to be "disregard". Rerdg of homophobic hate crim has risenA steep rise homophobic hate crim has been rerd over the past five years, but this is thought to be large part down to an crease people reportg cints rather than a genue rise crime.

The Natnal Police Chiefs Council's lead on homophobic crim, Assistant Chief Constable Mark Haton, says: "Tradnally, homophobic hate crime has been signifintly unr-reported and we do not believe that current statistics accurately reflect actual levels of abe. Young people are more likely to intify as gay, lbian or bisexualPublic opn has shifted hugely on same-sex relatnships over the past .