Section 25

Dear Sirs,

We, the members of the International Lesbian and Gay Association in the Netherlands, address this petition to you to express our deep concern on certain developments in the United Kingdom. British lesbians and gay men face a range of prejudiced laws and are not protected by anti-discrimination legislation. Their human rights situation is the worst of any lesbian/gay population in any country of the European Community; their legal rights are among the least in Europe. [...]

We urgently address to the government to use their power in 1991 to:

• revise the laws which create crimes out of victimless and consensual gay sex acts;
• reduce the gay male age of consent to 16 years [was 21 at this time];
• withdraw plans to prevent lesbians and gay men from fostering children;
• legalise homosexuality in the armed forces. [...]
  

On behalf of the members of the ILGA in the Netherlands, C. van Wijk, chairman of the Dutch Association for the Integration of Homosexuality COC. Members of the ILGA in the Netherlands:

• N.I.V.H. COC, the Dutch Association for the Integration of Homosexuality
• The Gay and Lesbian Studies Department of the University of Utrecht
• Group 7152 for lesbian and bisexual women
• Sjalhomo, the jewish gay/lesbian group
• ABOP, the trade union for teachers
• The gay group of the political party 'Groen Links'
• Martijn, the association for pedophiles
• The Gay Krant, a gay magazine
• Homodok, documentation centre for gay issues
  

source: Letter 'Section 25' by COC to the Ambassador of the United Kingdom, Sir Michael Jenkins KCMG; 14 February 1991