Editor's note

It was 50 years ago today that royal assent was given to the Sexual Offences Act 1967, the first time since the 16th century in England and Wales that sex between men was partially decriminalised. The word “partially” is crucial: British homosexuals and bisexuals had to wait years for many other basic rights and protections, and some are still pending. Nonetheless, this was a radical change that would transform millions of lives. Without it, many of us today would be living in fear of blackmail, incarceration, and worse.

Last night’s BBC drama Against the Law told the true story of Peter Wildeblood, who was imprisoned for homosexual offences in the 1950s and later testified before the Wolfenden Committee. In his review, Dominic James explains how Wildeblood’s story tells us how the insecurity of the postwar British establishment drove it to crack down on gay men as never before. But for all the distance travelled since then, the fight isn’t over yet. Sen Raj describes how Britain’s laws on sex outside the norm were always animated not by moral concern, but by visceral disgust, and that on many sexual matters, that same disgust still rules.

Meanwhile, our latest episode of The Anthill is live – and it’s all about exploration. We interview academics whose research takes them to remote corners of land, sea and space. Listen in to hear about the search for habitable exoplanets, deep ocean trenches and the heights of the Himalayas. And elsewhere, we explore a new word that’s suddenly emerged: “overfat”. According to a recent study, it describes 90% of men in developed countries and 50% of children. If you don’t know your “overfat” from your “overweight”, James Brown is here to help. He also gives us his verdict on the best way to measure body fat.

Andrew Naughtie

International Editor

Top story

A dangerous romance in the 1950s. BBC Pictures

Against The Law review: a fitting tribute to gay men whose persecution in 1950s paved way for new rights

Dominic Janes, Keele University

The story of the trial of Peter Wildeblood.

Special: 50 years of gay rights

Out on the screen: 50 years of queer cinema in Britain

Adam Vaughan, University of Southampton

Decriminalisation changed the way homosexuality and gay culture were portrayed on screen.

Fifty years of gay rights but some in the British media are peddling the same homophobia

Michael Lovelock, Cardiff Metropolitan University

The media has the power to influence the nation - so why are we letting it promote blatant homophobia?

On sexuality, the law still caters to the norms of public disgust

Senthorun Raj, Keele University

Even the Wolfenden report cited the need to protect the public from that which disgusted them.

Why a postwar legal debate over the impact of private sex still matters today

Kim McGuire, University of Central Lancashire

Are gay rights a matter of protecting privacy, or sexual freedom itself?

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