Being Civil in Redbridge

The Sexual Offences Act of 1967

In 1967 the Sexual Offences Act came into force in England and Wales and decriminalised homosexual acts between two men over 21 years of age and ‘in private.’

1972 First Gay Pride March LDN

The first Gay Pride March was held on the 1st of July 1972 and was organised by GLF. The date was chosen to be the nearest Saturday to the Stonewall riots of 1969. About 700 people took part in the march itself with an estimated 2000 people taking part in the event as a whole which included a picnic in Hyde Park.

Gay Pride 1977

By 1977, many 24hr Gay and Lesbian helplines had established headquarters and were offering their much needed services across the UK. International Gay conferences were being held annually. In 1977 Lord Arran’s Bill to reduce the gay age of consent to 18 was defeated in the House of Lords, but Gay News was prosecuted by Mary Whitehouse for ‘blasphemy’ after printing a poem about a Roman centurion having sex with Jesus of Nazareth.

Participants of Gay Pride 1977

Gay Pride 1978

In 1978 the International Lesbian and Gay Association was launched at a meeting in Coventry. This years Pride march went via Earls Court, and ended at Shepherd's Bush, the events attentance had increased by 100% from the first year it ran.

Gay Pride 1979

In 1979 the first ever gay TV series, Gay Life, was commissioned for British TV by London Weekend Television. "Gays the Word bookshop was established in London."

Gay Pride 1980's

In Scotland, homosexual activities were legalised on the same basis as in the 1967 Act, by section 80 of the Criminal Justice Act. The European Commission ruled unanimously that the British government was guilty of breaching Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights by refusing to legalise consenting homosexual behaviour in Ulster. The year of 1980 also saw the first black lesbian and gay group founded.

Lesbian and Gay Pride 1988

In 1988, protests and campaigns for new legislation began after a book used by the London Education Authorities was considered by some to 'promote' homosexuality. Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988 prohibited local authorities from "promoting" homosexuality and prevented councils spending money on educational materials and projects perceived to promote a gay lifestyle. The first British conference for lesbians and gay men with disabilities was held.

Defy Section 28

After Section 28 came into force on the 24th May with backing from Local Government minister Michael Howard, 10,000 protested in London and 15,000 in Manchester. Protesting lesbians abseiled in the House of Lords and also got into BBC1’s newsroom, while Sue Lawley was reading the Six O’Clock News, and the Norwegian foreign minister argued openly about Section 28 with the British foreign minister.

Trades Unionists Against Section 28

Pride 94

By 1994 the names "Gay Pride" and "Lesbian & Gay Pride" had been dropped in favour of the more inclusive "Pride". In February 1994 Parliament considered reform of the law on rape and other sexual offences during the passage of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Bill. Conservative MP Edwina Currie tabled an amendment to equalise the age of consent at 16. The amendment was ultimately defeated by 307 votes to 280

Pride 1995

In 1995 the Gay Times went on sale in high street stores owned by the John Menzies newsagents chain for the first time. 1995 was also London's biggest ever Pride - almost 200,000 people attended the celebrations in the East End's Victoria Park.