Marking the 21st anniversary of the repeal of Section 28 in England and Wales, we are launching out latest project: PROTEST! – Documenting Dissent - a two-year long research and creative engagement programme, generously supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

 

In 1988 coinciding with the height of the AIDS crisis; less than 10% of British adults thought that same-sex relations were ‘acceptable’. Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government subsequently introduced Section 28 of the Local Government Act which prohibited the ‘promotion of homosexuality’ by schools and local authorities. In direct response to this, and as an act of protest and defiance, over 20,000 people took to Manchester’s streets to express their anger… making it the biggest and single LGBTQ+ demonstration in British history.

 

This extraordinary event is the starting point for PROTEST!