WATCH: Margaret Thatcher's Anti-Gay Speech From 1987
Contents:
- 1987. POLICS: MARGARET THATCHER RIS “ALIENABLE RIGHT TO BE GAY”
- THE INALIENABLE RIGHT TO BE GAY: THE LEGACY OF CLSE 28
- MARGARET THATCHER DELIVERS ANTI-GAY SPEECH IN 1987 (VIDEO)
- AN INALIENABLE RIGHT TO BE GAY: HOW CAN THE MORN BRISH CONSERVATIVE PARTY BE AN ALLY TO THE LGBT+ COMMUNY?
1987. POLICS: MARGARET THATCHER RIS “ALIENABLE RIGHT TO BE GAY”
On October 9th, 1987, four months after re-electn, Margaret Thatcher rid the notn of an alienable right to be gay. Two months after that, on December 8th, a new clse ‘prohibg the promotn of homosexualy’ was serted to the Lol Government Bill and the followg year was passed to law. Apart om the obv brilliance of highlightg the cel and vastatg impact AIDS had on gay men and their iends the 1980s, Rsell T Davis’s new show ‘It’s a S’ also remds jt how anti-gay polics was.
Whilst gay sex was crimalised Bra 1967(for those over 21), the AIDS crisis heightened stigmatism towards the LGBTQ+ muny. The fear of tchg AIDS and the lack of public knowledge around the subject is thought to have led to Margaret Thatcher’s monisatn of the gay muny. By 1988, the Lol Government Act banned the “promotn” of homosexualy by lol thori and Bra’s schools’ unr ‘Clse 28’.
THE INALIENABLE RIGHT TO BE GAY: THE LEGACY OF CLSE 28
Lol thori were no longer able to fund LGBTQ+ groups as they had been dog or have gay books public and school librari. In the show ‘It’s a S’, newly qualified teacher Ash Mherje is asked on his first day to censor the school library unr Clse 28 by removg any books that may promote homosexualy.
He go on to talk about history books, culture, art and relig books and “there is not the slightt danger of any child beg fected bee there’s not one gay man or women anywhere. The fear of beg ‘fected’ wh homosexualy, as one uld be fected wh AIDS, was enough to keep Clse 28 place spe prott. The Labour Party’s submted a rolutn 1985 to crimalise discrimatn agast lbian, gay and bisexual people, part due to the Lbian and Gays Support the Mers (LGSM) support to the mg unns durg the p closur.
However, the Aids Crisis had embolned Thatcher, who claimed that “children who need to be tght to rpect tradnal moral valu are beg tght that they have an alienable right to be gay”. You are born gay and censorg any mentn of this n lead to a life of guilt and shame, somethg Thatcher’s ernment flicted on a whole generatn of LGBTQ+ people.
MARGARET THATCHER DELIVERS ANTI-GAY SPEECH IN 1987 (VIDEO)
Dpe the progrs that had been ma on gay rights sce the 1960s, this was seen by most as a dangero backwards step. There is no requirement to teach about sex for pleasure, sex for gay people or non-bary/transgenr people who may not feel fortable havg sex the body they have been given. David Cameron may have legalised gay marriage 2014, but as an MP, Cameron repeatedly attacked Labour’s plans to abolish Clse 28 and acced Blair of beg “anti-fay” and wantg the “promotn of homosexualy schools’, before votg agast s repeal 2003.
In a siar fashn, five of the current ernment bet, cludg proment figur Gav Williamson and Pri Patel, voted agast the legalisatn of gay marriage. Whether be media, polics, or tn, is important that people are tght that they do have ‘an alienable right to be gay’, and this fact mt be fought and protected so that future generatns do not have to live fear like those the 1980s. Children who need to be tght to rpect tradnal moral valu are beg tght that they have an alienable right to be gay.
AN INALIENABLE RIGHT TO BE GAY: HOW CAN THE MORN BRISH CONSERVATIVE PARTY BE AN ALLY TO THE LGBT+ COMMUNY?
It is 19 years today sce the ntroversial and homophobic legislatn known as Sectn 28, troduced unr Margaret Thatcher, was repealed England and Wal. The clse – an amendment to the Lol Government Act 1988 – banned lol thori and schools om promotg homosexualy and was brought forward by Thatcher’s ernment.
The legislatn meant that uncils were prohibed om fundg of books, plays, leaflets, films, or other materials showg same-sex relatnships, while teachers weren’t allowed to teach about gay relatnships schools. This clse was the Conservative ernment’s vrlic and tradnalist rponse to lls for equaly om lbian and gay rights activists the late 1980s.