Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 1980

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The Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 1980[1] is an Act o the Pairlament o the Unitit Kinrick (citation 1980 c.62) concernin Scotland alane. It is the law thit decriminalised homosexual acts atween twa consentin men in the kintra, an cam intae force on 1 Februar 1981.[2]

"Subject to the provisions of this section, a homosexual act in private shall not be an offence provided that the parties consent thereto and have attained the age of twenty-one years." (§80:1)

The law had a gey bit o support frae the kintra at lairge, especially amang the youth; a Sunday Mail survey o 1979 sayd thit twa-thirds o young Scots supported reform. Howsoever, it wis opponed bi monie kirk an civic leaders.[3] The homosexual age o consent fixed bi the Act (21) wis ilka tae the homosexual age o consent in Ingland an Wales (exponed in the the Sexual Offences Act, whilk decriminalised homosexual acts in these pairts in 1967)[4] but wis heicher than the age o consent fae heterosexual fowk in the Unitit Kinrick as a hale (16 yeir auld, as exponed in the Criminal Law Amendment Act 1885).

Legacy[eedit | eedit soorce]

Follaein the passage o the Act, the Kirk began tae liberalise its views on homosexuality (altho still sayin that sex atween men wis sin).[3]

The ages o consent for baith homosexual and heterosexual acts in Scotland eventually becam the same (16) wi the passage o the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 2000.

See an aw[eedit | eedit soorce]

References[eedit | eedit soorce]

  1. "Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 1980". www.legislation.gov.uk (in Inglis). Expert Participation. Retrieved 4 September 2017.CS1 maint: others (link)
  2. "THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE (SCOTLAND)ACT 1980 (Hansard, 17 December 1980)". hansard.millbanksystems.com (in Inglis). Archived frae the original on 5 September 2017. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  3. a b Davidson, Roger (2012). Sexual State: Sexuality and Scottish Governance 1950-80: Sexuality and Scottish Governance 1950-80 (in Inglis). Edinburgh University Press. p. 87. ISBN 978-0-7486-4943-3.
  4. Knight, Charlotte; Wilson, Kath (2016). Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans People (LGBT) and the Criminal Justice System (in Inglis). Springer. p. 48. ISBN 978-1-137-49698-0.

Airtins ootwi the wiki[eedit | eedit soorce]