Six LGBT+ Events From UK History You Should Know
February 1, 2022
In celebration of UK Pride Month we’re taking a look back at five events from LGBT+ history that shaped the world today.
1. In 1951, Roberta Cowell became the first public transgendered British woman.
A race car driver and World War II fight pilot, Cowell was also the first known British person to undergo gender reassignment surgery. She underwent a secret operation to gain a certificate that stated she was intersex which “justified” her official transition into becoming a woman.
2. In 1967, gay sex is decriminalised.
… But only between men 21-years and older and only “in private”. This did not include men in the Navy, the Army, men in Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands, or the Isle of Man.
3. In 1972, London has its first Pride March.
Around 2000 people took the streets of London in the name of LGBT+ rights, today London Pride numbers in the millions.
4. In 1988, Margaret Thatcher forbade the promotion of homosexuality in schools.
Thatcher introduced Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988 which expressly stated that councils could not “promote the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship.” Essentially forbidding teachers to discuss homosexuality in classrooms, tackle homophobic bullying, or acknowledge students who came out to them.
This act prompted Sir Ian McKellen to come out as gay on the BBC and to begin organised efforts to fight for equality.
5. In 2004, same-sex partners are granted the same rights as straight couples.
The Civil Partnership Act passed, finally giving gay couples in long-term relationships the same rights and benefits as their straight counterparts. This of course led to…
6. Same-sex marriage is legalised in 2013… Love wins!
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