Equal age of nsent: A prehensive history of the battle for gay pary - Attu

Contents:

• 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
• EQUAL AGE OF NSENT: A PREHENSIVE HISTORY OF THE BATTLE FOR GAY PARY
• GAY AGE OF CONSENT: THE VOTE ON LEGALY AT 18
• GAY MEN NEED TO TALK STRAIGHT ABOUT PAEDOPHILIA

LOVE WS! AGE OF NSENT EQUALISED FOR GAY AND BI MEN

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.

THE AGE OF NSENT FOR GAY AND BI MEN WAS FALLY EQUALISED 20 YEARS AGO TODAY, MARKG A MAMMOTH VICTORY FOR LOVE

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.

EQUAL AGE OF NSENT: A PREHENSIVE HISTORY OF THE BATTLE FOR GAY PARY

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. 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.

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 Sexual Offenc Act 1967 ma chang so that homosexual men over the age of 21 uld have sexual relatnships, 1994 a further change saw rced to those aged over Sexual Offenc (Amendment) Act 2000 ma the ag of legal nsent for heterosexuals and homosexuals equal and the legal age of nsent for homosexual people was changed to 16. 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.

GAY AGE OF CONSENT: THE VOTE ON LEGALY AT 18

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.

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.

Do not be ceived: Neher the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostut nor homosexual offenrs nor thiev nor the greedy nor dnkards nor slanrers nor swdlers will her the kgdom of God. The law means that for the first time Brish legal history, the age of nsent for heterosexual and homosexual men and women is now 16 England, Wal and Stland and 17 Northern Ireland - equalisg the age for all. Outlg the posn of the pro-16 mp, Mr Blair said "People are entled to thk that homosexualy is wrong, but they are not entled to e the crimal law to force that view upon others.

GAY MEN NEED TO TALK STRAIGHT ABOUT PAEDOPHILIA

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.

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”.

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.