Gay History (1950-1990) Trivia Quiz

Answer: Alan Turing

Alan Turing, regarded by many as being the "father of computer science", was an English cryptanalyst who was an important figure in Britain's encryption and decryption efforts throughout the Second World War. Unfortunately for Turing, he was prosecuted in 1952 for indecency under a section of the Criminal Law Amendment Act 1885, an Act which prohibited certain homosexual acts.

As a consequence of breaking the law in such a manner, Alan Turing was forced to choose between a prison sentence or to subject himself to a course of hormones that would control his sexual urges.

As the latter of the two options granted probation, Turing opted to take a course of oestrogen (stilboestrol). Two years later, in 1954, Alan Turing was found dead and the cause of death registered as suicide by poison.

Answer: Wolfenden Report

The 'Report of the Departmental Committee on Homosexual Offences and Prostitution' was a document prepared by a committee chaired by Lord Wolfenden. It is a rather common occurrence for reports with long-winded titles to be referred to by a shorter, catchier name and in this case the everyday title became the 'Wolfenden Report'.

In the context of its time the conclusions drawn by the committee were radical, even going so far as to suggest that "homosexual behaviour between consenting adults in private should no longer be a criminal offence".

Answer: No

Out of the four constituent nations of the United Kingdom (England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland), the Sexual Offences Act 1967 decriminalised some homosexual acts in just England and Wales. As such, the laws surrounding homosexuality at the time were different depending upon where in the UK you were situated. The legislation was very specific on the restrictions that were being lifted, namely "acts in private between two men, both of whom [have] attained the age of 21" were from thereon legal. In the early 1980s, both Scotland and Northern Ireland followed suit and for all four nations, the age of consent was dropped from 21 to eighteen (1994) and then to sixteen (2000).

Note: This information section made significant use of Wikipedia's article on 'Sexual Offences Act 1967' which in turn made use of a document of the same name published by the Office of Public Sector Information.

Answer: Mary Whitehouse

Mary Whitehouse is perhaps best known for her strong views on what should and should not be broadcast on Britain's radio stations and television channels. She was very vocal in her criticism of any programme that she thought threatened traditional standards of morality and homosexuality was one such threat. Along with people such as Sir Cliff Richard, Mary Whitehouse became involved with the Nationwide Festival of Light, an organisation that sought to stop society shifting towards a more sexualised culture.

In opposition to this was the Gay Liberation Front (GLF), a group that included members that arguably had a lot to gain from a more sexually permissive society in terms of acceptance of homosexuality. In 1971, the GLF interrupted a rally held by the Nationwide Festival of Light with GLF members dressed in drag. Now that really is a clash of cultures!

Answer: Jan Morris

At the time of Edmund Hillary's ascent of Mount Everest in the 1950s, Jan Morris went by her birth name of James and her gender at the time of her birth, male. Morris was a respected journalist and enthusiastic travel writer but she also penned 'Conundrum', a candid description of the decade of her life spent in transition from male to female.

Answer: The Naked Civil Servant

When it comes to widespread acceptance of a minority group, visibility is key. Whereas television can be used as a form of entertainment, it can also be used to change the attitudes of large numbers of people on a variety of social issues. In the television output of Western nations in the 21st century, LGBT characters are not exactly rare, but around the time that 'The Naked Civil Servant' was released, a character such as that played by John Hurt was not a common sight at all.

Answer: HIV/AIDS

The Terrence Higgins Trust was set up in the early 1980s, around the time that awareness of HIV/AIDS was starting to become more widespread. As is to be expected for a virus that caused great panic and fear amongst populations, misinformation was rife. Consequently, organisations such as the Terrence Higgins Trust were set up in order to inform people of the facts and provide information on how to reduce HIV transmission rates.

Answer: One of the first openly gay MPs

Chris Smith wasn't the first gay person to be an MP but he was one of the first openly gay MPs. In fact, the Labour MP was very honest about who he was to the constituents who elected him. In 1984, the London-based politician found himself speaking on an LGBT-related issue and in his verbal statement he expressed the following, "Good afternoon, I'm Chris Smith, I'm the Labour MP for Islington South and Finsbury. I'm gay, and so for that matter are about a hundred other members of the House of Commons, but they won't tell you openly".

The comment may seem rather mundane but in 1984, this level of honesty regarding such matters was rarely seen in the political arena.

Answer: Margaret Thatcher

When it came to gay issues, the Conservatives became associated with Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988 for many decades after its passage through parliament. The legislation was overseen by the then Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, and it was particularly important when it came to disseminating information on homosexuality in British schools. An excerpt which explicitly mentions schools reads as follows, "[a local authority shall not] promote the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship".

In a very interesting change of attitudes, the Conservatives were the party, supported by their Liberal Democrat coalition partners, who successfully legislated for the legalisation of same-sex marriage in 2013.

Answer: Stonewall UK

The Stonewall riots, named after the Stonewall Inn in New York, were uprisings brought about by a police raid of the aforementioned institution. The Stonewall Inn was regularly frequented by members of the LGBT community and became known as the geographical origin of the modern gay rights movement in America.

The legacy of the uprisings lasted for many decades through the name of gay rights groups set up all over the world, Stonewall UK being one such example.