200 Years of LGBTQIA+ History

From Shadows to Pride — UK & Global Timeline

Source Record

Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, Section 145

Why this source is used

Primary legislation lowering the age at which homosexual acts were lawful from 21 to 18.

Start with the answer

Start with the answer How did UK age-of-consent reform change LGBTQ+ law? It moved the law from partial decriminalisation toward equal treatment by lowering and then equalising the age of consent. Read the topic guide UK Age of Consent and Sexual Offences Reform UK reform moved from partial decriminalisation to lowering and then equalising the age of consent, while late prosecutions exposed the harm of unequal criminal law.

Source Status

Publisher
UK Legislation
Type
primary
Reliability
high
Cited by
3 pages

Source Links

Open original source https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1994/33/section/145/enacted Accessed 4 June 2026 Open archived copy https://web.archive.org/web/*/https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1994/33/section/145/enacted

Used by Topics

UK Age of Consent and Sexual Offences Reform

Used by Questions

How did UK age-of-consent reform change LGBTQ+ law?

Used by Timeline Events

1994 DiscriminationLegalUK

Lowering of Age of Consent for Same-Sex Relations

The UK lowered the age of consent for sex between men from 21 to 18, a partial step towards equality with the heterosexual age of consent of 16. The measure was fiercely debated in Parliament and passed only with the use of the Parliament Acts. Full parity would not be achieved until 2001.