Tomorrow marks the 30th anniversary of one of the most divisive laws ever enacted in the UK.
Famously known as ‘section 28’, this piece of legislation asserted that a local authority ‘shall not intentionally promote homosexuality’ or ‘promote the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship.’
This discriminatory amendment was enacted on 24th May 1988 by Margaret Thatcher’s Government and resulted in a backlash against many groups and organisations, causing their demise or self-censorship, owing to fears that they could be in breach of this law. In many areas McCarthyism forms of hysteria became the order of the day.
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