LGBT Timeline

The Hall-Carpenter Archives| (HCA) consists of papers relating to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) activism since the publication of the Wolfenden Report in 1957. The collection mainly contains material from the UK, but overseas papers are also included. The papers are a vital record of key moments in LGBT history from the mid-20th century onwards. Below is a timeline of selected moments from this history, together with related HCA images.

Click on the thumbnails to see the full images.

September 1957
The Wolfenden Report is published, recommending that 'homosexual behaviour between consenting adults in private no longer be considered a criminal offence'

May 1958
The Homosexual Law Reform Society| (HLRS) is founded to campaign for the decriminalisation of homosexuality, in support of the recommendations of the Wolfenden Report

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Above: HLRS leaflet on the Wolfenden Report, (HCA/Grey1/11)

7 March 1958
A letter appears in The Times supporting the Wolfenden recommendation, drafted by Anthony Edward Dyson| and signed by a number of eminent individuals

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Above: Letter in The Times, 7 March 1958 (HCA/Dyson/2)

May 1958
The Albany Trust| is founded as a complementary organisation to the Homosexual Law Reform Society with a remit 'to promote psychological health in men by collecting data and conducting research; to publish the results thereof by writing, films, lectures and other media; to take suitable steps based thereon for the public benefit to improve the social and general conditions necessary for such healthy psychological development'

June 1964
The North-Western Committee of the Homosexual Law Reform Society (NWHLRS) is formed to 'campaign against this country's vicious and repressive laws'

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Above: NWHLRS leaflet (HCA/Albany Trust/1/8)

1965
Kenric is founded to 'remedy the sense of isolation experienced by many lesbians, by arranging meetings, discussions and other activities' and 'to educate public opinion and improve knowledge on the subject of lesbianism'

July 1967
The Sexual Offences Act is introduced in England and Wales, leading to partial decriminalisation of adult homosexual acts in private

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Above: First page of Bill to amend the law of England and Wales relating to homosexual acts (HCA/Albany Trust/2/10)

May 1969
The Scottish Minorities Group| (SMG) is formed to work for the rights of homosexual men and women and for law reform in Scotland. The  organisation changed its name to Scottish Homosexual Rights Group| (SHRG) in 1978

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Above: "Gay Peoples Charter" by the Scottish Homosexual Rights Group (HCA/SMG/5/5)

28 June 1969
Following continued police harassment of local lesbians and gays in Greenwich Village, New York, the LGBT community decides to fight back during a raid at the Stonewall Inn. The event marks the official start of the gay rights movement in the United States and around the world

March 1970
The Homosexual Law Reform Society is reconstituted as the Sexual Law Reform Society in order to campaign for further legal changes, particularly relating to the age of consent

October 1970
The Gay Liberation Front| (GLF) holds its first meeting at the London School of Economics. It was the beginning of a three year period of great activity, including demonstrations, debates, street theatre, the establishment of a new gay press, and setting up communes

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Above: Article on the first GLF meeting, from The Beaver - LSE Students' Union newspaper, LSE/UNREGISTERED /29/4/3)

1971
The North-Western Committee of the Homosexual Law Reform Society is renamed Campaign for Homosexual  Equality| (CHE). Throughout the 1970s, CHE was the main British homophile organisation, growing from 100 members in 1969 to 2,800 members and 60 local groups by 1972. Its activities included canvassing for further law reforms, providing educational material for use in schools, and attempting to influence the provision of medical, psychiatric and social services

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Above: Cover of pamphlet, "No offence: the case for homosexual equality at law" (HCA/Grey/1/18)

1972
The National Council for Civil Liberties| (NCCL) was founded by journalist Ronald Kidd in 1934 to protect and promote civil liberties and human rights. NCCL's activity in the field of gay rights has been focused on discrimination in the criminal law and employment rights. Two surveys into discrimination in the workplace were undertaken in the 1970s, the first into the policies of London Education Authorities and the second into the attitudes of Social Services Committees, both of which revealed prejudice against gay staff

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Above: NCCL poster (HCA/NCCL/6/3)

June 1972
The first issue of Gay News is published. The magazine is still in circulation today under the name of Gay Times

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Above: Cover of the first issue of Gay News (HCA/JOURNALS/294). Reproduced with kind permission from Millivres Prowler Ltd|.

July 1972
The first Gay Pride march in London is attended by about 1,000 people

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Above: Photograph of first Gay Pride march (HCA/CHESTERMAN/42)

1980
The Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 1980 is introduced, leading to the decriminalisation of private homosexual acts between two consenting adults

1980
The Gay Monitoring and Archive Project| (GMAP) is established by the Campaign for Homosexual Equality (CHE) with the purpose of scrutinising the media for evidence of discrimination and caring for material deposited with CHE by earlier gay rights organisations. The GMAP later becomes separate from CHE and one of its founders, Julian Meldrum, is employed on a part-time basis by a Manpower Services Commission grant, to work on the archive

1982
Homosexual Offences (Northern Ireland) Order 1982 is introduced, leading to the decriminalisation of private homosexual acts between two consenting adults

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Above: Letter from National Gay Federation regarding gay law reform in Northern Ireland, February 1982 (HCA/Ephemera/178)

1982
GMAP is incorporated as a limited company under the name of the Hall-Carpenter Memorial Archives Ltd, forming the basis for the Hall-Carpenter Archives

May 1988
The amendment to the Local Government Act, Section 28, is enacted. It stated that a local authority"shall not intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality" or "promote the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship"

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Above: Poster advertising anti-Section 28 event (HCA/Stonewall/1/3)

1988
The Hall-Carpenter Archives moves to the London School of Economics (LSE). The Archives have continued to grow whilst at the LSE, with new accessions every year

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Above: Part of Hall-Carpenter Archives deposit agreement (HCA/HCA M1936)

2000
The age of consent is lowered to 16 for homosexuals in line with the law for heterosexuals

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Above: Cover of Stonewall leaflet regarding their Age of Consent Campaign (HCA/Stonewall/8)

2003
Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2003. Discrimination in the workplace on the basis of sexual orientation is officially recognised as unlawful. For more information, see our LGBT LGBT employment rights page|

2005
The Civil Partnership Act 2004 comes into force granting civil partnerships in the United Kingdom with rights and responsibilities similar to civil marriage

2005
The Adoption and Children Act 2002 is fully implemented giving same sex couples the right to adopt

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Above: 'Love your inner lesbian', Stonewall poster (HCA/Stonewall/2/10) 

Further images from the Hall-Carpenter Archives are available on our exhibition about the campaigns for LGBT employment rights| in the UK since the 1970s.