It's 50 years ago today that the government decriminalised (partly) homosexuality..
We were on our way out earlier and there was this 81 year old gentleman explaining on the radio, what happened to him during his Royal Navy days and how he ended up being imprisoned for 12 months - reduced from 5, for being homosexual back in 1956.
His superior officers in command, basically set him up and accused him of sexual acts with a close friend of his, who incidentally was sleeping in the bunk next to him, onboard a Royal Navy transport ship.
They were both officers.
Anyway to reduce a five year sentence, he was asked by his superiors for a list of names of those he'd had sex with. He refused for as long as he could, but eventually he gave a name of another well-to-do officer.. He was arrested by the military police and put in the cells.
9 months later, the trial was about to start and the old gent went on to say that the MP sent him home that morning.. He asked - "What about the trial?" and the answer was, there is no trial. The officer whose name he handed over, shot himself that morning.
He started crying on the phone, live on air on the radio and said he'd lived with the guilt of that man's death/suicide for 61 years.
Do we still have a long way to go?
Looking back at the legislation, it truly was/is awful - whereas now, even in London Pride recently, we have police walking the streets wearing the Gay and Pride rainbows. (Good on them btw).
So we've moved on, but really by how much?
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1967/60/pdfs/ukpga_19670060_en.pdf
We were on our way out earlier and there was this 81 year old gentleman explaining on the radio, what happened to him during his Royal Navy days and how he ended up being imprisoned for 12 months - reduced from 5, for being homosexual back in 1956.
His superior officers in command, basically set him up and accused him of sexual acts with a close friend of his, who incidentally was sleeping in the bunk next to him, onboard a Royal Navy transport ship.
They were both officers.
Anyway to reduce a five year sentence, he was asked by his superiors for a list of names of those he'd had sex with. He refused for as long as he could, but eventually he gave a name of another well-to-do officer.. He was arrested by the military police and put in the cells.
9 months later, the trial was about to start and the old gent went on to say that the MP sent him home that morning.. He asked - "What about the trial?" and the answer was, there is no trial. The officer whose name he handed over, shot himself that morning.
He started crying on the phone, live on air on the radio and said he'd lived with the guilt of that man's death/suicide for 61 years.
Do we still have a long way to go?
Looking back at the legislation, it truly was/is awful - whereas now, even in London Pride recently, we have police walking the streets wearing the Gay and Pride rainbows. (Good on them btw).
So we've moved on, but really by how much?
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1967/60/pdfs/ukpga_19670060_en.pdf
Certainly not in my school, anyway!
