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Politics & Law

Clause 28 (also known as Section 28) enacted

Section 28 of the Local Government Act (also known as Clause 28) became law on 24 May 1988 requiring that... 'A local government shall not intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality' or 'prom...

Campaign for Homosexual Equality

The Campaign for Homosexual Equality (CHE) grew out of the North Western branch of the Homosexual Law Reform Society and became a network of local branches nationally, with the aim of law reforms recommended in the Wolfenden report. After decriminali...

Birmingham LGBT Community Trust

Birmingham LGBT Community Trust was founded in 2002 to continue the work of the dormant Birmingham Pride Forum. Initial funding was a legacy from the Birmingham Pride festival. The trust consists of twelve trustees who have worked voluntarily to...

Birmingham Gay Liberation Front

The early 1970s saw the emergence of the Birmingham Gay Liberation Front. Younger members of the Campaign for Homosexual Equality (CHE) who wanted to take a more radical approach to gay rights formed the Birmingham group in 1971. A London group was s...

Community groups and organisations

Numerous groups have grown from the lesbian and gay community since the late 60s, including ones which are political, social, support, health, interest or activity based. Some are informal, some more structured, delivering services to the community. ...

Sexual Offences Act 1954

The Sexual Offences Act became law, determining much police activity against homosexuals in the UK for the rest of the century....

Civil Partnerships introduced

The Civil Partnership Act 2004 came into force on 5 December 2005 in the UK, the first day couples could give notice of their intention to form a civil partnership. The Civil Partnership Act enables same-sex couples aged 16 and over to obtain legal r...

Women's Liberation Movement

The Women's Liberation Movement, or Women's Movement, or feminism, is very closely linked with many lesbians' lives, particularly those coming to recognise or define themselves as lesbian during the 1970s and 1980s. There are so many contributions ...

Gay, Lesbian and Womens press and publications

Over the years numerous national and local publications have come and gone which are produced by, and aimed at lesbians, gay men, and women (in the context of the Women's Liberation Movement). These have often been an invaluable source of informatio...

Age of consent

When homosexual acts were legalised in 1967, the age of consent was set at 21....

Coming Out

'Coming Out' as a 'statement', whether personal or political, is a relatively recent phenomenon. Recognising and admitting one's own sexuality to one's self, is something every single one of us has done. The term 'coming out' is used retrospectively...

Challenging the status quo

As part of the political movement to challenge the status quo not just about sexuality but also about a range of societal structures, some people experimented with lifestyle and living arrangements. This included setting up and living in a commune, c...

Lesbian and Gay Community Centres

In February 1976 a group of about a dozen people began regular meetings to discuss and plan the setting up of a gay community centre in Birmingham. They were drawn from all the gay groups operating in the city and from the commercial gay scene.A buil...

Political groups

Political activism in the seventies and eighties was not limited to women's, lesbian and gay rights. Many contributors got involved in other political movements of the times, including support for the miners' strikes, Troops out of Ireland, and vario...

Paragraph 16 and Clause 25

In 1990, lesbian and gay rights came under attack again. The draft Children Act (Paragraph 16) stated 'Equal rights and gay rights policies have no place in fostering', while Clause 25 of the Criminal Justice Bill lumped consensual acts between gay m...

Birmingham City Council

Over the years Birmingham City Council has impacted on the lives of lesbians and gay men in Birmingham in a variety of ways, ranging from decisions about funding, through to support for various initiatives and most recently, aiming to ensure that les...

Legislation impacting on gay men and lesbians

A summary of the legislation impacting on gay men and lesbians follows. More detail can be found in related events and memories.1900At the turn of the century, the 1885 Act which included the offence of ‘gross indecency’ was being used to arrest and...

Lesbian and gay activism

The seventies and eighties were the heyday of political activism and community mobilisation at grassroots level within the growing lesbian and gay communit(ies) (as there was a degree of gender separation in some of these activities). Disseminating ...