Gays hail scrapping of Section 28
Section 28 #Section28
Gay rights campaigners hailed the fall of Section 28 as a “triumph for tolerance”.
The clause banning the “promotion” of homosexuality in schools is being repealed after a vote in the Lords.
Tory plans to replace it with parental vetting of sex education were defeated by 180 to 130.
The vote, which followed an emotionally charged debate, paves the way for the Local Government Bill which ends Section 28.
Ben Summerskill, Stonewall chief executive, said it was “deliberately framed in order to stigmatise a minority group”.
“We’re delighted that the House of Lords has demonstrated a willingness to listen to reason at last,” he said.
The debate saw the first public appearance by former Prime Minister Baroness Thatcher since the death of her husband Sir Denis.
Tory Baroness Blatch proposed the replacement clause allowing parents to to veto sex education materials.
Schoolchildren were being exposed to explicit “pornography” in the form of information supplied by health authorities and other organisations to teachers, she warned.
Children as young as 11 were being given details of sexual activities including anal sex, sado-masochism, use of pain, dressing up, tying up, multiple partners and partner swapping.
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