UK: Gay convictions to be wiped from the records under government plans to tackle discrimination
- Over 16,000 convictions for crimes relating to consensual gay sex could be erased from police files
Those convicted of homosexual crimes could soon apply to have their convictions wiped from the records under a government measure to tackle discrimination.
More than 16,000 convictions for crimes relating to consensual gay sex could be removed from police computers, following intense lobbying from gay rights group Stonewall.
Men convicted of loitering with intent could also apply to have their criminal record erased under the plans, which emerged today.
Out and proud: Revellers pass along the Victoria Embankment in central London during a gay pride march. Men with homosexual convictions can apply to have them erased
Ben Summerskill, chief executive of Stonewall, told The Times his group had lobbied hard for the historic convictions to be removed from the records.
'Not only were these convictions unfair but their presence on people's records has dissuaded many of those men from applying for jobs or volunteering their time to good causes,' he said.
Intense lobbying: Ben Summerskill, chief executive of gay rights lobby group Stonewall, welcomed the move
Until now, men with historic convictions for buggery and gross indecency have been forced to disclose them when applying for jobs of volunteer roles in hospitals and with children.
Consensual gay sex for the over-21s was decriminalised in England and Wales in 1967.
It was not until 1994 that the age limit was reduced to 18, with a further reduction to 16 in 2000.
But the changes were not made retrospectively, leaving thousands of men with convictions for crimes that no longer exist.
Under the proposals, men convicted for consensual gay sex with over-16s will be able to apply to their local chief constable to remove the conviction from the records.
Mr Summerskill added: 'Many police forces across Britain were until the recent past often highly creative in the way they unfairly prosecuted gay men.
'Consequently, we strongly welcome these provisions being extended to men prosecuted for what was often a trumped-up charge.'
The moves come just days after it was announced that same-sex couples applying for passports for their children can describe themselves as 'parent 1' and 'parent 2', instead of 'mother' and 'father'.
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