Until now, it has been possible to possess a criminal record in the UK for taking part in consensual gay sex. Now though, men with historic convictions for gay sex will be able to apply to have them disregarded, after a new law today received approval from the Queen, the final step for a bill to become law. Called the ‘Protection of Freedoms Act’ there are amendments secured which will also enable gay and bisexual men maliciously convicted of ‘loitering with intent’ under Section 4 of the Vagrancy Act 1824, to have them removed from their criminal record. The Act follows intense lobbying and pressure from Stonewall, and the measure received support from across all parties in Parliament.

Chief Executive of Stonewall, Ben Summerskill commented:

‘Victorian morality has absolutely no place in 21st-century Britain. We know of many gay men with homophobic convictions on their records who have been dissuaded from looking for work or volunteering their time to good causes. They will be delighted by this important new law, which will help many men look forward to a brighter future. We hope the new measures will now be implemented as quickly as possible.’

 
As part of the process of getting this new law passed, Stonewall gave evidence to the Public Bill Committee considering the Protection of Freedoms Bill on 24 March 2011, and lobbied the Home Secretary to increase the Act’s scope to repeal more historic offences.