Paragraph 16 and Clause 25
September 1990
In 1990, lesbian and gay rights came under attack again. The draft Children Act (Paragraph 16) stated 'Equal rights and gay rights policies have no place in fostering', while Clause 25 of the Criminal Justice Bill lumped consensual acts between gay men into the the same category as non-consensual sexual and violent crimes like rape and child sexual abuse. The two taken together were viewed as a systematic attempt to criminalise lesbian and gay sexuality and limit civil rights and full participation in society.
The Coalition for Lesbian and Gay Rights was set up to fight such attacks on LGBs and a West Midlands branch established. They sought affiliations from individuals and organisations.
They organised coaches from Birmingham to attend rallies in London on 16th February 1991 and Manchester on 13th April, at 'Liberation '91'.
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