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It’s hard to believe that homosexuality was still considered a crime in the UK right up until 1967 when it was decriminalised…or so the story goes. Yet a closer look at the laws relating to homosexual relationships shows that 1967 was only the start. It is estimated that 15,000-plus gay men were convicted in the decades that followed the 1967 liberalisation, and the age of consent was only reduced to 16, the same as for heterosexuals, in 2001. It took Northern Ireland a further 8 years to catch up.

The last remaining laws relating to gay sex were not repealed (in England and Wales) until 2003, when “the gross indecency law” passed in 1885, and the criminalisation of sodomy were finally wiped from the legal pantheon. The gross indecency law was the one used to convict Alan Turing (the man who helped crack the German Enigma Code in WW2) and was the reason the playwright Oscar Wilde was jailed in 1895. Northern Ireland did not repeal the sodomy law until 2008 and Scotland not until 2013 - meaning that gay sex did not cease to be a criminal act in the UK as an entirety until a mere 9 years ago!

In the face of such inequality, it’s hardly surprising that gay men and the wider LGBTQ community have felt the need to celebrate their identities, and nowhere is this better expressed than in the various Pride marches that take place around the country. Of course, the LGBTQ community is not comprised simply of gay men; lesbian women, bisexual people and transgender individuals also stand up for their rights to love anyone they like without fear of persecution.

If you’ve never witnessed a Pride march, I recommend you find one and go along - no need to march with the participants, just be a part of the crowd and enjoy the spectacle. Whilst still advocating for LGBTQ rights, the marches are an explosion of colour and joy and a celebration of diversity.

Pride events:

• 2nd July 2022 London Pride www.prideinlondon.org • 8th–10th July 2022 Sparkle

Weekend 2022 in Manchester www.sparkle.org.uk/ • 9th July 2022 Worksop Pride - www.worksoppride.co.uk/ • 24th July 2022 Chesterfield Pride: www.chesterfieldpride.co.uk/ • 30th July 2022 Nottingham’s

Pride Festival

• 6th August 2022 Belper Pride

At the end of the day, whatever your personal opinion is of Pride, gay rights, or LGBTQ - every person on the planet deserves to live a peaceful life with people they love. What goes on behind closed doors, as long as consensual, is really no one else’s business…is it?

These articles are researched and written by Laura Billingham, a local content writer and author. Laura moved to the Peak District several years ago to pursue her passion for writing.

To find out more visit www.landgassociates.co.uk or contact Laura on 07736 351 341