UK women previously convicted for same-sex activity may now apply for pardons News
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UK women previously convicted for same-sex activity may now apply for pardons

The UK Home Office announced Tuesday an expansion to the Disregards and Pardon Scheme to include women who were convicted under laws prohibiting same-sex activity, which have since been repealed. Women can now apply to be pardoned for these offences and have their convictions erased.

While the UK partially decriminalised gay sex in 1967, offences related to same-sex activity between women were never specifically mentioned, meaning many women were punished under various indecency laws. Introduced in 2012, the Disregards and Pardon Scheme previously only applied to men, and didn’t cover all offences. The Home Office’s expansion of the scheme now applies to anyone who was convicted or cautioned under former laws criminalising same-sex activity.

LGBTQ+ organisations in the UK have welcomed the scheme’s expansion as a necessary change. Commenting on the new Scheme, Rob Cookson, Deputy Chief Executive of the LGBT Foundation said: “The criminalisation of gay men made a huge, terrible impact on many people in our community. It is only right that the Disregards and Pardons Scheme has been widened.”

However, these pardons are not automatic: an application must be made to receive a pardon and have a conviction wiped from records. Under the previous Scheme, only 208 people were awarded pardons, with 400 rejected. Speaking on the changes to the Scheme, Secretary of State for Safeguarding, Sarah Daines, stated that: “This extension to the Scheme will widen the scope,” potentially allowing for more successful applications.

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