Causes.com
| 6.16.23

UK Allows All To Be Pardoned From Homosexuality Charges

How do you feel about the expansion of the amnesty program?

What’s the story?

  • The U.K. broadened an amnesty program that allows more people, including women, to have criminal charges they faced related to homosexuality to be expunged from their records. 
  • Until now, only men could apply for pardons from outdated laws dating back to the 19th century. LGBTQ+ military veterans can also apply for convictions to be overturned.

The amnesty program

  • In 2012, the U.K. created the Disregards and Pardons amnesty program to pardon those convicted under antiquated British law that criminalized gay activity. Men were allowed to apply for a pardon under a specific list of offenses.
  • After the program’s expansion, anyone can apply to have their convictions or legal warnings erased from official records. Doing so will mean they no longer have to be disclosed during court proceedings or job applications. 

The history 

  • Homosexuality in England and Wales was first governed in 1533 under Henry VIII’s reign. Peter Tatchell, an LGBTQ+ activist and researcher, found that between 1885 — when all sexual acts between men were outlawed — and the early 2010s, nearly 100,000 men were arrested for same-sex activity. 
  • Many believe homosexuality was decriminalized in 1967 with the passing of the Sexual Offences Act. However, the legislation only repealed the maximum penalty of life in prison and left a variety of legal discriminations in place. The act extended to Scotland and Northern Ireland in the early 1980s. Gay military personnel could still be jailed until 1994. 
  • The laws did nothing to stop discrimination in court, employment, housing, businesses, etc. Tatchell wrote in the Guardian: 

“In fact, repression grew much worse.”

  • In 2003, the criminalization of homosexuality was repealed under the amended Sexual Offences Act, which did not take full effect until 2013. 
  • Same-sex activity between women was never outlawed, but many were punished under indecency laws and greatly discriminated against. 

What they’re saying

  • British lawmakers say the step is essential in righting the government’s wrongs. Prior to the new expansion, Member of the House of Lords Michael Cashman said: 

“The disregard and pardon schemes in England and Wales are significantly flawed because they encompass only a small fraction of the laws that, over the decades and centuries, have immiserated the lives of gay and bisexual people.”

  • Minister for Safeguarding, Sarah Dines, said: 

“The appalling criminalisation of homosexuality is a shameful and yet not so distant part of our history. Although they can never be undone, the disregards and pardons scheme has gone some way to right the wrongs of the past…I invite all of those who were convicted or cautioned for same-sex sexual activity under an abolished offence to come forward and apply.”

  • Rob Cookson, Deputy Chief Executive of the LGBT Foundation, said: 

“People should never be criminalised simply for who they are and who they love. The criminalisation of gay men made a huge, terrible impact on many people in our community. It is only right that the disregards and pardons scheme has been widened.”

 

How do you feel about the expansion of the amnesty program?

 

-Jamie Epstein

(Photo credit: Flickr/photothudd)

  • 94.6k
    LeslieG
    Voted Excited
    06/16/2023

    It's about time that the UK modernizes as it's laws going back to Henry VIII (1533AD) we're harsh (death), relaxed a bit by the passing of the Offences Against the Person Act (1861) by replacing death with 10 years imprisonment but still harsh by todays standards.

    Many famous Britains were charged like Oscar Wilde and Alan Turing who invented the code breaking machine and deserve to be pardoned along with those still alive today.

    https://www.bl.uk/lgbtq-histories/articles/a-short-history-of-lgbt-rights-in-the-uk

    https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/alan-turing-new-ps50-banknote-gay-codebreaker-mathematician-sexuality-pardon-a9005086.html

     

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  • 52
    Trina
    Voted Angry
    06/27/2023

    What is going on? What crime were women arrested for? All I can think of was having sex with children and I DONT care if your gay or not HAVING SEX WITH CHILDREN IS NEVER OK!!! Has everyone lost their freaking minds??? I am at a lost of words for this once again politicians have taken a cause and hyped it long after it should of been settled into something we never agreed too! Or have we allowed ourselves to elect people who aren't of moral character? This is our country being manipulated by outsiders. The puppets we elected aren't able do what needs to be done for our country I think they really believe this is what we want. We put greedy fools in positions that will be the end of our country. All they see is dollar signs but the leaders of other countries they still see their flags! This kind of nonsense like clearing child molestors records is one more step in making us feel this country isn't worth fighting for. I would like to know are any of these people whose getting their records cleared cases not involve a child? I really can't think of how two adults could be charged unless it was in public and that's a crime regardless of sexual preference too!! This is disgusting and I hope every member who signs this bill never gets reelected because if the gay community is backing this maybe we were wrong in backing them too!! When I would hear how perverted gay people were how if we allowed them around our families wed be sorry one day I ignored it and voted for gay rights. My religion was against gay marriage I argued with my fellow Christians saying what if they have a different god etc we have no right to tell them to obey our god! Freedom of religion but this isn't about gay rights or if it is I'm saying no NO ONE HAS A RIGHT TO MOLEST CHILDREN! Children cannot consent to sex. What is wrong with you people? Did you not see the people of Africa protesting telling their government not to take Americas immoral money? 

  • 806
    Billy
    Voted Apathetic
    06/19/2023

    The population starting to decline I guess is a positive outcome of this and a win for climate change activists 

  • 1,358
    Leslie
    Voted Excited
    10/14/2023

    Long overdue 

  • 1,393
    Steve
    Voted Excited
    06/24/2023

    Could we ban right-wing bigots instead?

  • 7,925
    DaveS
    Voted Excited
    06/20/2023

    First of all amnesty, for what?  For being who they are medically and physically? May be they will, as a nation and all nation, we'll realize why the American founding fathers wrote in the constitution the separation of church and state !!!!!!! Religion created and give justification for bigotry, hate and war, plus the sort of all evil. Religion infringes on people rights all the time and they want government to in force their beliefs.

     

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  • 48.5k
    Brian
    Voted Excited
    06/19/2023

    This is long overdue. Homosexuals should never have been charged with these crimes in a country that was raping and pillaging native people around the world without consequences. 

    I'm glad to see the amnesty is expanded, but all who were charged with LGBTQ "crimes" should receive an expungement of any charges.

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  • 26.1k
    Frank_001
    Voted Excited
    06/17/2023

    There should be another formal statement.

    Something like a declaration of misguided law—the nation created a law that was deeply offensive and was against human nature. Families should receive compensation with interest for the government's errors.

     

  • 26.1k
    Frank_001
    Voted Excited
    06/17/2023

    A Short History of LGBT Rights in the UK | The British Library
    https://www.bl.uk/lgbtq-histories/articles/a-short-history-of-lgbt-rights-in-the-uk

     

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  • 2,418
    Martha
    Voted Excited
    06/17/2023

    Good idea.  Homosexuality in and of itself should never have been tagged as a crime in any society.  Nor should discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals be condoned/sanctioned.

  • 2,215
    wpeckham
    Voted Excited
    06/17/2023

    As a US citizen, UK law is not directly my business.  As a human being, any country that corrects laws that violate personal privacy and civil rights meets with my approval.

  • 3,354
    Steph
    Voted Excited
    06/16/2023

    It took them THIS long?!?!   Of course, with the fossilized relics in The Houses of Lords and Commons I am not surprised!

     

    Of course, it's not like the USA has any right to speak on such issues since we do not have a stellar record ourselves!