Thousands of gay men to be pardoned

Gay and bisexual men convicted of sexual offences now abolished in England and Wales are to receive pardons, the government has announced

Thousands of living men convicted over consensual same-sex relationships will be eligible for the pardon while others will be pardoned posthumously. It comes after the pardoning in 2013 of gay mathematician and second world war code-breaker Alan Turing for gross indecency.

Under what is being called ‘Turing law’, people who were convicted of sexual acts that are no longer deemed criminal will receive an automatic pardon.

While some have welcomed the decision, others say that the issuing of apologies would be more appropriate.

Main image: Flickr user ‘torbakhopper’

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