Getting Political

Article from Sunday Times Newspaper 13 March, 1988

Article from Sunday Times Newspaper 31 January, 1988

Section 28 of the Local Government Act was a
piece of legislation that made it an offence for
local councils and similar bodies to fund groups
who ‘intentionally promoted’ homosexuality in
schools and supported notions of homosexuality
“as a pretended family relationship.”
While no prosecution occurred under the
legislation, scores of local authorities not
surprisingly took a path of least resistance and
avoided any project with gay undertones.
Resistance came both locally and nationally, in
political terms and from the arts. Stonewall was
founded in 1989 in response to the legislation
and endeavoured to create a more acceptable
representation of the homosexual, founded by
actors such as Ian McKellen and Michael
Cashman. The Arts Lobby was also formed in
1988 to draw attention to the fact that the Bill
was an attack on art and literature as well as the
gay community.
Gay identity in the 1990s was defined in
opposition to this legislation as Section 28
sparked wider debate about homosexuals and
their place in society.