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BBC,3 mins

The Wolfenden Report advises the decriminalisation of homosexuality (1957)

BBC Archive

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As chairman of a government sponsored committee on homosexual offences and prostitution, Wolfenden discusses the body's recently published report. This recommends that the law should safeguard public order, not regulate people's private lives. The implication is that homosexuality is not criminal, unless those involved are exploited or harmed. Thanks mainly to the efforts of MP Leo Abse, the law was eventually changed in 1967 - in England and Wales - to decriminalise homosexual acts between consenting males over the age of 21. Whilst there was still a very long journey ahead for the LGBTQ community in 1957, this report takes its place in history as the first light to appear on that dark and dangerous road.

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