A blast to the past

November saw the twentieth anniversary of disability anti-discrimination legislation in Britain. To mark this anniversary the UK charity Scope highlights the challenges faced and successes gained over the past 20 years and shines the spotlight on the struggles and victories campaigners experienced on the continuing journey towards equality for disabled people.  Follow the link to Scope’s website for the full story. http://www.scope.org.uk/DDA20

Many of us are aware of the term LGBT (or even LGBTQ/LGBTQI and LGBT+) which refers to someone identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual or trans. Here in the UK we have one of the highest degrees of LGBT liberties in the world, but these changes have been very recent and much later developments than other protected characteristics, such as race or gender. Let’s have a brief look at how this has changed across the years.

• In 1533 male homosexuality was punishable by death. This law wasn’t removed untill 1861 but was still punishable by imprisonment (a law that saw Oscar Wilde in prison for 2 years).
• In the 1950s homosexual relations were punished and actioned by police, with Alan Turing convicted in 1952.
• In 1958 the homosexual law reform society campaigned in support of the 1954 Wolfenden Report that homosexual behaviour between consenting adults in private should no longer be a criminal offence
• The sexual offences act 1967 maintained general prohibitions on ‘buggery’ and ‘indecency’ between men, but provided for a limited decriminalisation of homosexual acts where three conditions were fulfilled: 1) the act had to be consensual, 2) the act had to take place in private and 3) the act could involve only people that had attained the age of 21.
• The above restrictions were overturned in the European Court of Human Rights in 2000.
• In 2000 people identifying as LGBT were also allowed to openly serve in the British Armed forces.
• A year later the age of consent was adjusted to be equal to those identifying as heterosexual.
• In 2005 transgender people have had the right to change their legal gender.
• Also in 2005 same-sex couples were granted the right to enter into a civil partnership.
• 2005 also brought about same-sex couple adoption in England and Wales allowing a homosexual couple to assume joint responsibility for an adopted child for the first time, progression from the Adoption and Children Act 2002.
• Same-sex marriage wasn’t legalised in England, Wales and Scotland untill 2014 and Ireland in 2015.

With the 2010 Equality Act sexual orientation was protected against in the UK, alongside the 8 other protected characteristics, but it is not protected in all countries. At the time of writing 79 countries have anti-homosexuality laws with the death penalty still active for any homosexual relations in 9 of those countries. Russia and Lithuania, two countries that do not have laws against homosexual acts, but do have laws against ‘propaganda of homosexuality’. This particularly came to light at the recent 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.

Trans rights have also seen a boost in attention in the media, with Caitlyn Jenner coming out as a transgender woman and the adoption of a progressive gender recognition law by the Irish Senate in July 2015, allowing trans people in Ireland over the age of 18 years to self-declare their gender by way of a statutory declaration.

There are still many LGBT+ issues to be addressed. This post does not pretend to cover all the detail of LGBT history or current struggles, instead it provides a snapshot view.

Q. What do you think about the events captured in history about the LGBT struggle for equal rights? Do you feel it’s reflective? Have you experienced LGBT successes or struggles yourself or know someone that has?

If you’re a student at Sheffield Hallam and you would like LGBT support or advice please contact either the Students’ Union advice centre on 0114 225 4148 or by emailing advicecentre@shu.ac.uk

If you’re a Sheffield Hallam member of staff and you would like LGBT support or advice please contact either the equality and diversity team on 0114 225 6287 or diversity@shu.ac.uk. If you would like to join the LGBT staff network SIGNAL please also do this by contacting the equality and diversity team.

If you’re a prospective student you would like LGBT support or advice please contact either the Students’ Union advice centre on 0114 225 4148 or by emailing advicecentre@shu.ac.uk.