Pride Month 2020!!

It is Pride month 2020, and with the UK under social distancing measures, our annual parades are cancelled. I’m missing the throng on the streets, and social media filled with rainbow flags.

Several years ago, someone asked whether I would do a painting with Pride in mind. It’s not really how I paint, creativity on demand, but that conversation did later spark a painting entitled, ‘Longing’.

It is a permanent fixture of my bedroom wall, this picture representation of a woman’s love for another woman.

A brief trip down memory lane…

My first Pride was in 1994. Armed with placards and doc martin boots, I joined a coachload of Sheffield’s LGBT students on a day trip to London. Pushing back against discrimination faced by the community, loud speakers demanded the repeal of section 28 amidst the throng of drums and whistles, and Bananarama’s playlist. It was the year when big news was a kiss between two women on Brookside. The age of consent between two male partners was reduced to 18. It would be another 6 years before the age of consent was equalised.

I have returned to London Pride many times since, and am a regular at Exeter Pride. Battles have been fought and some have been won. It’s always great to soak up the atmosphere of celebration, but I don’t take for granted what hard-won progress we have made. Section 28 wasn’t repealed until 2000. As someone who taught in high schools during that time, I firmly believe this cruel bill exacerbated homophobia in schools.

Here’s a quick reminder of the UK’s journey towards liberation.

50 years of legislation

1967 – Sex between two men over 21 and “in private” is decriminalised

1980 – Decriminalisation in Scotland

1982 – Decriminalisation in Northern Ireland

1994 – The age of consent for two male partners is lowered to 18

2000 – The ban on gay and bisexual people serving in the armed forces is lifted; the age of consent is equalised for same- and opposite-sex partners at 16

2002 – Same-sex couples are given equal rights when it comes to adoption

2003 – Gross indecency is removed as an offence

2004 – A law allowing civil partnerships is passed

2007 – Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is banned

2010 – Gender reassignment is added as a protected characteristic in equality legislation

2014 – Gay marriage becomes legal in England, Wales and Scotland

It is sobering, and worth remembering that while I enjoy the liberty of marrying another woman, not everyone has those same freedoms. It’s just one of the reasons why the rainbow flag holds a special place.