Thousands of UK Men Posthumously Pardoned for Historic Gay Sex Crimes

Thousands of gay and bisexual men were posthumously pardoned for historic gay sex crimes last month on January 31, 2017. The Policing and Crime Bill, known as ‘Turing’s Law’, gives pardons to anyone who has died with a crime on their record but only if it would not be considered a crime today. ‘This is

Gibraltar approves same-sex marriage

Members of the Gibraltar Parliament on Wednesday unanimously approved a bill that would extend marriage rights to same-sex couples. The Gibraltar Chronicle reported Equality Minister Samantha Sacramento told lawmakers after she introduced the measure that “marriage is a hugely important institution.” She also stressed the proposal contains what she described as “religious safeguards.” “This bill

First ever straight couple to become civil partners in the UK

A straight couple have become the first ever to become civil partners in the UK after a ceremony on the Isle of Man, which lies between England and Ireland. The pair, Adeline Cosson, 24, and Kieran Hodgson, 22, entered their partnership at a small ceremony, with two witnesses, in the island’s capital. Civil partnerships between

Civil partnerships collapse as couples opt for marriage instead in England and Wales

The numbers of civil partnership registrations in England and Wales has plunged below 1000 for the first time – as couples opt to marry instead. Civil partnerships were introduced as under Tony Blair’s premiership in 2004 to allow gay unions ‘separate’ from marriage. Following the introduction of same-sex marriage in England and Wales in 2014, the

The UK government’s first inquiry into transgender equality has said the legal, healthcare and criminal justice systems are failing the country’s 650,000 ‘gender incongruent’ people. The report, released on (Wednesday) 13 January, made more than 30 recommendations, emphasizing the need to update existing legislation and provide better services, especially in the NHS. ‘The committee took evidence on a very wide range

UK MP: All passports, driving licenses should be ‘degendered’

All passports and driving licenses should be ‘degendered’ to avoid causing problems for transgender people, a senior Conservative politician has said. Maria Miller, chair of the newly formed women and equalities committee, said ‘male’ and ‘female’ tick-boxes should also be removed from official documents and job applications unless absolutely necessary. ‘As a society and a

Domestic violence in LGBT community hidden despite high rates

Domestic violence remains an “invisible” issue in the LGBT community, with many victims feeling too ashamed to make a complaint or seek support, a report in Australia has found. Currently there is also a study in Lithuania running, focussing on the local LBT community. Despite research that shows that one-third of people in a same-sex

University to offer the UK’s first ‘Drag Studies’ course

Edge Hill University is to become the first higher education institution in the UK to offer a course dedicated to the art of drag. Performing arts students at the University will be able to study the ‘Drag Kings and Drag Queens of Performance’ from next year, after a ground-breaking new course was approved. The third-year module will consider a variety

UK Prime Minister also said we need to ‘take a look’ at the problems trans people face. David Cameron has said bullying of LGBTI pupils changed his mind about same-sex marriage. The UK Prime Minister currently campaigning for re-election has said he is ‘very proud’ of legalizing equal marriage in England and Wales during his time

Labour announces plans to make LGBT-inclusive sex education compulsory

The Labour Party has today announced that it will make Sex and Relationship Education (SRE) compulsory in all state schools, and that it plans to crack down on homophobic bullying. The announcement was made by Shadow Education Secretary Tristram Hunt today at Little Ilford School in London. The plan, as well as making age-appropriate SRE