Government rejects call to give further homosexual pardons
By Sam Rigby
The government has rejected calls to offer posthumous pardons to those convicted of homosexuality.
Liberal Democrat Lord Sharkey has led the campaign to disregard past convictions following the royal pardon given to Alan Turing in December.
Hoewever, Lord Faulks has dismissed the idea by saying there is no “practical benefit” to changing the law, according to PA.
He said that offering posthumous pardons to the 75,000 men convicted prior to the 1960s would put a “disproportionate burden” on public resources.
In 2012, the law was changed to give the 16,000 men still alive the right to have their conviction overturned, but Lord Faulks said that the “intended effect” would be lost on those who have already died.
However, he conceded: “I appreciate that there is a feeling that something ought to be done to right an historic injustice.”
Lord Sharkey said: “This would go some way towards making amends for the many thousands of men cruelly and unjustly persecuted simple for being gay.”
Lord Faulks has agreed to meet with peers to discuss the issue further, but said that there is little chance that the law will be changed.
David Cameron attracted criticism recently after his Cabinet reshuffle, which saw Tory MP Nicky Morgan, who voted against same-sex marriage last year, promoted to Education Secretary and Minister for Women and Equalities – read more here.