Source Record
Sexual Offences Act 1967
Why this source is used
Primary legislation for the 1967 partial decriminalisation framework in England and Wales.
Start with the answer
Start with the answer When was homosexuality decriminalised in the UK? The Sexual Offences Act 1967 partially decriminalised consensual sex between men in England and Wales, but UK-wide reform happened in stages and equality was not achieved by that Act alone. Start with the answer When was homosexuality legalised in the UK? If by legalised you mean partial decriminalisation of sex between men, England and Wales changed the law in 1967. The UK did not reach equality in one step: Scotland, Northern Ireland, age-of-consent reform and later partnership and marriage recognition followed through separate legal routes. Start with the answer How did UK law criminalise homosexuality before 1967? Before 1967, English and Welsh law criminalised male same-sex intimacy through buggery and gross indecency offences, with punishments ranging from execution to imprisonment.
Source Status
- Publisher
- The National Archives / legislation.gov.uk
- Type
- legal
- Reliability
- high
- Cited by
- 9 pages
