Shame Blair rolled over for anyone with a Sky Fairy, isn’t it?

Plato, that particular state of affairs is always disappointing.

Humphrey, I don’t agree with homosexual ‘marriage’ because of marriage’s religious background, but civil partnerships make perfect sense to me.

Shaun, I agree that Section 28 provided a focus for many people’s efforts for too long.

In reality banning the ‘promotion’ of a sexuality is both illiberal and a nonsense (since sexuality certainly appears to be biologically determined), but served the purposes well enough of former Hitler-supporters like the Daily FMail who wanted something to strike back at the ever more voluble gay-liberation movement to that very movement, for whom it became a rallying point.

I don’t want the promotion of any way of life or political agenda in our schools – whether it is religion, sexuality, global warming or whatever.

Kids should not be subjected to the opinions of those who are in a position of influence. I was at art college in the 80s and the lefty zealots made any whisper of a contrary view impossible.

And I don’t know… believing wikipedia… you’ll believe all that crap in the bible next!

And where is your evidence that the Daily Mail stories were “garbage”? Did these books not exist? Were these parents making it up? Just because you disagree with their stance doesn’t make it “garbage” in itself. The reference to the GLF manifesto came from Wikipedia.

That’s because you labour under the misapprehension that homosexuality can be taught to people. Which is as daft as saying you can catch it.

By “both sides” you mean the moral bigots like Tebbit, Knight and Thatcher on the one hand, and teachers who feel it is important that children understand about sexual relationships, and that being homosexual doesn’t make someone ‘queer’ or a target for bullying, on the other.

The Daily Mail stories were as much garbage then as they are now, and I wonder where your evidence came from which states that the GLF were politically committed to “destroying the family unit for their own political ends.” The whole GLF movement was committed to seeking equality for lesbians and gay men with heterosexual men and women. Yes, they believed in direct action to do so, but their more extreme tactics don’t change their aims, which were defined in The GLF Manifesto:

* that all discrimination against gay people, male and female, by the law, by employers, and by society at large should end.

* that all people who feel attracted to a member of their own sex be taught that such feelings are perfectly valid.

* that sex education in schools stop being exclusively heterosexual.

* that psychiatrists stop treating homosexuality as though it were a problem or sickness, thereby giving gay people senseless guilt complexes.

* that gay people be legally free to contact other gay people through newspaper ads, on the streets, and by any other means they may want, as are heterosexuals, and that police harassment should cease right now.

* that employers should no longer be allowed to discriminate against anyone on account of their sexual preferences.

* that the age of consent for gay males be reduced to the same as for straights.

* that gay people be free to hold hands and kiss in public, as are heterosexuals.