The buggery act of 1553 was the first time in law that male homosexuality was the target for persecution in the UK, it completely outlawed sodomy in Britain and this lead to convictions that were punishable by death.
However it was not until 1861 with the passing of the Offences Against the Person Act, that the death penalty was abolished for acts of sodomy, with the punishment now being made a minimum of 10 years imprisonment; the Criminal Law Amendment Act 1885 went a step further and made any male homosexual act illegal, whether a witness was present or not - meaning that even acts done in private could be prosecuted.
Female homosexuality was never properly targeted by any legislation, although it was discussed by parliament in 1921 with an aim to introduce discriminatory legislation however this ultimately failed as the house of commons and house of lords feared that it would draw attention to and encourage women to explore homosexuality.
in 1946, transgender identities began to become visible, as Michael Dillon published 'self: A study in endocrinology' which in contemporary terms could be described as an autobiography to the first transgender man to undergo surgery; a journey from Dillon's perspective of Laura to Michael. He wrote "Where the mind cannot be made to fit the body, the body should be made to fit, approximately at any rate, to the mind.".
The Wolfden Report, published in 1957, commissioned in response to evidence that homosexuality could not legitimately be regarded as a disease and aimed to bring about change in the current law by making recommendations to the government - that homosexual behaviour between consenting adults in private should no longer be a criminal offence. It took the government 10 years to implement the Wolfden Report's recommendations, through the Sexual Offences Act 1967 which partially legalised same-sex acts in the UK between men in the UK over the age of 21 conducted in private. Scotland and Northern Ireland followed suit in 1980 and 1981 respectively.
in 1966, the Beaumont Society was set up to provide information and education to the general public, medical and legal professions on 'transvestism' and encouraged further research to promote a better understanding. the organisation is now the UK's largest and longest running support group for transgender people and their families.
in 1970, the Gay Liberation Front (GLF) was founded in the wake of the stonewall riots in New York in June 1969 over the treatment of the LGBT community. The GLF fought for the rights of LGBT people, and protested in solidarity with other oppressed groups and organised the very first pride march in 1972 which is now an annual event. When the GLF disbanded in late 1973, the campaign for Homosexual Equality (CHE) led the fight for equality by legal reform.
Section 28 of the Local government Act 1988, banned local authorities from 'promoting homosexuality' or 'pretend family relationships' and prohibited councils from funding educational materials and projects perceived to 'promote homosexuality'. This prevented the discussion of LGBT issues and stopped students getting the support they needed. it was then repealed in 2003, and David Cameron apologised for the legislation later in 2009.
in 2004, the Civil partnership Act 2004 was passed, which allowed same-sex couples to legally enter into binding partnerships, similar to marriage. Furthermore, the Marriage Act 2013 allowed couples in England and Wales to marry; Scotland followed suit in 2014. Northern Ireland has only recently made same-sex marriages legal in January 2020.
2004 also brought the Gender Recognition Act 2004 which came into effect on 4th April 2005 which gave transgender people full legal recognition of their gender which allowed them to acquire a new birth certificate; although gender options are still limited to 'male' or 'female'.
However it was not until 1861 with the passing of the Offences Against the Person Act, that the death penalty was abolished for acts of sodomy, with the punishment now being made a minimum of 10 years imprisonment; the Criminal Law Amendment Act 1885 went a step further and made any male homosexual act illegal, whether a witness was present or not - meaning that even acts done in private could be prosecuted.
Female homosexuality was never properly targeted by any legislation, although it was discussed by parliament in 1921 with an aim to introduce discriminatory legislation however this ultimately failed as the house of commons and house of lords feared that it would draw attention to and encourage women to explore homosexuality.
in 1946, transgender identities began to become visible, as Michael Dillon published 'self: A study in endocrinology' which in contemporary terms could be described as an autobiography to the first transgender man to undergo surgery; a journey from Dillon's perspective of Laura to Michael. He wrote "Where the mind cannot be made to fit the body, the body should be made to fit, approximately at any rate, to the mind.".
The Wolfden Report, published in 1957, commissioned in response to evidence that homosexuality could not legitimately be regarded as a disease and aimed to bring about change in the current law by making recommendations to the government - that homosexual behaviour between consenting adults in private should no longer be a criminal offence. It took the government 10 years to implement the Wolfden Report's recommendations, through the Sexual Offences Act 1967 which partially legalised same-sex acts in the UK between men in the UK over the age of 21 conducted in private. Scotland and Northern Ireland followed suit in 1980 and 1981 respectively.
in 1966, the Beaumont Society was set up to provide information and education to the general public, medical and legal professions on 'transvestism' and encouraged further research to promote a better understanding. the organisation is now the UK's largest and longest running support group for transgender people and their families.in 1970, the Gay Liberation Front (GLF) was founded in the wake of the stonewall riots in New York in June 1969 over the treatment of the LGBT community. The GLF fought for the rights of LGBT people, and protested in solidarity with other oppressed groups and organised the very first pride march in 1972 which is now an annual event. When the GLF disbanded in late 1973, the campaign for Homosexual Equality (CHE) led the fight for equality by legal reform.
Section 28 of the Local government Act 1988, banned local authorities from 'promoting homosexuality' or 'pretend family relationships' and prohibited councils from funding educational materials and projects perceived to 'promote homosexuality'. This prevented the discussion of LGBT issues and stopped students getting the support they needed. it was then repealed in 2003, and David Cameron apologised for the legislation later in 2009.
in 2004, the Civil partnership Act 2004 was passed, which allowed same-sex couples to legally enter into binding partnerships, similar to marriage. Furthermore, the Marriage Act 2013 allowed couples in England and Wales to marry; Scotland followed suit in 2014. Northern Ireland has only recently made same-sex marriages legal in January 2020. 2004 also brought the Gender Recognition Act 2004 which came into effect on 4th April 2005 which gave transgender people full legal recognition of their gender which allowed them to acquire a new birth certificate; although gender options are still limited to 'male' or 'female'.
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