On 27 July 1967, Royal Assent was given to the Sexual Offences Bill following long campaigns in the country at large, and in both Lords and Commons; in the Lords, the 8th Earl of Arran, a Liberal peer, was at the forefront, taking a Private Member’s Bill through the House to achieve reform. The legislation decriminalised homosexual activity in private between consenting adults; over the preceding centuries large numbers of men had served prison sentences for consensual gay sex (until 1835, when the last executions took place, it was a capital offence). The 1967 Act marked the start of a long process, which involved a series of further legislative reforms over the next 50 years, to achieve equal rights for gay people—a process which is still not absolutely complete.
On 18 July, shortly before the Lords was due to rise for the summer recess, Alistair Lexden asked an oral question in the Lords to highlight this important anniversary.
Follow the link to read his comments and those of other peers…. TheyWorkForYou