Britain Lowers Gay Age of Consent to 18
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LONDON — The House of Commons voted Monday to lower the age of consent for sex between men from 21 to 18, angering gays who had lobbied to cut the age to 16 to conform with laws for heterosexuals and lesbians.
“Eighteen is not a compromise. It’s discrimination,” said Peter Tatchell, a spokesman for the gay rights group OutRage.
The Commons first narrowly defeated an amendment to lower the age to 16 and then voted 427-162 to lower the age to 18.
Prime Minister John Major, seeking compromise on a divisive issue, had backed the proposal to lower the age to 18.
The proposal to lower the age to 16 was sponsored by Conservative lawmaker Edwina Currie and was backed by the opposition Labor Party and the British Medical Assn.
But many lawmakers felt that 16 was too young, saying 16-year-old boys are too impressionable to know their sexual orientation and could easily be influenced by older men.
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