Civil rights movements tend to move at a snail’s pace, however the speed of change and overall changes of public opinion of LGBTQ+ issues has come on leaps and bounds. The pendulum has swung from homosexuality being essentially illegal in the early twentieth century, to the UK having one of the most queer governments in the world and close-to equal rights between queer and hetero people.
The number of breakthroughs in the law over the past twenty years have been significant, but it is not just the legal landscape that has changed, public opinion has too. Using same-sex marriage as an example, Ipsos MORI surveys show that public acceptance of same-sex marriage increased from just 16% in favour in 1975, to 69% in 2014.
The survey also showed the level of indifference, indecision or lack of education on the subject changed dramatically over this period. In 1975, 31% said they “didn’t know” if same-sex couples should be allowed to marry each other, compared with just 3% in 2014. This illustrates how instrumental activism and public awareness campaigns are in changing social attitudes on a particular issue.
The number of breakthroughs in the law over the past twenty years have been significant, but it is not just the legal landscape that has changed, public opinion has too.
Activism has been instrumental in raising awareness of queer issues and gaps in civil rights. Pertinent progress milestones in the UK are:
- 1950s: the Wolfenden Committee is formed after men in the public eye and of status are convicted of indecency, causing parliament to question the legitimacy of the law. A report is published recommending they decriminalise homosexual behaviour, the government rejects this.
- 1960s: Sexual Offences Act 1967 decriminalises sex between two men over 21 in private. In 1969 the Stonewall riots in America spark the beginning of the modern LGBTQ+ liberation movement.
- 1970s: Several charities, not-for-profits and associations are created to campaign for equal rights for LGBTQ+ people. The first Pride parade is held in London with 2,000 participants.
- 1980s: Activism and exposure for trans rights increases, the community is hammered by the AIDs epidemic, at the height of the crisis one in nine gay men had AIDs.
- 1990s: Several TV personalities and actors such as Sir Ian McKellan and Sandi Toksvig come out as gay and speak of their support for the wider queer community.
- 2000s: Government lifts ban on lesbians, gay men and bisexuals serving in the armed forces. Equal rights are granted to same-sex couples applying for adoption, Section 28 is repealed, civil partnerships become legal. In 2007, the Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2007 outlaws discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation for provision of goods, services, facilities and education.
- 2010s: Equality Act 2010 adds gender reassignment as a protected characteristic, same-sex marriage is legalised, relationships and sex education becomes mandatory in schools and consultation begins on Gender Recognition Act with a view to reforming the Act to improve the lives of trans people.
In the insurance industry, vast improvement has been made in terms of visibility and acceptance of queerness. Dame Inga Beale famously came out as bisexual in 2008, casting an example of how you can be “out” at work and hope to avoid vilification and ridicule by colleagues. Lloyd’s and the rest of the industry has a long way to go in improving diversity and tackling intersectional issues, but having visibility by those in a position of power inspires others to come out and feel proud that they need not hide their sexuality or gender expression.
In the insurance industry, vast improvement has been made in terms of visibility and acceptance of queerness.
Clearly there are still improvements that need to be made; conversion therapy is not yet illegal in the UK and ‘non-binary’ is not yet a legally recognised gender identity. Parental leave offerings and parenting rights of same-sex couples still has a long way to go.
References:
Ipsos MORI (2014), Dramatic Change in Attitudes Towards Gay Couples [Online]. Available at: https://www.ipsos.com/ipsos-mori/en-uk/dramatic-change-attitudes-towards-gay-couples
https://www.stonewall.org.uk/key-dates-lesbian-gay-bi-and-trans-equality
Together at CFC would also like to thank Ahsha Osborne-Sutton, Media Underwriter, for writing this article.
