| since that controversial and homophobic legislation was repealed. The legislation meant that councils were prohibited from the funding of books, plays, leaflets, films, or other materials showing any same-sex relationships, while teachers weren't allowed to teach about or discuss gay relationships in schools. | |
 A newly updated edition of Young, Gay & Proud is still available from Amazon. |
Section 28 was introduced following a difficult period for the LGBT+ community in the UK. There had been some progress, but
the outbreak of HIV/AIDS led to the widespread demonisation of gay and bisexual men in the 1980s. Young gay people suffered
prejudice and isolation, particularly at school or college.
The Conservatives capitalised on this anti-gay sentiment. In the run-up to the 1987 general election, they issued posters claiming that the Labour Party wanted LGBT+ friendly books like Young, Gay and Proud and The Milkman's on His Way to be read in schools. In 1987, a British Social Attitudes Survey found that three-quarters of the population thought homosexuality was "always or mostly wrong". Just 11% of the population in those days thought it "never wrong". |
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Section 28 was UK law for more than 15 years.
In that time bullying of LGBT students or those thought to be LGBT was prevalent, with significant numbers of pupils experiencing homophobic,
biphobic, and transphobic bullying. They would often hear slurs and feel unsafe, leading to mental health issues and educational disruption.
Many took their own lives or began self-harming, others would suffer from eating disorders, a total lack of social interaction, or a fear of
going to school or college. It gave the bullies exactly the excuse they needed to pick on vulnerable people.
Even now, more than 20 years since the repeal of Section 28 statistics show that around 42% of LGBT+ pupils were still bullied in the past year, that is more than double the rate for their non-LGBT+ peers. It's clear there's much more that needs to be achieved. It was in November 2003, that Ed Davey who was then deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats, now knighted and their leader, introduced a clause in the House of Commons that would repeal this appalling and cruel law. He said that Section 28 left young people feeling "alone and vulnerable". | |
| In his role as Spokesperson for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, he went on to say, "It is wrong to have a prejudicial piece of legislation on the statute book. I am proud to have moved the clause that abolished Section 28 once and for all. But we still have so far to go. From trans rights, to the persistent discrimination faced by the LGBT+ community: the fight is far from over". | 
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The House of Commons then voted by a massive majority of 368 to 77 votes to repeal Section 28
and sent the battle on to the House of Lords.
Labour MP Kali Mountford pointed to the redundancy of Section 28 by pointing out that it is a myth that Section 28 has had any role in protecting children when she said: "The protection is in the good sense of the parents, teachers and governors on the governing bodies." Commenting on the vote, Stonewall's Director of Parliamentary Affairs Sacha Deshmukh said: "The Commons has voted overwhelmingly for Section 28 to go. They understand that there is no place for a law that is offensive and completely redundant." Two Conservative amendments were tabled for debate. The first called for the retention of Section 28. The second, supported by the Tory leadership, sought to modify the management of sex education classes in schools. Both amendments were overwhelmingly defeated. Sacha Deshmukh added: "The Conservative leadership's amendment was rightly defeated by a huge vote. They proposed adding layers of pointless bureaucracy in every school and wanted to set up complicated ballots that would have turned every school into an electoral battleground. Their proposals were completely unnecessary and unworkable." "The bigots who wanted to keep Section 28 have been shown to be a small, sad and isolated axis of prejudice." "Tory modernisers who backed the straightforward repeal of Section 28 deserve congratulations. People like John Bercow, Michael Portillo and Archie Norman realised long ago that the Conservative party will only have a future if it rejects hate and stops trying to stigmatise different sections of society." That was of course said long before the Johnson era, and the current band of Conservative politicans who have abandoned any hope of social justice and inclusion from the ranks of the Tory party. | |
 Conservative Anti-equality campaigner Baroness Young | Although Commons sense prevailed in 2003, some in the Lords did everything they could to queer the pitch. This was largely due to an orchestrated anti-gay campaign led by Tory peer Baroness Young. She had previously worked hard to try to stop legislation going through that would allow unmarried couples, including gay men and women to adopt children and led campaigns in the House of Lords to prevent equalisation of the age of consent. She was of course ultimately defeated on all counts and died a few months before the vote of repeal of Section 28. |
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After the House of Lords vote, Campaigning group Stonewall hailed it as "a triumph for tolerance over prejudice."
Ben Summerskill, Stonewall chief executive, said: "Section 28 was a pernicious piece of legislation deliberately framed in order to stigmatise a minority group. We're delighted that the House of Lords has demonstrated a willingness to listen to reason at last. "Stonewall has worked long and hard to have this deeply offensive law overturned. Today's vote was a triumph for twenty-first century tolerance over nineteenth century prejudice." "A noisy minority of politicians have defended this indefensible totem for far too long. I suspect that many voters around the country hope they will now turn their attention to issues such as schools and hospitals." A Conservative amendment to allow parental vetting of sex education classes was very convincingly defeated. Sex education in England and Wales continued to be regulated by the Learning and Skills Act. The Section 28 repeal did not change the regulation of sex education in schools in any way. | |
 Former Prime Minister David Cameron Tom Evans OGL 3 via Wikimedia Commons |
At the 2001 General Election, future Prime Minister David Cameron was elected as the Member of Parliament for Witney. Shamefully he supported
Section 28 at the time, voting against its repeal by Tony Blair's Labour Government in 2003. Cameron then voted in favour of a
"cling-on-to-something" Conservative amendment that retained certain aspects of the clause.
Gay rights campaigners at the time described it as "Section 28 by the back door", and as we said the Conservative move was totally unsuccessful. Strangely, Cameron made himself absent for the vote on the eventual repeal Section 28. It was an issue he would be forced to come back to some years later. |
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In June 2009, Cameron, then-Leader of the Conservative Party, formally apologised for his party's introduction of the law, stating that it
was a mistake and had been offensive to gay people. He restated this belief in January 2010, proposing to alter Conservative Party policy to
reflect his belief that equality should be "embedded" in British schools.
Don't be taken in by the Conservatives or other right-wing politicans. During the last Tory Government Prime Minister Boris Johnson appointed Suella Braverman as Attorney General. She claimed that schools should not be teaching kids “keywords” about the LGBTQ+ community or affirm trans identities. Braverman went on to say in a speech to the Policy Exchange thinktank that schools could be “indoctrinating children” by allowing them to live their lives as their authentic selves after coming out as trans. This nasty and vindictive woman has now joined the even more right-wing Reform Party and unbelievably has become their spokesperson for Education, Skills and Equality.
It's why each of us voting in every election possible, both general and local, is absolutely critical for the preservation of LGBT rights.
Don't forget that you have the opportunity to express your political view in the upcoming local elections on Thursday 7th May 2026.
REMEMBER TO TAKE YOUR PHOTO ID and go to your local polling station to use your votes wisely. Don't leave it to others - Make your voice heard!
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