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UK to pardon women convicted of homosexuality

The program was only available to men.
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LONDON / ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 23, 2016: A London Metropolitan Police officer talks to two women on the street
LONDON / ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 23, 2016: A London Metropolitan Police officer talks to two women on the street Photo: Shutterstock

The British Home Office has announced that they will expand a program that pardons people convicted of any offense related to homosexuality. Previously, the program was only available to men, but it is now open to women.

Hundreds of men have been officially pardoned for buggery or gross indecency since the program launched. The law only applies to cases where the offenses would not be considered crimes today and did not involve anyone under 16.

Related:

UK could posthumously pardon over 100,000 sodomy convictions

Those people, including some lesbians, convicted for same-sex kissing and cuddling under laws such as the Public Order Act of 1986, are not eligible for a pardon.

The updated initiative now applies to everyone regardless of gender and has been expanded to include other offenses. Army veterans can now also apply to have convictions erased from their record and women who were dismissed can apply to have service medals returned.

Posthumous pardons are also granted.

The law was modeled on the Queen’s 2013 posthumous pardon of Alan Turing, who helped decode encrypted messages sent by Nazi Germany in World War II but was convicted of gross indecency after the war.

“Although they can never be undone, the Disregards and Pardons scheme has gone some way to right the wrongs of the past. I am proud that from today the scheme has been significantly widened to include more repealed offenses,” Minister for Safeguarding Sarah Dines said. 

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