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UK News

'The whole Church can unite over homosexuality pardons'

Diverse Church also told Premier the news that thousands of men convicted for consensual same-sex relationships are going to be posthumously pardoned is a step in the right direction but it does not go far enough.

Rev Sally Hitchiner, from Divine Church told the News Hour: "Even those who are conservative on gay marriage, I think, would welcome this. I don't think prison is in anyway a response to somebody who is just living a gay lifestyle."

Homosexuality was decriminalised throughout England and Wales in 1967 under the Sexual Offences Act, with Scotland and Northern Ireland following suit in 1980 and 1982, respectively.

Men convicted under the UK's previous homosexuality laws have been allowed to request their convictions be disregarded, since 2012, meaning the convictions do not appear on their criminal records.

Calls for the government to go further after World War II codebreaker Alan Turing received a posthumous royal pardon in 2013 over a conviction in 1952 for gross indecency.

Rev Sally went on to say: "[Given] the number of gay men in particular that committed suicide in the past and boys who, at 15 or 16, were found kissing another boy, were locked up in prison and then committed suicide as a result, I do think we need to apologise to their families and those who survived that."

Announcing the posthumous pardons, justice minister Sam Gyimah, said: "It is hugely important that we pardon people convicted of historical sexual offences who would be innocent of any crime today."

Listen to Premier's Aaron James speak to Rev Sally Hitchiner here:

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