Image copyright Science Photo Library Image caption Alan Turing was pardoned in 2013, decades after his conviction for gross indecency

Thousands of gay and bisexual men found guilty of decades-old sexual offences in England and Wales have been posthumously pardoned.

The enactment by the government of the so-called Alan Turing law means about 49,000 men will be cleared of crimes of which they would be innocent today.

Wartime code-breaker Turing was pardoned in 2013 for gross indecency.

Statutory pardons will also be granted to people still living who apply to have their convictions removed.

The pardons were first announced last year and have now been officially rubber-stamped after the Policing and Crime Bill received Royal Assent.

The men were found guilty of committing now-abolished offences while in consensual relationships.

Image copyright PA Image caption Relatives of Alan Turing presented a petition to Number 10 in 2015 calling for pardons for men convicted under historical indecency laws

Justice minister Sam Gyimah said it was a "truly momentous day".

He said: "We can never undo the hurt caused, but we have apologised and taken action to right these wrongs."

Mathematician Turing was given a royal pardon in 2013, nearly 60 years after his suicide in 1954.

'Important milestone'

The pardon addressed his 1952 conviction for gross indecency, after which he was chemically castrated.

This followed an official apology by former Prime Minister Gordon Brown in 2009 for how Alan Turing had been treated.

His relatives later mounted a high-profile campaign to secure pardons for other men similarly convicted under historical indecency laws.

Laws against homosexual activity before 1967

Gross indecency with another man: introduced in 1885 and used to prosecute men where sodomy could not be proven

introduced in 1885 and used to prosecute men where sodomy could not be proven Buggery: first used as an offence in 1533 and remained a capital offence until the 19th Century

(Source: Sexual Offence Act 1956, England and Wales)

Gay rights charity Stonewall said: "Another important milestone of equality has been secured in law.

"The more equality is enshrined into our law books, the stronger our equality becomes, and the stronger we as a community become."

Liberal Democrat peer Lord Sharkey, whose amendment to the Policing and Crime Bill was instrumental in securing the change, said it was a "wonderful thing" that Mr Turing's pardon could be extended to other men "unjustly convicted".

'Grave injustices'

Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said: "Although it comes too late for those convicted, the friends and relatives of the thousands of people who suffered under this unfair and discriminatory law will now have a weight lifted off their shoulders."

Rights campaigner Peter Tatchell said the pardon was an "important, valuable advance that will remedy the grave injustices suffered by many of the estimated 50,000 to 100,000 men who were convicted under discriminatory anti-gay laws".

But he said it was "unclear" whether only the relatives of a deceased man could apply for a pardon on their behalf.

"Many convicted men were rejected and disowned by their families," he said.

"The government should make it clear that any concerned person, including personal friends, can apply for a pardon for a deceased person."</s>Thousands of gay and bisexual men convicted under the UK’s historical anti-gay laws have been posthumously pardoned after the so-called “Turing’s Law” took effect today (January 31).

The “historic moment” was confirmed by the Ministry of Justice after the Policing and Crime Bill received Royal Assent from the Queen.

The legislation – first announced last year – pardons an estimated 49,000 men convicted of consensual same-sex relations before the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality in England and Wales in 1967.

It also offers statutory pardons to people who are still alive, although they must apply through the Home Office’s disregard process to have historical offences removed.

Justice Minister Sam Gyimah said: “This is a truly momentous day. We can never undo the hurt caused, but we have apologised and taken action to right these wrongs.”

“I am immensely proud that ‘Turing’s Law’ has become a reality under this government.”

Turing’s Law takes its name from British World War Two code-breaker Alan Turing, who took his own life in 1954, less than two years after being convicted of gross indecency and undergoing effective chemical castration.

After Turing received a Royal Pardon in 2013, calls grew for legislation to be implemented to pardon all men convicted under the laws.

UK-based LGBT charity Stonewall said of the news: “This is significant. And it’s as important to the whole lesbian, gay, bi and trans community, as it is for the gay and bi men affected. The more equality is enshrined into our law books, the stronger our equality becomes, and the stronger we as a community become.

“Earlier this month the Government issued a clear and powerful apology to every gay and bi man who had been unjustly criminalised for being who they are.

“This is not just equality for gay and bi men; the passing of this law is justice.”

The news comes almost two years after Turing’s family, joined by Attitude’s then-editor Matthew Todd, delivered a petition to Downing Street – signed by more than half a million people – calling for posthumous pardons of gay men.

You can apply to remove convictions and cautions for gross indecency by downloading this form and submitting it to the Home Office.

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality in England and Wales, we’re interviewing 12 of our all-time heroes who’ve changed the face of LGBT life for people in Britain and around the globe. You can download and listen to episode one, featuring ‘Lord of the Rings’ star Sir Ian McKellen, below:

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 Sydney gay killings of ’80s and ’90s inspired new Australian drama ‘Deep Water’</s>LONDON — Thousands of gay and bisexual men who were convicted of now-abolished sexual offenses in Britain have been posthumously pardoned under a new policing law, the Justice Ministry announced.

The “Turing law” received royal assent on Tuesday, the last stage in a bill becoming law in the United Kingdom. It gives an automatic pardon to men who died before the law came into force, and makes it possible for living convicted gay men to seek pardons for offenses no longer on the statute book.

The law was named after World War II codebreaker and mathematician Alan Turing — subject of the 2014 film “The Imitation Game” — who killed himself in 1954 after he was subjected to chemical castration as punishment for homosexual activity.

In 2013, nearly 60 years later, he received a posthumous royal pardon from Queen Elizabeth II.

“This is a truly momentous day. We can never undo the hurt caused, but we have apologized and taken action to right these wrongs,” Justice Minister Sam Gyimah said. “I am immensely proud that ‘Turing’s Law’ has become a reality under this government.”

Anyone previously convicted of the abolished laws can apply through the UK’s Home Office to have their names cleared and wiped from criminal record checks.

Sex between men over the age of 21 was decriminalized in England and Wales in 1967. However the law was not changed in Scotland until 1980 or in Northern Ireland until 1982.

Some men affected by the law told CNN they would not seek or accept a pardon as it would be an admission of guilt.

Brighton resident George Montague, who was convicted in 1974 for gross indecency with a man, told CNN in October last year that he wanted an apology for the way he and many others were treated.

“In my view if you’re born only able to love and be in love with another a man — which means you’re gay — then it can’t be a crime. How can that be a crime? It’s not fair,” Montague said.

In recent years gay people around the world have fought to be pardoned for same-sex crimes that have long since been abolished.

Last year, Germany announced plans to compensate thousands of men who were convicted under an old law for their sexual preferences, Deutsche Welle reported.

And in New Zealand, lawmakers introduced a petition in July seeking a formal apology and a pardon for those convicted of same-sex acts under laws abolished 30 years ago.</s>A law that contains a posthumous pardon for the thousands of gay and bisexual men convicted under anti-gay laws in the U.K. between 1885-2003 received royal assent on Tuesday.

“This is an important milestone, and will help draw a line under the damage caused to many thousands of lives,” said Stonewall, a British LGBT advocacy group, in a statement on the Policing and Crime Act 2017.

The law only applies to England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own legislative bodies.

Stonewall had originally called for all gay and bisexual men, alive or dead, to be pardoned, though the British government refused. Instead, those still living can request their convictions for crimes based on behavior that is no longer illegal are physically deleted from records.

Though this process has been available since 2012, it didn’t consider many of the laws used to persecute gay men.

Peter Tatchell, a human rights campaigner, in a statement explains the problems faced after the 1967 decriminalization of same-sex sexual acts.

“The four main crimes that penalized gay and bisexual men were: Buggery (anal sex), gross indecency (all non-anal sex acts between men, including mere touching and kissing), procuring (facilitating, aiding and abetting) and importuning (chatting up, cruising),” he said. “These crimes were not repealed until 2003.”

Though these were not included in the bill back in October 2016, since then the “Alan Turing Law” has gone through many changes.

Turing was a mathematician who helped break Germany’s secret Enigma code during World War II.

He was charged with gross indecency in 1952 for having a relationship with another man. He committed suicide two years later at the age of 41 after undergoing chemical castration as an alternative to serving a prison sentence.

“Thanks to amendments made by Lord [Michael] Cashman in December [2016], which were supported by the government, the law passed today also paves the way for ensuring that everyone unfairly prosecuted for being gay and bi will soon be able to have these ‘crimes’ deleted from their record,” explained Stonewall.

Tatchell points out, however, that for many, getting a pardon for a crime not directly pardoned by the bill is still far from easy.

“Many convicted men were rejected and disowned by their families,” he said. “The government should make it clear that any concerned person, including personal friends, can apply for a pardon for a deceased person.”

Though he believes a pardon is an “important, valuable advance,” Tatchell, who is director of the Peter Tatchell Foundation, is quick to remind people what it means.

“A pardon has connotations of forgiveness for a wrong done,” he said. “These men and the wider LGBT community believe they did no wrong.”

“This is a truly momentous day,” said Justice Minister Sam Gyimah in a statement. “We can never undo the hurt caused, but we have apologized and taken action to right these wrongs.”

Brandon Lewis, minister of state at the Ministry of Justice, released a formal apology on behalf of the British government on Jan. 11.

“I want to take the opportunity to apologize unreservedly, on behalf of the government, to all those men who will receive a pardon,” he said.

Though Tatchell said there is still much work to do, he is still feeling positive about the new bill.

“Since the Sexual Offenses Act 2003, for the first time in over 500 years, we have a criminal code that does not discriminate on the grounds of sexual orientation,” he said. “Progress at last!”</s>Thousands of men convicted of offences that once criminalised homosexuality but are no longer on the statute book have been posthumously pardoned under a new law.

A clause in the policing and crime bill, which received royal assent on Tuesday, extends to those who are dead the existing process of purging past criminal records.

The general pardon is modelled on the 2013 royal pardon granted by the Queen to Alan Turing, the mathematician who broke the German Enigma codes during the second world war. He killed himself in 1954, at the age of 41, after his conviction for gross indecency.

Welcoming the legislation, the justice minister, Sam Gyimah, said: “This is a truly momentous day. We can never undo the hurt caused, but we have apologised and taken action to right these wrongs. I am immensely proud that ‘Turing’s law’ has become a reality under this government.”

There is already a procedure in place for the living to apply to the Home Office to have their past convictions, relating to same-sex relationships, expunged from their criminal records.

Under what is known as the disregard process, anyone previously found guilty of past sexual offences that are no longer criminal matters can ask to have them removed. 



A disregard can be granted only if the past offence was a consensual relationship and both men were over 16. The conduct must also not constitute what remains an offence of sexual activity in a public lavatory. 



Each disregard application is checked to prevent people from claiming to be cleared of offences that are still crimes. Those granted a disregard will also be pardoned.



No lists of past pardons will be published but the new law will allow future historians to point out that those imprisoned or fined for consensual gay relationships would not under modern legislation have committed a crime.

Rewriting history will not be easy. The complexity of the evidence, for example, that led to Oscar Wilde’s conviction in 1895 for gross indecency – including evidence of procuring male prostitutes – would make it difficult to assess.

The gay rights organisation Stonewall has suggested the playwright and author, who was sentenced to two years hard labour in Reading jail, should be entitled to a pardon.

The justice ministry said there would be no historical limit in relation to past offences. It declined, however, to say whether Wilde would be among those deemed posthumously pardoned.

The amendments to the bill were tabled by Lord Sharkey, Lord Cashman and Lord Lexden with government support.

 

 A private member’s bill with a similar aim and a blanket pardon, brought forward by the SNP MP, John Nicolson, was not supported by the government. It would have backdated pardons only to 1919.

A Stonewall spokesperson said: “This is significant. And it’s as important to the whole lesbian, gay, bi and trans community, as it is for the gay and bi men affected.

“The more equality is enshrined into our law books, the stronger our equality becomes, and the stronger we as a community become.

“This month the government issued a clear and powerful apology to every gay and bi man who had been unjustly criminalised for being who they are. This is not just equality for gay and bi men; the passing of this law is justice.

“We’re working to ensure that this new process is brought quickly and correctly, and to ensure all gay and bi men unjustly persecuted and prosecuted can finally receive the justice they deserve.” 



Welcoming the new law, the human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell said: “This pardon is an important, valuable advance that will remedy the grave injustices suffered by many of the estimated 50,000 to 100,000 men who were convicted under discriminatory anti-gay laws between 1885 and 2003 – the latter being the year when all homophobic sexual offences legislation was finally repealed in England and Wales.

“A pardon has connotations of forgiveness for a wrong done. These men and the wider LGBT community believe they did no wrong.

“The legislation has a few omissions. It does not explicitly allow for the pardoning of men convicted of soliciting and procuring homosexual relations under the 1956 and 1967 Sexual Offences Acts. Nor does it pardon those people, including some lesbians, convicted for same-sex kissing and cuddling under laws such as the Public Order Act 1986, the common law offence of outraging public decency, the Town Police Clauses Act 1847, the Ecclesiastical Courts Jurisdiction Act 1860 and the Army, Navy and Air Force Acts and other diverse statutes.

“However, agreements secured by Lord Cashman mean that people convicted under these other laws can also apply for a pardon.”



The last men who were executed for homosexuality in England were James Pratt and John Smith who were hanged in 1835.</s>LONDON -- Thousands of men convicted under now-abolished anti-homosexuality laws in the United Kingdom have been pardoned posthumously under a law enacted Tuesday, and many more still alive can now apply to have their criminal convictions wiped out.

Announcing the new law, the Ministry of Justice said the pardons apply automatically to deceased men who were convicted for consensual same-sex relations before homosexuality was decriminalized several decades ago. Men living with convictions can apply to the government to have their names cleared.

"This is a truly momentous day. We can never undo the hurt caused, but we have apologized and taken action to right these wrongs," Justice Minister Sam Gyimah said.

Calls for a general pardon have noted the 1954 suicide of World War II code-breaking hero Alan Turing after his conviction for "gross indecency." After he received a posthumous royal pardon in 2013, pressure for pardons intensified.

Turing, a computer science pioneer, helped crack Nazi Germany's secret codes by creating the "Turing bombe," a forerunner of modern computers. His work helped shorten World War II, and he was an innovator of artificial intelligence.

After the war, Turing was prosecuted for having sex with a man, stripped of his security clearance and forcibly treated with female hormones. He died at age 41 after eating an apple laced with cyanide.

What is now known as "Turing's law" had been a long-standing government commitment, Gyimah said. It is part of the Policing and Crime Bill which received royal approval on Tuesday.

Activist Peter Tatchell, who had campaigned for 30 years for the pardons and an apology from the British government, welcomed the new law, but said it "has connotations of forgiveness for a wrong done."

The law will "remedy the grave injustices suffered by many of the estimated 50,000 to 100,000 men who were convicted under discriminatory anti-gay laws between 1885 and 2003," he said in a statement.

Tatchell noted some omissions in the legislation, including pardons for men convicted of soliciting and procuring same-sex partners under the sexual offenses acts of 1956 and 1967. Nor did it pardon "those people, including some lesbians, convicted for same-sex kissing and cuddling" under a variety of laws.

The ministry said in its announcement that as well as posthumously pardoning gay and bisexual men, the law allows those still living, and who were convicted in cases of consensual sex with other men of legal age, to apply for pardons.

"This will ensure that due diligence is carried out and prevent people from claiming to be cleared of offenses that are still crimes, including sex with a minor and non-consensual sexual activity," it said.</s>London: Almost 50,000 British men convicted of offences under former anti-gay laws have been granted posthumous pardons.

Queen Elizabeth on Tuesday gave Royal Assent to a new bill which pardons men of any sexual acts that are no longer crimes in England and Wales, Xinhua news agency reported.

The pardons only apply to men who are no longer living, but men still alive who have criminal convictions can apply on an individual basis to have their names cleared.

Government Justice Minister Sam Gyimah described the outcome as a "truly momentous day".

Gyimah said: "We can never undo the hurt caused, but we have apologised and taken action to right these wrongs."

The London Gay rights charity Stonewall described the pardons as another important milestone in equality.

The measure, under the Policing and Crime Bill, is known as the Turing Law and follows the granting of a pardon to World War II hero Alan Turing in 2013.

Turing worked as a wartime code breaker at the top-secret Bletchley Park facility and is famed for breaking the German war machine`s Enigma code.

He is credited with saving thousands of lives because of the ability of the British military to read coded messages.

After the war, Turing was convicted of an offence known as "gross indecency" because of a relationship with another man.

Rather than live with chemical castration as part of a punishment, he killed himself in 1954.

In a society with changing attitudes toward gay, bisexual and transgender people, former Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown issued a formal public apology in 2009 to Turing for the way he had been treated.</s>Thousands of gay and bisexual men convicted of now-abolished sexual offences have been posthumously pardoned, Justice Minister Sam Gyimah has said.

Dubbed the "Alan Turing law", it will effectively act as an apology to those convicted for consensual same-sex relationships before homosexuality was decriminalised in England and Wales in 1967.

It comes after decades of campaigning from the LGBT community and after the family of the enigma codebreaker Alan Turing delivered a petition to Downing Street before the 2015 general election.

Mr Gyimah said it was a "truly momentous day".

Public pressure led to the major political parties pledging to introduce the "Alan Turing law" – in memory to the man Winston Churchill described as making “the single biggest contribution to the allied victory” in World War II.

Mr Turing, the Enigma code breaker responsible for decrypting Nazi messages, was granted a posthumous royal pardon in 2013 – 61 years after he was charged at Manchester police station over homosexual activity.

The pioneering mathematician, whose code-breaking skills are said to have shortened World War Two by two to four years, lost his job with the secret service following a conviction for gross indecency and was forced to undergo chemical castration by a series of injections of female hormones.

Two years later Mr Turing took his own life – and it is estimated that around 49,000 were convicted under similar outdated laws until homosexuality was decriminalised.

This is a breaking news story. More will follow shortly.</s>The UK government on Tuesday officially pardoned thousands of gay and bisexual men convicted under now-abolished sexual offences law dating back decades. The new law has been dubbed the “Alan Turing Law” after Britain’s famous Enigma code-breaker responsible for decrypting Nazi messages during World War II who was granted a posthumous royal pardon in 2013 – 61 years after he was charged at a Manchester police station over homosexual activity.

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The pardons were first announced last year as an amendment to the Policing and Crime Bill and were officially enforced as the Bill received Royal Assent on Tuesday. “We can never undo the hurt caused, but we have apologised and taken action to right these wrongs,” said UK justice minister Sam Gyimah.

The enactment of the law means around 49,000 men will be cleared of crimes of which they would be innocent today.

Statutory pardons will also be granted to people still living who apply to have their convictions removed.

The men were found guilty of committing now-abolished offences while in consensual relationships.

It will effectively act as an apology to those convicted for consensual same-sex relationships before homosexuality was decriminalised in England and Wales nearly 50 years ago.

Rachel Barnes, the great niece of Turing who has long campaigned on the issue, hailed the decision as “absolutely tremendous”.

Her great uncle, known in the UK as the Bletchley Park code-breaker, was convicted in 1952 of gross indecency with a 19-year-old man.

He was later chemically castrated and died in 1954 after poisoning himself with cyanide.

His pardon followed a Private Member’s Bill in the House of Commons.

In 2013, the posthumous royal pardoning of Turing led to calls for wider pardons, and the launch of a petition in 2015.

The petition gathered almost 640,000 signatories, including famous British actors Stephen Fry and Benedict Cumberbatch, who played Turing in the film about the enigma code, ‘The Imitation Game’.

Around 75,000 gay and bisexual men were convicted under the Sexual Offences Act, which was abolished in 1967, and around 16,000 are believed to be alive today.

The law was changed in Scotland in 1980 and in Northern Ireland until 1982.</s>On Wednesday, July 17, 2013, gay men and lesbians of England and Wales looked to Buckingham Palace for news from the Queen. It wasn’t a royal birth announcement, or Prince Harry’s latest semi-naked exploits that they waited for. It was something even closer to their hearts.

Two days earlier, the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act had passed its third and final reading in Parliament’s House of Lords, followed by one last debate in the House of Commons. All that was left for the bill to become law was Royal Assent—a symbolic formality whereby the Queen is asked to approve any new British law before it goes into effect.

Twitter was abuzz with excitement, including photomontages of the Queen in colorful rainbow flag outfits. When Buckingham Palace gave the royal seal of approval, Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron tweeted: “After a long parliamentary process, gay marriage became law tonight–something I believe we can be proud of as a country,” Ben Summerskill, chief executive of British lesbian, gay, and bisexual equality organization Stonewall tweeted: “When I was a boy I never imagined I’d see this in my lifetime. Thank you,” and gay, actor, comedian, and TV presenter Stephen Fry tweeted: “Thanks, Your Majesty, for the Royal Assent. You soon won’t be the only married queen in Britain. Hurrah hurray hurroo!”

The first legally recognized same-sex weddings took place in England and Wales on March 29, 2014. From June 2014, same-sex couples may get married in British Embassies, Consulates and High Commissions, as well as on British military bases. And by the end of 2014, gay couples in civil partnerships may convert these to marriages. The new law didn’t include Scotland or Northern Ireland, but gay-rights activists continue to fight for marriage equality throughout the UK.

It’s not just British gays and lesbians who’ll benefit. Certain rules and conditions apply to foreign nationals wishing to marry here, but now those rules will be the same for all foreign nationals regardless of sexual preference.

Although it’s an upgrade from Civil Partnerships that were introduced in the UK in 2005, the Church of England maintained that they don’t wish to conduct same-sex marriages; hence the new law doesn’t allow same-sex couples to marry in a church. Fortunately, there are plenty of palaces, castles, country houses, landmarks, and make-believe Italianate villages throughout England and Wales where the community can get married.

GREAT PLACES TO GET MARRIED IN ENGLAND

A member of IGLTA (International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association), British-based Further Afield offers a range of handpicked accommodation for gay and lesbian travel. Simon Forrester and his partner Andrew launched the business in 2010 with around 30 UK properties. Today, they list over 250 properties in 24 countries.

Simon believes the new law will have a huge impact on his and other businesses that welcome gay men and lesbians. “It sends a clear message to the world that we welcome LGBT visitors, and that we are a good destination for gay weddings and honeymoons,” he tells me.

Although some are gay-owned and run, none of the properties on Furtherafield.com are exclusively gay. Instead, they’re chosen because of their quality, location, and service, and because they provide the same welcome to their gay guests as they do to all others.

To help gay and lesbian brides and grooms navigate the unchartered waters of weddings and honeymoons, in the UK they’ve launched a dedicated gay marriage collection. “We are getting more and more enquiries from all over the world, but the big thing is for gay honeymoons in the UK from countries like the US where gay marriage is also happening,” Simon explains. “I think that, just because of residency issues, it’s just easier to marry in your own country, but you can choose to honeymoon anywhere.”

Recommendations include The Old Rectory, a stylish property in the seaside town of Hastings, two hours south of London. Dating from the 18th century, this handsome building has been renovated and redressed by current owner Lionel Copley, a fashion and interior designer who’s worked for British fashion icon Katharine Hamnett and as creative director for British fashion brand Reiss.

Lionel and then-partner Brendan McDonagh had previously dabbled as hoteliers by opening Swan House, an award-winning five-star bed & breakfast in the heart of Hastings Old Town. Both properties share a similar design ethos, but while Swan House is chic and cozy like a classic cashmere sweater, The Old Rectory is more frivolous and voluminous like a vintage prom dress.

Dispensing with formalities like a reception desk, it’s like staying at a cool private home. The lounge has an original Inglenook fireplace, big comfy sofas, hand-woven rugs, and eclectic furniture and objets d’art sourced from nearby antique and vintage shops. Alongside Lionel’s design touches and junk-shop finds, there’s input from local artists and craftsmen. For example: the dining room walls feature hand-painted patterns by acclaimed Hastings-based artist Melissa White.

White’s brushwork is also featured in some of The Old Rectory’s eight spacious guestrooms, while other guestrooms are decorated with original 1970’s Sanderson wallpaper or display an array of commemorative Wedgwood plates—a kitsch collection that apparently came from Lionel’s mum.

The Old Rectory is licensed for civil wedding ceremonies. Indeed, Weddings and Events Manager Tracey-Anne Cook has first-hand experience of what The Old Rectory can provide on that special day, because Tracey-Anne and her girlfriend had their civil partnership ceremony here.

“We wanted a relaxed informal day, so we organized a gourmet barbecue and created a traditional style ice cream cart for serving dessert,” Tracey-Anne tells me. “It was a beautiful sunny day so we ‘wed’ in the garden under the pagoda. Our dads gave us away, along with our Boston Terrier, Pacino, who managed to get in on the act by slipping his lead and walking between us up the aisle, so it really was a family and friends affair.”

The Old Rectory can host all kinds of bespoke ceremonies, as Tracey-Anne explains: “One couple had a vintage picnic with free-flowing fizz and live jazz on the terrace. Another couple, whose families came from France and the UK, wanted a very British wedding, so they opted for a winter celebration in front of a roaring log fire, where we served local Sussex wines along with very British roast beef and Yorkshire pudding.”

Although Hastings has no gay venues, there are various gay-owned and run businesses. A local favorite is Café Maroc, a little Moroccan restaurant and shop run by Keith and Mark. With just a handful of tables, the authentic, flavorsome food (including lamb and mint kebabs, chicken and pomegranate tagine, and Marrakesh chocolate cake) is in such demand that extra tables are set up in the evening.

Another option is Pomegranate, specializing in local, seasonal food like seafood platters, chargrilled saddle of lamb with salsa verdi, and halloumi burger with Mediterranean vegetables.

Famous for the Battle of Hastings in 1066, a significant date in British history, nowadays it seems more associated with 1966 because Hastings Old Town has an abundance of vintage and midcentury emporiums–perfect for sourcing unusual wedding gifts. Shops including Robert’s Rummage, Butler’s Emporium, and Browsers are treasure troves of retro-china, enamelware, old lithograph prints and taxidermy animals. Of particular note is Home Store; that occupys a restored Georgian townhouse and sells simple, practical, utilitarian homeware, but everything’s beautifully curated and displayed as if this were a living museum.

England and Wales Say “I Do” to Gay Marriage was last modified: by
The United Kingdom posthumously pardons around 49,000 gay and bisexual men found guilty of decades-old sodomy laws in England and Wales. Those still living can apply for a statutory pardon.