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Mainpage » Society Index » Society & Tolerance Society & ToleranceGay Age of Consent The age at which two guys can legally consent to have sex with each other, in Britain, was finally lowered from 18 to 16 in February 2000. It is now equal to the age of consent for straight couples, after a 33 year campaign by gay rights lobyists. Ridiculous really, isn't it? How we have to fight to be treated equally, that is. Suppose we're making fast progress really, I mean, women campaigned for 60 years before they were given the vote in the UK. I do think it's got a lot to do with who's in Government though, for example, I think New Labour under Tony Blair is a very pro-active government and is willing to lead the way, whereas the Conservatives are very re-active, and will only take bold steps when forced to. Anyway, more about that in the Section 28 article (which follows). Here are a couple of Age of Consent reports (they'll open in a new window): Commons Vote For Gay Age Of Consent At 16. Related report: Poll shows Britons tolerant of gays. What is Section 28? Section 2A of Clause 28 of the Local Government Act 1988 is a piece of legislation which actaully prohibits the "promotion of homosexuality" by Local Authorities (in the UK). It's more commonly known as Section 28. And to think it was introduced only in 1988. What can you say? Here it is: 28 - (1) The following section shall be inserted after section 2 of the Local Government Act 1986 (prohibition of political publicity) - 2A - (1) A local authority shall not:
(2) Nothing in subsection (1) above shall be taken to prohibit the doing of anything for the purpose of treating or preventing the spread of disease. (3) In any proceedings in connection with the application of this section a court shall draw such inferences as to the intention of the local authority as may be reasonably be drawn from the evidence before it. [Source: Schools Out. Site now offline.] Current Status of Section 28 The law has been abandoned in Scotland (yay!). The decision was taken by members of the Scottish Pariament thanks to efforts from the late First Minister Donald Dewar who was firmly for the repeal. The legislation will be replaced by a new, re-worded clause which is intended to keep both the gay lobby happy, and the paranoid parents who feel 'safegaurds' are necessary, (and only then because homophobic Brian Souter and the tabloid press persuaded them that gay porn would become widely available in classrooms if the law was repealed). It took slightly longer down south, but thanks to the efforts of Tony Blair's Government, the bill to scrap Section 28 in England and Wales finally went through the House of Lords, previously hindered by the homophobic Conservative peers that sit in it. News Articles Related to Section 28, from year 2000 Well, being as resourceful as we are here at QueerAttitude.com, here are some archived stories from the time of the controvery... Ministers set to give ground on Section 28. Gay Law Row Moves To Westminster. Galbraith offers olive branch on Section 28. Teachers Should Not Promote Sexual Orientation - Government. Government Seeks To Persuade Lords To Repeal Section 28. Resounding defeat for Section 28 supporters. Scots strive for section 28 deal. LGB Teen Suicide Anyone else out there who thinks there isn't enough education on homosexuality in schools? Anyone else out there who thinks that lack of education (and understanding, and acceptance) in schools leads to gay teen suicides? Anyone else out there who thinks that attitudes stem from your school years? Anyone else who thinks a hell of a lot more could be done? Because I do. Of course, it's not as black and white as that, many other factors aslo contribute to this situation where a high percantage of gay teens have considered suicide. These factors may include anti-gay feelings in a community, or rejection from family and friends, or even the possibility of rejection. It's soo easy to feel isolated, and scared, when you don't know how people will react. I think everyone reading this will understand that. It's a problem that drives far too many gay teens to kill themselves. Aproximately 35% of gay teen males have contemplated taking their own lives. 8% had actually attempted suicide, compared with only 3% of straight teen males. That was back in 1978. In 1984, a study of homeless youth entering a shelter revealed that 65% of the gay youth had attempted suicide, compared to only 19% of the straight youth. In a more recent study, 1991, figures showed that 41 out of 137 gay males surveyed had attempted suicide. That's 31%. Of those 41, the mean age was 15.5 years old. [Source: GLCC Teen Suicide Fact Sheet. Links At End.] I started off talking about schools because that's where I think a lot could be done, to help teach about homosexuality, to promote acceptance, to help make the gay youth realise there are people they can talk to (via helplines), and there are places they can go (like Gay Youth Groups), and schools could ultimately prevent gay teens taking their own lives. But will it happen?... |
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