I Wish I Saw Myself in a Book as a Queer Kid
Even in 2024, many kids won’t have this opportunity
Growing up under Section 28 in the UK meant I was shielded from the “promotion of homosexuality” thanks to Margaret Thatcher. In practical terms, it limited any discussion of queerness in school, meant that teachers were forced to stay in the closet, and made it difficult to tackle homophobic bullying — something I fell victim to.
Earlier this year, the previous Conservative government proposed changes to sex and relationship education and guidance on managing gender non-conforming children in school. Together, these draft guidance documents have been compared to Section 28, but for trans kids. It’s unclear whether the new Labour government will proceed with the proposed changes.
Section 28 effectively restricted access to books on LGBTQ+ issues or with queer stories or characters in school libraries, which were pretty scarce for young people in the 80s.
We didn’t have the Internet in the 80s and 90s, so my only sources of information were some gay men’s magazines I smuggled into my house from a friend’s older brother. While I didn’t feel seen as a queer femme person by the magazines, I realised there was a different world out there. Outside my small town were bars and clubs where I wouldn’t have to hide…
