 lgbt rights in the uk lgbt rights in the uk barsha ven 1102021 1720 the country has long been regarded as one of europe s most progressive countries when it comes to lgbt rights the united kingdom is renowned for having a diverse and accepting culture in the past few decades the country has made significant progress in its acceptance of lesbian gay bisexual and transgender lgbt persons who contribute significantly to the culture and economy long before the arrival of augustine of canterbury in 597 ad when christianity was officially introduced to britain british individuals were free to engage in homosexual behavior since the start of the iron age 600bc during the roman celtic and anglosaxon eras christianity and homosexuality started to collide after 597 ad samesex male sexual intercourse was described as sinful but it wasn t considered criminal it was deemed illegal and punished by death under the buggery act of 1533 however there was no regulation specifically targeting female homosexuality lgbt rights gained notoriety after men s sexual behavior was decriminalized in england and wales in 1967 and afterward in scotland and northern ireland in scotland it took effect in 1981 following the passage of the criminal justice act similarly in northern ireland homosexuality was legalized in 1982 as a result of a court case brought to the european court of human rights by jeff dudgeon in 1981 regarding abuse of the right to private life in 2020 the number of uk residents who identified as lesbian gay or bisexual has grown by over onethird according to recent estimates there were 12 million lgbtq adults in the uk in 2018 lgb identity was most prevalent among those aged 1624 accounting for 44 of the total population a lot has been changed for the lgbt community samesex marriage was legalized in wales and england by the marriage samesex couples act 2013 it went into effect on march 13th 2014 and the first weddings were consummated on march 29 2014 section 9 made it possible for a civil partnership to be converted into a marriage for any couple that was registered for it with the approval of the marriage and civil partnership scotland act 2014 samesex marriage became legal in scotland for the first time and went into effect on december 16 2014 the first marriage took place on the same day for couples in civil partnership whereas others tied the knot for the first time on december 31 2014 in comparison to england wales and scotland northern ireland took a lengthy time to legalize samesex marriage it became legal on january 13 2020 the gender acknowledgment act of 2004 went into force on april 4 2005 giving transgender persons complete legal recognition of their gender enabling them to get their new birth certificate however there were restrictions on gender choices to male or female public consultation on act reform was placed in the uk from july to october of last year but there has been no report from the consultation the government also introduced the equality act 2010 which provided safeguards for lgbt workers from discrimination victimization and harassment at work existing legislation was combined with new safeguards for transgender employees strengthening the rights given by the gender recognition act of 1998 despite the progress the uk government has made lgbt community there is still a long way to go before the lgbt community is fully accepted in society the country has long been regarded as one of europe s most progressive countries when it comes to lgbt rights the united kingdom is renowned for having a diverse and accepting culture in the past few decades the country has made significant progress in its acceptance of lesbian gay bisexual and transgender lgbt persons who contribute significantly to the culture and economy long before the arrival of augustine of canterbury in 597 ad when christianity was officially introduced to britain british individuals were free to engage in homosexual behavior since the start of the iron age 600bc during the roman celtic and anglosaxon eras christianity and homosexuality started to collide after 597 ad samesex male sexual intercourse was described as sinful but it wasn t considered criminal it was deemed illegal and punished by death under the buggery act of 1533 however there was no regulation specifically targeting female homosexuality lgbt rights gained notoriety after men s sexual behavior was decriminalized in england and wales in 1967 and afterward in scotland and northern ireland in scotland it took effect in 1981 following the passage of the criminal justice act similarly in northern ireland homosexuality was legalized in 1982 as a result of a court case brought to the european court of human rights by jeff dudgeon in 1981 regarding abuse of the right to private life in 2020 the number of uk residents who identified as lesbian gay or bisexual has grown by over onethird according to recent estimates there were 12 million lgbtq adults in the uk in 2018 lgb identity was most prevalent among those aged 1624 accounting for 44 of the total population a lot has been changed for the lgbt community samesex marriage was legalized in wales and england by the marriage samesex couples act 2013 it went into effect on march 13th 2014 and the first weddings were consummated on march 29 2014 section 9 made it possible for a civil partnership to be converted into a marriage for any couple that was registered for it with the approval of the marriage and civil partnership scotland act 2014 samesex marriage became legal in scotland for the first time and went into effect on december 16 2014 the first marriage took place on the same day for couples in civil partnership whereas others tied the knot for the first time on december 31 2014 in comparison to england wales and scotland northern ireland took a lengthy time to legalize samesex marriage it became legal on january 13 2020 the gender acknowledgment act of 2004 went into force on april 4 2005 giving transgender persons complete legal recognition of their gender enabling them to get their new birth certificate however there were restrictions on gender choices to male or female public consultation on act reform was placed in the uk from july to october of last year but there has been no report from the consultation the government also introduced the equality act 2010 which provided safeguards for lgbt workers from discrimination victimization and harassment at work existing legislation was combined with new safeguards for transgender employees strengthening the rights given by the gender recognition act of 1998 despite the progress the uk government has made lgbt community there is still a long way to go before the lgbt community is fully accepted in society  