Queen Elizabeth: The Commonwealth gay sex bans scrapped under her rule
Queen Elizabeth’s 70-year reign saw a wave Commonwealth countries remove laws criminalising gay sex, most of which were introduced when they were part of the British Empire.
More than a dozen Commonwealth nations – a club of mainly former colonies – have decriminalised consensual gay sex since Britain relaxed its own laws in 1967.
But bans on same-sex relations remain in many Commonwealth countries, which Queen Elizabeth headed in a ceremonial role. Here is a timeline of major events to weaken or remove bans on gay sex in Britain and its former colonies during Queen Elizabeth’s rule from 1952 to 2022: 1957 – The Wolfenden Report recommends that “homosexual behaviour between consenting adults in private should no longer be a criminal offence” in the United Kingdom.
1967 – Gay sex is partially decriminalised in England and Wales, for consenting men aged 21 and over in private. For heterosexual couples, the age of consent is 16.
