NPR

Decades After 'Massive Injustice' Repealed, Scotland Will Offer Pardons To Gay Men

The bill automatically pardons men convicted under Scotland's longtime ban on same-sex relations, which wasn't repealed until 1980. Lawmakers vowed to send a "message that these laws were unjust."

For centuries in Scotland, it was illegal for gay or bisexual men to act on same-sex attractions. Sexual relations, kissing, even flirting — if a Scottish man did it even with a consenting partner, he risked arrest and public shame. By , thousands were prosecuted and convicted before the law was .

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from NPR

NPR3 min readInternational Relations
Venezuela Orders The Closure Of Its Embassy In Ecuador
Venezuela's president ordered the closure of his country's embassy in Ecuador in solidarity with Mexico in its protest over a raid by Ecuadorian authorities on the Mexican embassy in Quito.
NPR3 min read
NBA Bans Jontay Porter After Gambling Probe Shows He Shared Information, Bet On Games
The Toronto Raptors player has been banned for life from the NBA after a probe found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors and bet on games, even betting on the Raptors to lose.
NPR3 min read
NPR Editor Uri Berliner Resigns With Blast At New CEO
The senior editor says CEO Katherine Maher has "divisive views" that confirm the issues he wrote about in an essay accusing NPR of losing the public's trust.

Related Books & Audiobooks