Lbian and Gay Marriage Stland

Contents:

• COMG OOT: THE FABULO HISTORY OF GAY STLAND
• GAY MARRIAGE SCOTLAND
• GAY MARRIAGE LAW TO EFFECT STLAND
• ILLEGAL TO BE GAY - STLAND'S HISTORY

COMG OOT: THE FABULO HISTORY OF GAY STLAND

For many years Stland jt did not do gay. Homosexualy was dangero and taboo, and was actually agast the law right up to the 1980s. So how did a untry that seemed to take pri s prejudic end up wh the bt gay rights Europe?

GAY MARRIAGE SCOTLAND

"He says homosexualy was somethg fai, relig stutns, the medil profsn and society at large all chose to source, Elae LivgstoneImage ptn, San (left) and Gerrie Douglas-Stt had Nila Sturgeon and Patrick Harvie as wns at their weddg"Growg up queer post-war Stland is sentially occupyg a social and sexual wilrns, " Dr Meek of male homosexualy had been outlawed for centuri and were ma stricter the late 19th Century but same-sex ntact between women had never been targeted law and was not illegal. "Gay men were known to exist but they did not f the Sttish image of robt masculy. Homosexual men were forced unrground to public toilets or illic Meek says: "The nsequenc of beg ught were signifint.

You uld be sacked for a ht of homosexualy, never md a prosecutn. "Image source, Equaly Network/Same Love PhotographyImage ptn, Douglas Pretsell and Peter Gloster formalised their marriage SydneyPeople went to prison for sometim two years or were locked up psychiatric 1957, after a succsn of well-known men were nvicted of homosexual offenc, the Wolfenn report remend that "homosexual behavur between nsentg adults private should no longer be a crimal offence". "He saw homosexualy as the first step to moral turpu.

"It took a for the remendatns of the Wolfenn report to be bee law England and Wal, crimalisg homosexualy for men over 21. But bee of Jam Adair, homosexualy Stland remaed illegal, classified as crimally-praved source, Getty ImagMany gay Sts had to rign themselv to a life the 1969, a brave group of gay Sts cid they uld not change their sexualy so they set out to change SMG (Sttish Mori Group) arranged diss and get-togethers for gay men and for lbian women. The SMG started to make money and leased property Broughton Street Edburgh where set up the Gay Informatn Centre and operated a telephone, historian and gay activist Bob Cant says: "I thk the Sttish Mori Group serv an enormo amount of cred.

GAY MARRIAGE LAW TO EFFECT STLAND

"Thirteen years after the law was reformed England, Labour MP Rob Cook lodged an amendment the Sttish Crimal Jtice Bill and homosexualy was fally crimalised Stland ptn, Leanne and Marie Banks were one of the first gay upl Stland to bee marriedThat saw an explosn of gay culture to the mastream.

In Stland, the newly legalised gay men had a fantastic time. In Glasgow, the gay mec was mentator Damian Barr tells a BBC Stland documentary: "I uld not have imaged a place like this existed. I'd not even seen a gay club on film or on televisn.

ILLEGAL TO BE GAY - STLAND'S HISTORY

"Dpe the study relatg to dg addicts and the figur beg batable, homosexual sex was once aga portrayed as somethg to 1987 Margaret Thatcher's ernment went to war wh the gay source, Tged Memori / Equaly NetworkImage ptn, Joe Schofield (left) and partner Mallm Brown (right) were among the first to marry unr the new lawThe prime mister told the Tory nference: "Children who need to be tght the tradnal moral valu are beg tght that they have an alienable right to be gay. "Sectn 28 of the Lol Government Act 1988 prohibed "the teachg of the acceptabily of homosexualy as a pretend fay relatnship". "There was outrage and protts across the untry at this rollg back of the rights of gay people but the law stayed place until the re-tablishment of the Sttish Parliament of s first acts was to repeal Sectn 28 but had a battle on s hands.

Journalist David Torrance says that spe beg very unpleasant at the time was a "thartic" experience that got Stland talkg about gay rights issu and fally swept away the old the Millennium, Sts attus to homosexualy have changed dramatilly. Surveys suggt that more than two thirds of Sts actively approve of gay marriage and is now homophobia that is 2005, civil partnerships were ma legal for gay upl and the followg year same-sex upl were able to year, as the Commonwealth Gam was beg shown around the world, Stland clared s new openns wh a kilted gay kiss as part of the openg year end wh gay marriage beg legal Stland and the lear of the Sttish Conservativ, a lbian, passnately supportg the move.

A queer tale Oot: The fabulo history of gay Stland is on BBC One Stland on Monday 30 November at on this storyAround the BBC. Later today, Stt and David Barclay are set to bee the first Sttish-based gay uple to have their civil partnership nverted to marriage Glasgow. ”Support for same-sex marriage reached a rerd high Stland, wh more than two-thirds of people polled agreeg that gay upl should be allowed to tie the knot, acrdg to new rearch.