Gay rights movement 1980 in the UK research

• ILGA is a worldwide federation of 1,200 member organisations from 125 countries campaigning for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex rights. Since 1978.
• The publicity surrounding HIV/AIDS was a factor of gay rights movement as it ran through communities and created a spirit of unity between people and resistance to conformity.
• In the UK, Thatcher government created Clause 28 of the Local Government Act, making it illegal for people to support anything that might promote homosexual relationships as this went against heterosexual life styles and family life.
• Later on anti-discrimination laws were put in place making it illegal to discriminate against someone due to their sexual orientation.
• Many people were shot just for simply being gay, gay people lived in fear of walking down the street as they felt people knew they were gay and they would be injured or killed for it. They just wanted to live their lives and be themselves but were unable to do so. They felt it was wrong to be assaulted for being alive, for being who you wanted to be and that needed to change.
• People looked upon homosexuality as repulsive and a mental illness. They also believed Gay men and women did not want lasting relationships they wanted fun and sexual relationships that would be short and then move on, they did not want families or marriage.
• Gay men were vulnerable to violence, blackmail and prosecution, however this did not matter as people wanted to express who they really were and would stop and nothing to show it.