In the UK, Pride continues to run its course of parades and festivities throughout August. This year, the annual event has been marked as an impactful one by making its return to being a protest.

But why is this still in dire need as an imminent cause of action for the LGBTQ+ community?

It was proven right away earlier last month, spotlighted within London Pride, that we still have a long race ahead.

From the struggling rise of anti-trans rhetoric, such as the report from the Human Rights Campaign stating that 15 bans on gender-affirming care were mentioned back in June, to environmental activist group Just Stop Oil disrupting the parade in the capital.

But has the issue improved throughout the years? Here’s a little summary of the history of legislation that has troubled —or improved—the livelihoods of the LGBTQ+ community.

HISTORY

Discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community in relation to the law can be dated back officially to the Buggery Act 1533, which was introduced during the reign of Henry VIII. This criminalised sodomy in Britain resulting in convictions that were punished with a death sentence.

Throughout the years further laws turned over to a brand new law to keep this struggle going.

Before the uprising of the Stonewall Riots in the States in 1969 (the origins of the protests that eventually became Pride), the UK struggled with the Sexual Offences Act of 1967. This was a double-edged sword, though the law allowed men to have sex in private—provided they were over 21—in both England and Wales, it still raked in a high number of men that were being convicted for years to follow for ‘indecency, soliciting, or importuning offences.’ This was an upfront discrimination, in comparison, a man-woman couple would not be criminalised for the same actions. It was to no one’s surprise that there were no legal protections for such decriminalisation.

The UK LGBTQ+ population was inspired by their neighbour’s actions, so much so that the various branches of The Gay Liberation Front (GLF) were born. So much so when the year hit 1972, 1 July, the first-ever Pride in the UK was held in London.

The year turned over into 1973 when the GLF was disbanded and a new organisation took its place to continue the fight for equality, the Campaign for Homosexual Equality (CHE).

It was in 1988 under the Conservative government of Margaret Thatcher, when the infamous Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988 was implemented. This meant local authorities were forbidden in any form or way to ‘promote homosexuality’, as well as distribute or fund any education that includes such materials that ‘promoted homosexuality’.

It was only in 2003 when this was repealed and much later in 2009 for the prime minister of the time, David Cameron to apologise for it.

2004 was the beginning of a pick-up of productively working towards same-sex couples’ being allowed to marry, with the Civil Partnership Act 2004 allowing them to legally have binding partnerships.

Within the same year, there was a victory for trans people, The Gender Recognition Act 2004 was enacted on 4 April 2005. It gave the full recognition of their gender legally which led to the opportunity of gaining a new birth certificate to associate with their respective gender. As much as this was a huge impact there was still a lot of fight to go. Everything was still very much limited, as such, you could only “switch” between the two genders of ‘male’ and ‘female’.

In other areas of the LGBTQ+ community, there was (and still is) much need for protection and safety such as prevention of harassment in the workplace. The bringing in of The Equality Act 2010 allowed such protection for the community and further protections for trans workers.

Marriage finally came to play with a joyous victory, in 2013 with the Marriage (Same-Sex Couples) Act 2013, finally giving access to same-sex couples the right to marry in England and Wales. Scotland mimicked this in 2014 with the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Act 2014. While Northern Ireland waited a few more years for legalisation with the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation etc) Act 2019.

The Struggles of Today

Fast forward to our current state, there are still new and inventive ways the world has chosen to discriminate against the LGBT+ community. Countries around the world are still in a dire legal need of respect and enforcement of their basic human rights to live their lifestyle comfortably, safely and to their fullest.

Last month, a young trans woman was killed in Serbia and the 18-year-olds memorial was later then trashed. And earlier this year, 16-year-old trans girl Brianna Ghey was murdered in Warrington.

Across the pond, there was a whirlwind of a backlash of trans rights and attacks against the LGBTQ+ communities in the States. At the start of the year, the notion of drag show bans became more vocal. More recently, an attempt made by municipalities in Missouri wanted to restrict drag performances as ‘obscenity or a planning-and-development concern’.

The US Department of Justice back in April filed a lawsuit challenging Tennesse’s law that had taken effect on 1 July, banning transgender youth from receiving gender-affirming care.

Honing back down to the UK, where more than 25,000 people were swarming Trafalgar Square last month for the London Trans+ Pride event that had only just entered its fifth year of existence. Its youth proves within itself the necessary work still needed to expand the awareness of and for the trans community.

A big issue of trans awareness comes within UK schools. There is a massive issue at the base for the acceptance and education of trans people and the implementation of their basic human rights. There has been a running delay to introduce further and official transgender guidance. This particular issue was brought to light when the government passed their own deadline to provide such policies in England before the summer holidays.

The reason for this delay was caused by the attorney general for England and Wales, who has ‘advised part of the guidance may be unlawful.’

BBC News reported that an estimated 75% of secondary school teachers taught students who are trans or non-binary.

But the lack of knowledge given and protective policies and safeguards nationwide in place is just the tip of a very large and slippery iceberg. In addition, the UK does not recognise non-binary as a gender on all legal documents, this includes passports and even birth certificates.

As the Pride events end at the rear of September, it is clear that within the UK and around the world there is still discrimination and rejection of the LGBTQ+ community. It proves that though these Pride events are just as every bit of a celebration of the journey taken thus far, it is still very much a battle to ask for the bare minimum rights to live.

The fight lives on.

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