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Age of consent

The age of consent in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland is 16 regardless of sexual orientation or gender. The age of consent in Ireland is 17. The age of consent in other EU countries varies.

It's barely been 50 years since the Sexual Offences Act (1967) decriminalised sex between two consenting males, as long as those involved were aged 21 or over.

Ages of consent in Europe | Wikipedia

Age of Consent | Bronski Beat

By 1984, many European countries had reduced the age of consent for homosexual acts to 16, but it remained at 21 in the United Kingdom. Having only been decriminalised in 1967, the wording of the legislation to decriminalise also included wording that placed restrictions such as making illegal the use of a hotel room for sex. Against this background, the Age of Consent was a seminal and debut album by Bronski Beat (Steve Bronski, Larry Steinbachek and Jimmy Somerville) released on London Records on 15 October 1984.

On the cusp of the AIDS epidemic, Jimmy Sommerville appearing in Top Of The Pops 1984 was a light in a dark time for gay rights with  Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988 passed a few years later. It stated that a local authority "shall not intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality" or "promote the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship".

Smalltown Boy from Age of Consent | Bronski Beat
Tell Me Why from Age of Consent | Bronski Beat
I Feel Love Jimmy Somerville and Marc Almond