The period of the 1980s saw the emerging HIV epidemic that had spread from the USA. As this disease was found predominantly in gay men, fear of HIV led to fear of the patients, who the media portrayed as solely gay people. Also within this time frame, the book Jenny Lives with Eric and Martin had been brought to Britain from Sweden; a story of girl living with her father, Eric, and his lover, Martin, and was aimed at educating children, and normalising homosexuality and different family styles. This prompted protests from parents about exposing children to such topics, claiming it to be ‘propaganda.’
Section 28 prompted activism in extensive and sometimes very innovative ways.
The government took advantage of these events when forming an excuse for the clause, suggesting said clause was not about banning homosexuality, but about stopping the ‘thrusting’ of homosexual materials upon children at such a young age. Only a quick glance at the kind of homophobic abuse and behaviour it provoked, that the government sat by and watched, is enough to see that what they were saying was a blatant lie. Any teaching of LGBT people and relationships was wiped out, as well as LGBT clubs and support groups disbanded, and LGBT literature being removed from shelves. Homophobia in schools increased with teachers feeling they should not challenge this behaviour, leaving young people feeling vulnerable with their suffering falling on deaf ears. Many children were left with no clue about a key part of their identity or safe ways to embrace it as they grew up.
Section 28 prompted activism in extensive and sometimes very innovative ways. Booan Temple and Sally Francis were part of an all-lesbian team that actively fought for LGBT rights and orchestrated some creative protests against section 28. Temple helped storm a live streaming of the BBC six o’clock news in which women marched in wearing t-shirts saying: ‘Stop the Clause.’ Members even chained themselves to the camera and the news desk. Temple claimed that if protests were not getting on the news ‘we’ll just be the news.’
Francis took it to a new level when her and others abseiled into the chamber of The House of Lords after peers voted in favour of the bill. Given the impressiveness of this event, the story of the build-up becomes amusing as she explained that they bought a washing line on the way into town to act as a rope and smuggled it into the balcony under a jacket. It was only when the vote passed that they realised the action they had to take, hoping that the bill would not have been passed. Despite this effort, the women were held for only a brief time and journalists they talked to as they left did not believe the story!
Repealed in 2003, Section 28 had a lasting impact on a generation of youth.
Another prominent campaigner was Paul Fairweather, a Mancunian working in the city council. He spread the word in an age without social media, about a protest organised for 20 February 1988 against the bill. On the council he had helped set up the North West Campaign for Lesbian and Gay Equality – the group who orchestrated the demonstration – and spent time speaking at gay clubs and bars around the city to raise awareness of the march. In the end, 20,000 people attended and it was one of the largest LGBT demonstrations ever in the UK.
The list of activists is endless, with women chaining themselves to Buckingham Palace and even Sir Ian McKellen coming out as gay and joining the equality group Stonewall. Despite all this effort, section 28 was not repealed until 2003 and has had a lasting impact on young LGBT people of that generation. It must be held as a reminder of a time that we do not want to slip back into and as encouragement to keep moving forward in the fight for equality and an end to discrimination.
