On this day, 2 February 1988, four lesbians abseiled into the UK House of Lords in protest at an ongoing debate about introducing the homophobic section 28 law which came into force that May. Section 28 of the local government act 1988 prohibited local authorities, including schools, from teaching “the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship.”
Those who took part in the action were (pictured, left-right) Olivia Butler, Rachel Cox, Angela Nunn and Sally Frances.
In 2017, four other lesbians climbed onto the Houses of Parliament in order to put up a blue plaque commemorating the 1988 action.
Learn more about the movement for LGBT+ rights in the 1980s in our podcast episodes 27-29 about Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners: https://workingclasshistory.com/podcast/e23-25-lesbians-gays-support-the-miners/ https://www.facebook.com/workingclasshistory/photos/a.296224173896073/1912230392295435/?type=3