Section 28 - Support

Support

Section 28 was supported by religious groups such as the Salvation Army, the Christian Institute, the African and Caribbean Evangelical Association, Christian Action Research and Education, the Muslim Council of Britain, and groups within the Catholic Church and the Church of England. The Conservative Party, despite dissent within its ranks on the issue, whipped its members in support of Section 28 in 2000, but in 2003, after further dissent from within the party, allowed a free vote. In the House of Lords, the campaign against the repeal of Section 28 was led by the late Baroness Janet Young. Newspapers that strongly supported Section 28 included The Daily Mail, The Sun and The Daily Telegraph.

In Scotland the most visible supporters of Section 28 were Brian Souter and the Daily Record newspaper.

The main argument in support of Section 28 was to protect children from "predatory homosexuals" and advocates seeking to "indoctrinate" vulnerable young people into homosexuality. Various other arguments were also used in support of Section 28 which are summarised as follows:

• That promotion of homosexuality in schools undermines marriage.
• That Section 28 prohibited only the promotion, not legitimate discussion of homosexuality.
• That Section 28 did not prevent the counselling of pupils who are being bullied.
• Proponents pointed to various polls in an attempt to demonstrate that public opinion favoured keeping Section 28.