Hurrah!

[Beautiful Freak]

I didn't realise this hadn't already happened before now.

From Ananova

Gay campaigners celebrate Section 28's demise

Gay rights campaigners are celebrating the repeal of the controversial Section 28 as the Local Government Act received royal assent.

The law, which banned local councils from "promoting" homosexuality, was the subject of protests from the when it was introduced under Margaret Thatcher in 1988.

It was devised to deal with concerns over homosexual content in sex education lessons in schools, but was condemned by campaigners as discriminatory.

Welcoming its demise, Ben Summerskill, chief executive of gay justice group Stonewall, said: "Today's repeal of Section 28 is a triumph for 21st-century tolerance over 19th-century prejudice.

"Section 28 was a pernicious piece of legislation, deliberately framed to stigmatise a minority group.

"Stonewall has worked long and hard to have this deeply offensive law overturned and we are delighted that it has finally passed away."

Local government minister Nick Raynsford said the Government believed repeal was an important milestone in the series of measures it is taking to tackle discrimination on the grounds of sexual preference.

The Local Government Act also offers new devolved powers for local councils, new financial help for small businesses and sports clubs, and new incentives for councils to work with business.

[Nick]

Excellent.

And Jefferey Archer doesn't get to be a Lord any more.

It's a good day.

[Milk Monitor]

Boy George made a good argument on Jonathan Dimbleby's show - 'How can teaching children about homosexuality make it more likely they'll be gay themselves? We teach children about Hitler, but we don't have a load of mini dictators running around'

[Pandarama]

I preferred how Jennifer Saunders put it:

"You can't teach kids to be gay. You can barely teach them to do maths."

[yorkpete]

And about time too.

My friend was wearing his 'teachers against section 28 badge' last night, good job he did as it's now historical.

(he's not a teacher)

[jNyasu: Geekspert And Utopian]

Hurrah indeed!

[spinme evans-strickland]

Pandarama said:

I preferred how Jennifer Saunders put it:

"You can't teach kids to be gay. You can barely teach them to do maths."

that's brilliant.

cheerio!

[Jen from the Olden Days]

Pandarama said:

I preferred how Jennifer Saunders put it:

"You can't teach kids to be gay. You can barely teach them to do maths."

That is brilliant, very brilliant indeed.

Section 28 has been dead and buried in Scotland for some time now, and as far as I'm aware we don't have a whole generation of young people who've decided to be gay on a whim after a Social Studies class. It always was the most offensively ridiculous suggestion.

My cousin was a teacher in the south of Scotland and found herself under complaint in the early 90s after answering a question from a 12 year old boy about whether gay people decided to be gay or were born that way inclined. She answered honestly and to the best of her knowledge, as any half-decent teacher faced with a curious pupil would do, but the boy's parents complained that she was trying to force their son to "accept an immoral lifestyle choice". The education authority (who were pretty damn disgusted about having to enforce the legislation in the first place) managed to smooth it over and it went no further, but she quit teaching 6 months later because it had upset her to such an extent.

I'm quite horrified that it's taken this long to get rid of, but delighted that it's finally gone.

[YumPOP]

There's another, albeit smaller, reason to celebrate the Local Government Act getting royal assent.

A member of the House of Lords wanted to amend the Bill to say that social workers who had moral objections to unmarried couples (no prizes for guessing which type of unmarried couple she meant) adopting jointly could refuse to work with them.

The amendment wasn't accepted. Hurrah!*

_{* Well, I was pleased.}