ON THE MARCH: Michael Cashman, left, was one of the founders of Stonewall
The names of Elaine Kellett-Bowman and James Mallif have, thankfully, all but been forgotten. But what should be remembered is that their kind of bigotry and homophobia rarely passes without protest today. And that’s in a large part down to a crusading group founded 30 years ago.
Britain’s leading charity for LGBTQ rights, Stonewall, was the brainchild of the muchloved actor Ian McKellen. He was one of many people alarmed by the Conservative government’s proposal to prohibit local authorities from “promoting“ homosexuality. This proposal, the infamous Section 28 of the Local Government Act, which most signiicantly prevented teachers from discussing gay men and lesbians in the classroom, became law on 24 May 1988.