By Sarah Lafen

Impunity Watch Desk Reporter, Europe

 

LONDON, England — A bill put forth in Parliament which would have currently and posthumously excused gay men convicted of same-sex offenses when homosexuality was illegal in the United Kingdom was prevented from progressing to a vote after a member filibustered the proposed bill.  The bill, named the ‘Turing Bill’ after Alan Turing, was proposed by John Nicolson MP.  The Turing Bill would have granted a blanket pardon for approximately 65,000 men – 15,000 of which are alive today.

 

Conservative Sam Gyimah MP filibusters the Turing Bill in Parliament (Photo Courtesy of Surrey Mirror)
Conservative Sam Gyimah MP filibusters the Turing Bill in Parliament (Photo Courtesy of Surrey Mirror)

 

Sam Gyimah, Justice Undersecretary of the Conservative party in the UK, spoke for 25 minutes, which took up the allotted time allowed for voting on the bill.  Gyimah argued that the bill did not protect against men who engaged in sexual relations with a minor, or those who engaged in non-consensual sex.

The government countered Nicolson’s bill by proposing an amendment to the Policing and Crimes Bill, which would posthumously pardon those men who were wrongfully convicted, and allow those who are still alive go through a “disregard process” in order to clear their names.  The government stated that it does not support the Turing Bill because they believe it might lead to people being cleared of offenses that are still considered crimes.

LGBTQ-rights organization Stonewall UK voiced their disappointment in the filibuster, however vowed to work with the government and Nicolson to build on the government’s proposed bill and “reach the best possible outcome for those wrongly accused and convicted men.” Iain Stewart, a conservative MP, stated that while he would support the government’s amendment, he believed it would not do enough for those affected.

One of the signatories to the bill was Turing’s great niece, Rachel Barnes.  Barnes told reporters that her family has “always considered that it is totally unjust that only Alan was given a pardon.  There were 50,000 other homosexuals who were convicted and not given a pardon. We would really like this to be put right now.”

Debate on the Turing Bill will start again in December, however many are skeptical as to how far the bill can progress without support from the government.

 

For more information, please see:

NBC — Comprehensive Gay Pardon Law Filibustered in UK — 22 October 2016

BBC — ‘Turing Bill’ for Gay Pardons Fails in Parliament — 21 October 2016

The Guardian — Conservative Minister Obstructs Progression of Gay Pardon Law — 21 October 2016

Newsy — Filibuster Kills the UK’s Gay Pardon Bill — 21 October 2016

Author: Impunity Watch Archive