Gay News

Gay News was a fortnightly newspaper founded in June 1972 in a collaboration between former members of the Gay Liberation Front and members of the Campaign for Homosexual Equality. At the newspaper’s height, circulation was 18,000 to 19,000 copies.

Amongst Gay News’s early “Special Friends” were Graham Chapman of Monty Python’s Flying Circus, his partner David Sherlock, and Antony Grey, secretary of the UK Homosexual Law Reform Society from 1962 to 1970.

Sex between men had been partially decriminalised for males over the age of 21 in England and Wales with the passage of the Sexual Offences Act 1967. After the Stonewall Riots in New York in 1969, the Gay Liberation Front spread from the United States to London in 1970. Gay News was the response to a nationwide demand by lesbians and gay men for news of the burgeoning liberation movement.

The paper played a pivotal role in the struggle for gay rights in the 1970s in the UK. Although essentially a newspaper, reporting alike on discrimination and political and social advances, it also campaigned for further law reform, including parity with the heterosexual age of consent of sixteen, against the hostility of the church which treated homosexuality as a sin, and the medical profession which treated homosexuality as a pathology. It campaigned for equal rights in employment (notably in the controversial area of the teaching profession) and the trades union movement at a time when left politics in the United Kingdom was still historically influenced by its roots in its hostility to homosexuality. But it also excavated the lesbian and cultural history of past decades as well as presenting new developments in the arts.

Gay News challenged the authorities from the outset by publishing personal contact ads, in defiance of the law; in early editions this section was always headlined “Love knoweth no laws.”

In the first year of publication, editor Denis Lemon was charged and fined for obstruction, for taking photographs of police behaviour outside the popular leather bar in Earls Court, the Coleherne pub.

In September 1973 Gay News, in conjunction with the Gay Liberation Front, recognised that they were receiving a large volume of information calls to their offices. Accordingly, they put out a call for a switchboard to be organised. Six months later, on 4 March 1974, the London Gay Switchboard (now Switchboard – LGBT+ Helpline) was formed. Gay News alongside Switchboard and the Health Education Council went on to hold the first open conference on HIV/AIDS in Britain on 21 May 1983. At this conference Mel Rosen, of Gay Men’s Health Crisis, New York, declared “I hope you get very scared today because there is a locomotive coming down the tracks and it’s leaving the United States.”

In 1974, Gay News was charged with obscenity, having published an issue with a cover photograph of two men kissing. It won the court case.

The newspaper was featured in the 1975 film Tommy.

In 1976 Mary Whitehouse brought a private prosecution of blasphemy (Whitehouse v Lemon) against both the newspaper and its editor, Denis Lemon, over the publication of James Kirkup’s poem The Love that Dares to Speak its Name in the issue dated 3 June 1976. Lemon was found guilty when the case came to court in July 1977 and sentenced to a suspended nine-month prison sentence and personally fined £1,000.

When all totalled up, fines and court costs awarded against Lemon and Gay News amounted to nearly £10,000. After a campaign and several appeals the suspended prison sentence was dropped, but the conviction remained in force. The case drew enormous media coverage at the time. In 2002 BBC Radio 4 broadcast a play about the trial.

Gay News Ltd ceased trading on 15 April 1983.

Queer Fest

Join us on 21 June, for Queer Fest, a full day of celebrations of LGBTQI+ literary, arts and culture. There will be stalls from a variety of artists and writers, as well as drop-in badge making with Sarah-Joy Ford. On the day of Queer Fest we also are pleased to announce the opening of a brand new exhibition, “I’ve had enough of secrets” by Steven Appleby.

Please see above for more information about the event, including scheduled Q&As with Steven Appleby and Malcolm Garrett as well as Matt Cain with David Catterall; spoken word performances; Polari Bible Readings with Jez Dolan; figure drawing with the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.

Admission is free. Some events will be bookable.

With Love, Mr Gay (by Josh Val Martin)

Saturday 21 June – 7.30pm

The Box @ The Met, Market Street, Bury BL9 0BW

“Dear Mr. Gay, if you move my bin again, I will get an ex-mercenary to destroy you … from flat 2.”

This (real) letter was blue-tacked to my flat’s front door, and thus sparked a neighbourhood feud over both my sexuality, and the placement of the blue bins.

Determined to find peace, and not let the conflict consume me, I sought advice and interviewed experts: a dog trainer, a historian, a Middle East peace negotiator and, of course, my Auntie Clare.

With Love, Mr Gay is my true story, featuring cabaret, comedy, interviews and showtunes, as I’m accompanied by the personification of a laughing Buddha statue from B&M, who acts as my unlikely spiritual guide.

Join us on our heartfelt and hilarious mission to find fabulous ways of ending deeply personal battles – even when the idea of peace seems impossible.

Funded by the Bury LGBTQI+ Forum and Bury Pride as part of the of Bury LGBTQI Literary Festival.

Book tickets here – £12 / £10 concessions

Robina Asti

Robina Asti

Born in Manhattan on 7 April 1921 and raised in Greenwich Village, Robina Asti was a trans woman, WWII veteran and aviation pioneer.

She spent much of her adult life residing at 1175 York Avenue on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Though she transitioned in the 1970s and lived publicly as a woman for over 40 years, she only became more widely known when she was in her 90s, after she successfully challenged discriminatory federal policy.

In 2012, following the death of her husband, artist Norwood Patten, Asti applied for Social Security survivor benefits. Despite holding legal documents identifying her as female, including her pilot’s license, the Social Security Administration (SSA) denied her claim, citing her gender at birth as a problem.

Represented by Lambda Legal, Asti appealed and won, prompting the SSA to revise its policies for transgender spouses nationwide. Her case became a landmark moment for transgender rights and was documented in the short film Flying Solo: A Transgender Widow Fights Discrimination.

Asti was also a decorated WWII Navy pilot and lieutenant commander, who flew reconnaissance missions over the Pacific and who later worked as a test pilot.

After the war, she became a successful mutual fund executive before transitioning in the mid-1970s, a decision that cost her high-powered finance career but allowed her to embrace her identity more fully. She then took a job as a makeup artist at Bloomingdale’s and later became chair of the Hudson Valley chapter of the Ninety-Nines, an international organisation of female pilots.

In 2019, Asti co-founded the Cloud Dancers Foundation, which advocates for elderly trans individuals. In July 2020, Asti was recognised by Guinness World Records as the oldest active pilot & flight instructor at age 99.

She passed away in 2021 in California, shortly before her 100th birthday. Through her many accomplishments later in life, however, Asti helped shift public policy and broaden recognition of transgender people – especially elders – within both LGBTQ+ communities and US legal frameworks.

Birthdays

Q. You know what winds up bigots more than a photo of a Pride-themed train?

A. A photo of a Pride-themed train passing a stretch of water so you actually see two Pride-themed trains.

Out In The City Recent Activities

After dining at The Piccadilly Tavern, a group of us travelled to New Islington to play dominos and Scrabble. We had a very enjoyable afternoon in the relaxed atmosphere of the Community Room at Mayes Gardens.

Angel reviewed “Miss Brexit” a show at The Contact Theatre:

“A group of ‘seniors’ have come to watch “Miss Brexit” in a theatre room at Manchester University. Some excellent satire. English humour in all its splendour.

Four Europeans: a French Swiss, a Portuguese, a Catalan and a Cuban Hispanic were “nominated” to leave the British “home” post-Brexit, in a parody of “Big Brother”.

The lies of Brexit promoters were exposed, as well as the simplicity and contribution of EU citizens to British life. Norman from our group was the final judge. He chose the Catalan girl, who by the way, loved the “Meal Deal” to eat cheap!”

Bury Pride was held on 7 June on Knowsley Street outside the Town Hall. There was free entertainment, acts on stage, food and drink vendors along with stalls by community groups, local businesses and rides for all ages.

Patrick reviewed Bury Pride:

“Thanks to all who supported Bury Pride yesterday. Special mention goes to my wonderful line dance group, the Prairie Dogs for opening the acts on the stage in the afternoon. Fabulous dancing. Thanks to my colleagues from the NASUWT Teaching Union for their participation and support, and the fantastic support from the brilliant staff at Cafe Loco on Bury Market. All added to a great Pride.”

If you want to find out more about our future activities go to “Next Outings” on the website.

Terry Higgins

Terrence Lionel Seymour Higgins (10 June 1945 – 4 July 1982) was among the first people known to die of an AIDS-related illness in the United Kingdom.

Marking what would have been Terry Higgins’ 80th birthday, Queer Britain will host the Terry Higgins Memorial Quilt. The quilt was produced by Terrence Higgins Trust and The Quilters’ Guild and will be on display in London at the UK’s first and only LGBTQ+ museum from 11 to 15 June.

Since opening its doors in May 2022 in Granary Square, King’s Cross, the museum has welcomed over 100,000 visitors, providing a revolutionary space to celebrate, preserve, and explore LGBTQ+ histories. 

The museum is now planning to redevelop its permanent collection and launch a series of special exhibitions throughout 2025, celebrating unheard stories, sharing new perspectives, and commemorating key cultural moments, in which the Terry Higgins Memorial quilt will feature.

The quilt features eight magnificent panels, representing different elements of Terry’s life, celebrating his legacy and aims to engage as many people as possible in where we are today with the opportunity to end new HIV cases in the UK by 2030.

Museum director Andrew Given explains a new vision for Queer Britain:

“Walking through our galleries never fails to inspire, as I see the record of activism and change that our community has achieved. But there are so many stories yet to be told. That’s why we are delighted to announce this exciting programme of exhibitions and the redevelopment of our permanent collection – ensuring that Queer Britain continues to be a vital space for all LGBTQ+ stories.”

Richard Angell OBE, Chief Executive of Terrence Higgins Trust, said:

“For many years at Terrence Higgins Trust, we worked in the name of Terry, but without fully telling his story. This quilt is a literal rich tapestry of his life. It speaks to the experiences of so many queer people, from growing up in a small town, to finding his identity through friendship, community, work and music. I hope those who visit will see something of themselves in Terry’s story and understand the ways so many of us have benefited from his legacy.

When Terry died there wasn’t even a test for HIV, let alone any treatment. Now we have the opportunity to end the epidemic in the UK by 2030. We owe it to Terry and everyone we lost to turn that goal into reality.” During 2025, the museum will also feature exhibitions celebrating 20 years of UK Black Pride, as well as on Jimmy Sommerville and Bronski Beat.

Terrence Lionel Seymour Higgins, known as Terry, was born 10 June 1945 in Priory Mount Hospital, Pembrokeshire. He lived with his mother Marjorie at 13 Priory Avenue in Haverfordwest and attended the local all-boys grammar school from 1956-60.

His mum was a nurse and oldest of nine children. She passed away in 1974, eight years before Terry’s death. He went to her funeral with his friend Linda Payan. While he was an only child, he had many cousins through his four aunts and four uncles.

He joined the Royal Navy when he was 18 years old, but was later subject to a dishonourable discharge. It seemed this was by choice. Having told a senior officer he was gay, said officer replied with “if we booted out everyone who was gay we wouldn’t have a navy left”. Having been refused discharge, he painted red hammer and sickle motifs around his ship, and was formally charged and asked to leave.

Terry moved to London, living in various up and coming areas, including Notting Hill and Streatham, before sharing a flat with friends in Barons Court Road, West Kensington. He worked for Hansard from 1976, and left for a PA role in the Middle East. On his return, he worked as a computer operator, for The Times and as a barman.

A DJ and music enthusiast, he travelled regularly to New York to buy records. He was really into the leather scene at the time, known affectionately to his friends as ‘Fat Terry’ and was a gay rights activist, involved in an altercation with the police at Pride 1980. Julian Hows tells how following the arrest of a radical activist, “the last quarter of the march sat down … refused to move … and several more arrests took place.” This includes Hows and Higgins. Terry, “dressed head to toes in leather, leaped from the “HEAVEN” (nightclub) float leather belt in hand attacking the police with it screaming ‘how dare you bitches attack my friends’.”

Terry was a self-taught piano player, enjoyed languages – speaking French, German and Spanish – and keen on astrology. He authored a book on the subject, The Living Zodiac, in 1974 with fellow Geminis received a generous write up. He travelled regularly to New York to get the latest records for his DJ sets – bringing back other bits of US gay culture – and holidayed in California.

During the summer of 1981, he became quite conscious about his weight. Although he only weighed about 13 stone, which was quite normal for a man of his height, he had a number of friends who were some 10 years younger and a couple of stones lighter. Terry decided to embark on another crash diet, but this time as the weight came off he also developed a rash. Towards the end of the summer Terry found it hard to stop losing weight, and the rash wouldn’t go away either. At first, his doctors thought little of it, although they grew more concerned as, over the following months, he gradually became weaker.

Tragedy struck in the summer of 1982 when in the April he collapsed on the dance floor at gay disco Heaven, and was taken to St Thomas’s Hospital in London. He discharged himself after a number of days when doctors were unable to diagnose or treat his condition.

In the middle of June, Terry collapsed again, this time while working as a DJ in Heaven nightclub. He was taken back to St Thomas’ and readmitted to the isolation unit, where he was diagnosed as having parasitic pneumonia. Although everyone expected him to make a full recovery, he died quite suddenly on Sunday 4 July 1982. He was just 37.

His partner Rupert Whitaker witnessed his last moments and later paid for Terry’s funeral from his student grant. While Rupert had raised the possibility of this mystery US illness but was rebuffed. On Terry’s death the doctors refused to talk about his condition to Rupert because he wasn’t “family”. Rupert and Terry’s friends were told to read about it in a medical journal.

Pneumonia was given as the cause of death. Rupert and friends like Martyn Butler, who also worked in Heaven, wanted Terry to never be forgotten and that the cause of death to be known – although very little information was available about the mysterious virus referred to as GRIDS or AIDS at the time.

Although Britain’s first AIDS case had been reported in The Lancet in 1981, it was the death of Terry Higgins that brought the disease fully into public view. His friends used his death as a platform for further action, and soon after set up Terrence Higgins Trust.

Age Without Limits Day – Wednesday, 11 June 2025

This year the theme of Age Without Limits Day is Celebrate Ageing. Challenge Ageism. 

The day will celebrate the value and contributions of older people in society and share people’s diverse experiences of growing older. When we celebrate ageing, together, on the day, we will challenge the negative beliefs and actions connected to older age. 

Birthdays (just one this time)

Edmund White, Gay Literary Icon, has died at the age of 85

Edmund White, the gay literary icon who witnessed the Stonewall uprising and influenced a generation of LGBT+ writers, died on Tuesday, 3 June.

He was experiencing symptoms of a stomach illness at the home he shared in New York City with his husband of almost 30 years, the writer Michael Carroll, and died while waiting for an ambulance. He was 85.

Over the course of his career, White published more than 30 works, including novels, memoirs, plays, and biographies. He received the PEN / Saul Bellow Award for Achievement in American Fiction, the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Lambda Literary Award, among numerous other accolades. He was perhaps best known for his semi-autobiographical 1982 novel A Boy’s Own Story, which became a coming-of-age text for gay men of his generation.

White’s first hand account of the Stonewall uprising

Born in Cincinnati in 1940, White arrived in New York City in the early 1960s, where he quickly found himself at the centre of several significant LGBT+ political and cultural movements.

On the warm evening of 28 June 1969, Edmund White, then in his late 20s, and his friend and former lover Charles Burch were out “taking the air” in New York City’s Greenwich Village. They found themselves walking along Christopher Street toward Seventh Avenue and, as White tells it, stumbled upon one of the events that sparked the modern fight for equality.

But on that particular June night in 1969, as White and Burch approached Christopher Park — a slim triangle of green space between Christopher and Grove Streets – White noticed police vehicles parked outside The Stonewall Inn. 

“There were all these bright lights and policemen dragging out angry black drag queens,” White recalled of the events more than a half-century ago. 

As White and Burch looked on, the crowd began catcalling the police officers. Someone shouted, “Gay power.” People started throwing pennies and beer bottles at the officers.

“I suppose the police expected us to run away into the night, as we’d always done before, but we stood across the street on the sidewalk of the small triangular park. Our group drew a still larger crowd. Everyone booed the cops, just as though they were committing a shameful act. We kept exchanging peripheral glances, excited and afraid.”

He recalls a chorus line of queens and gay boys confronting the police in their riot gear. White’s recollections of the uprising are tinged with wry humour. But that’s not to say that the event didn’t have serious, momentous consequences. “Suddenly we saw that we could be a minority group – with rights, a culture, an agenda.”

BBC Sounds – Pride Collection

BBC Sounds have made lots of Queer radio programmes available to celebrate Pride Month. Worth turning on and tuning in!

Browse content from the Pride collection here.

Out In The City is 20!
It’s our 20^th Anniversary Year
It’s Pride Month
It’s Volunteer Week
It’s Celebrate Ageing – Challenge Ageism Day
That can only mean one thing:
P A R T Y !
Thursday, 19 June from 2.00pm to 4.00pm – 20^th Anniversary Party
Cross Street Chapel, 29 Cross Street, Manchester M2 1NL

We will Celebrate Ageing and Challenge Ageism with great entertainment from Jennifer, Mindy, Pauline and the boys from Wolf. Buffet and raffle (supported by Morrisons Whitefield)

RSVP for catering purposes.

Please contact us on https://outinthecity.org/contact-us/ or text 07434 485 000.

Rainbow Lottery Super Draw!

Please support Out In The City by buying a Rainbow Lottery ticket or two (or more!)

With each Rainbow Lottery ticket, you are not just entering to win exciting prizes, you are also supporting our mission to support older LGBT+ people.

It’s a vital part of our fundraising as we receive 50p for every £1 spent and you have the chance to win cash prizes each week from £25 for three numbers up to a jackpot of £25,000 for six numbers – while helping us to achieve more for the LGBT+ communities over 50 years.

Buy tickets here.

Enter the monthly Super Draw before Saturday 28 June!   One lucky supporter will win a huge Nintendo Switch 2 gaming bundle which contains everything you need to enjoy amazing games – play on the go or connect to your new 50″ 4k UHD smart TV and play with friends and family, with 4 Joy-Cons and a Pro Controller. We’re also throwing in expandable memory, and a one-year subscription to Nintendo Online! If you feel like this prize won’t be a hit, you now have other options – £1,000 cash alternative prize, as well as the all-new, all-green option – planting 1,000 trees!

Play Now!

Birthdays

Belfast City Hall unveils stunning Pride themed stained glass window

A vibrant Pride themed stained glass window has been unveiled at Belfast City Hall in a powerful celebration of the city’s LGBTQ+ community. Installed on the ground floor of the historic building, the artwork represents a significant addition to the ongoing transformation of the City Hall into a shared and inclusive space for all.

Announcing the installation on Instagram on Thursday, 22 May, Belfast City Hall wrote: “Check out our latest colourful addition to the City Hall, a new stained glass window marking the contribution of our city’s LGBTQ+ community.”

The post went on to highlight that the design is “packed with visual nods to the community’s development over the years, including significant moments and various campaigns for equality.”

The window was officially unveiled by Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Micky Murray, the city’s first openly gay mayor. He was joined by Cara McCann, Director of HERe NI, a leading organisation advocating for queer women in Northern Ireland.

The new stained glass stands as a tribute to Belfast’s history, resilience, activism, and the achievements of the LGBTQ+ community in the city and beyond ensuring that their stories and struggles are not only remembered, but celebrated in the heart of the city.

New robotic technology brings hope to men with prostate problems

Difficulty peeing, a frequent need to go to the toilet and trouble emptying their bladder – those are just some of the problems living with an enlarged prostate can bring men.

Just ask David Fleming, from east Belfast, who has been living with one for a number of years and was one of about 1,000 men on a waiting list for bladder outlet surgery.

If left untreated, an enlarged prostate can lead to more severe symptoms such as acute urinary retention and infections – which is why getting that waiting list down is so important.

Fortunately a new treatment – or more specifically, a new robotic technology – is offering hope that those men can be treated sooner rather than later.

Mr Fleming himself was delighted to be one of the first to undergo aquablation therapy at the Ulster Hospital.

The treatment, the first of its kind across the island of Ireland, is a minimally-invasive procedure that uses a heat-free waterjet to remove excess prostate tissue, which Mr Fleming said will make a big difference to his life.

The 64-year-old’s condition, also known as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), worsened early this year and his difficulties peeing led to a catheter being fitted.

But this new treatment will “sort the prostate out so that the flow will be good in the future”.

Mr Fleming said his condition was being managed by medication until December but then it “took on a life of its own”.

“I would have been waking every hour at night, every hour and a half, so I really wasn’t getting much sleep and was really quite tired,” he said.

Now, the procedure should solve the issue, ensure the catheter is removed and give him “a good quality of life in relation to what I’ve had previously”.

Mr Fleming hopes, come his 65th birthday in September, he will be “a new man”.

How does aquablation therapy work?

While there are several benign prostate treatments available, this treatment particularly helps men experiencing urinary problems due to an enlarged prostate.

Until now, men with a very enlarged prostate had to travel to England for treatment or have more complex or invasive surgery in Northern Ireland.

But this robotic technology eliminates the need for invasive prostate surgery.

It uses image-guided, high-velocity water jets to precisely remove excess prostate tissue.

Real-time ultrasound imaging helps the surgeon map and direct the water jet with accuracy, avoiding damage to nearby nerves and structures responsible for sexual function and continence.

Unlike traditional procedures, no heat is involved, significantly lowering the risk of complications.

The South Eastern Health Trust said this technology reduces the likelihood of side effects such as erectile dysfunction, incontinence and bleeding that may require transfusion.

It also offers a shorter recovery time, shorter hospital stays and lower retreatment rates, improving outcomes for patients.

Reports from elsewhere in the world

Recently released is the 2025 Long Term Care Equality Index by Human Rights Campaign Foundation and SAGE (an advocacy service for older LGBTQ+ people in the US) covering LGBTQ+ residential care and senior housing. You can read the report here.

SAGE and the National Resource Center have produced a report on LGBT Aging. See the report here.

Meanwhile, researchers in Australia have published a study synthesising a number of pieces of research into LGBTQ+ older people in care settings. The report features direct quotes from LGBTQ+ with lived experience of care settings.

Also recently published is an article in Yahoo! News covering some existing and upcoming LGBTQ+ retirement communities in Sweden, France and Spain. See “Scared of being pushed back in the closet”

The Alzheimers Society have spoken to Neil Cutler, who cared for his late partner, John, after his dementia diagnosis. The piece covers the impact of decades of homophobia on John and the prejudice he experienced while accessing care. See “The impact of decades of homophobia on a person’s experience of dementia”

Finally, there’s a new documentary – “Late to the Party: Coming Out Later in Life” – being released in the US to coincide with Pride Month.  This article covers the show and mentions a few of the stories featured (which includes Kenneth Felts, who came out at age 90.)

Birthdays

Bridgewater Hall Community Members Day

The Community Members Day is an annual event held at the Bridgewater Hall at the end of the classical music season.

The season runs from autumn to summer and between September 2024 and May 2025, members of Out In The City had enjoyed 35 concerts. Altogether 400 people attended which equates to an average of 11 people attending each concert. Also 76 different people attended at least one concert. We are really grateful to the Bridgewater Hall for this fantastic resource.

Twenty six of us joined in this year’s event for a day of free music making! We took part in an interactive storytelling percussion workshop led by Afrocats, explored the rich history of the resident orchestra, The Hallé, in a fascinating talk by archivist Eleanor Roberts, and enjoyed an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of the Hall.

Tea, coffee and a light lunch was provided, before we rounded off the day, by experiencing a captivating performance by the remarkable flautist Sofiia Matviienko, presented by the Manchester Mid-day Concerts Society in the main auditorium.

ALL fm Queeries Radio Show

We recorded the following show which was broadcast live on ALL fm 96.9 on 27 May 2025 on the subject of conversion therapy:

History of conversion therapy

Conversion therapy is the pseudoscientific practice of attempting to change an individual’s sexual orientation, romantic orientation, gender identity or gender expression to align with heterosexual and cisgender norms. 

Methods that have been used to this end include forms of brain surgery, surgical or chemical castration, aversion therapy treatments such as electric shocks, nausea-inducing drugs, hypnosis, counselling, spiritual interventions, visualisation, psychoanalysis and arousal reconditioning.

In the 1920s analysts assumed that homosexuality was pathological and that attempts to treat it were appropriate, although opinion about changing homosexuality was largely pessimistic. Those forms of homosexuality that were considered perversions were usually held to be incurable. Analysts’ tolerant statements about homosexuality arose from recognition of the difficulty of achieving change.

In 1920 Sigmund Freud observed that “to convert a fully developed homosexual into a heterosexual does not offer much more prospect of success than the reverse”.

Beginning in the 1930s and continuing for roughly twenty years, major changes occurred in how analysts viewed homosexuality, which involved a shift in the rhetoric, some of whom felt free to ridicule and abuse their gay patients.

Nowadays, there is a scientific consensus that conversion therapy is ineffective at changing a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity and that it frequently causes significant long-term psychological harm. The position of current evidence-based medicine and clinical guidance is that homosexuality, bisexuality and gender variance are natural and healthy aspects of human sexuality.

In March 2018, the European parliament passed a resolution condemning conversion therapy and urging member states to ban the practice.

Despite the Conservative Party promise in 2018 to make it illegal and the government’s stated intention in 2021 that conversion therapy should become a banned practice throughout England and Wales, conversion therapy is still legal in the United Kingdom.

Birthdays