Current Version
| Region | United Kingdom |
| Issue | Homosexual activity |
| Status | Illegal (up to life in prison as punishment) |
| Start Date | Nov 1, 1861 |
| End Date | Jul 26, 1967 |
| Description | The Offences Against the Person Act 1861 lowered the maximum penalty to life imprisonment. Subsequent laws, such as The Labouchere Amendment (Section 11 of the Criminal Law Amendment Act 1885) redefined the offence and allowed for other punishments, for example Oscar Wilde was sentenced to two years hard labour in 1895, and in 1952 Alan Turing was chemically castrated. Female homosexuality and sexual acts were not addressed in the law, and therefore, they technically would have been legal, though the law often applied the law towards women. |
| Sources | https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Vict/24-25/100/contents https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/transformingsociety/private-lives/relationships/collections1/sexual-offences-act-1967/1885-labouchere-amendment/ |
Revision History (4)
Revision by beeurd. Updating description and dates. Also adding sources as previous was invalid
| Old Value | New Value (Current) | |
|---|---|---|
| Start Date | 1885 | Nov 1, 1861 |
| Description | The Labouchere Amendment passed making sex between two men a gross indecency, punishable by imprisonment. Female homosexuality and sexual acts were not addressed in the law, and therefore, they technically would have been legal, though the law often applied the law towards women. | The Offences Against the Person Act 1861 lowered the maximum penalty to life imprisonment. Subsequent laws, such as The Labouchere Amendment (Section 11 of the Criminal Law Amendment Act 1885) redefined the offence and allowed for other punishments, for example Oscar Wilde was sentenced to two years hard labour in 1895, and in 1952 Alan Turing was chemically castrated. Female homosexuality and sexual acts were not addressed in the law, and therefore, they technically would have been legal, though the law often applied the law towards women. |
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| Sources | https://www.bl.uk/lgbtq-histories/articles/a-short-history-of-lgbt-rights-in-the-uk | https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Vict/24-25/100/contents https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/transformingsociety/private-lives/relationships/collections1/sexual-offences-act-1967/1885-labouchere-amendment/ |
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Revision by beeurd. Updating law end date
| Old Value | New Value | |
|---|---|---|
| End Date | 1967 | Jul 26, 1967 |
Revision by CHR0LL0PH0BICCC
| Old Value | New Value | |
|---|---|---|
| Value | Illegal (imprisonment as punishment) | Illegal (up to life in prison as punishment) |
Revision by beeurd
| Old Value (Original) | New Value | |
|---|---|---|
| Sources | http://www.stonewall.org.uk/at_home/hate_crime_domestic_violence_and_criminal_law/2647.asp | https://www.bl.uk/lgbtq-histories/articles/a-short-history-of-lgbt-rights-in-the-uk |
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Reports (2)
- Newer law has been passed "Homossexualidade não é ilegal no Reino Unido."
- Sources are invalid or broken