50 Years Legal (UK) (Documentary)

Sexual relationship between men was decriminalized in UK in 1967. It was pivotal in that it constituted the first formal acceptance by the state that gay people might be deserving of some sympathy. Over the years since, a great deal more progress has been made, both legally and culturally. Simon Napier-Bell's documentary explores and celebrates this process, using interviews with key players from different generations whose own attitudes reflect the shift in social perspectives.

Featuring some of the UK’s most famous LGBT faces, from artists and musicians to politicians, activists, entrepreneurs and more, these talking heads give personal accounts from the worlds of politics and entertainment alongside historical footage and commentary. They remember growing up in a culture in which they had to live a secret life. Some recount suicide attempts, or talk about finding hope in films like Victim (1961), even as men were going to prison after homosexuality was partially decriminalized in 1967. The laws only applied to men, but lesbians felt pressured to conform as well. Meanwhile, gay characters in film and television were still stereotypical, and in the 1980s politicians put discrimination back into the law. But the subculture grew, largely through the nightlife scene that created makeshift families. The arrival of Aids in the 1980s led to even more horrific public bigotry amid years of tragic death. But this also brought more defiance and openness. Bringing the film up-to-date, we see the legalization of same-sex civil partnerships and then marriage, as well as the repealing of Section 28 in 2000. The documentary concludes with Sir Ian McKellen's talk where he talks in detail about a brutal homophobic attack that happened in London a few years before. And the message that this film leaves us with is that we should celebrate how far we’ve come but not rest easy until the source of this prejudice has been eliminated.

Though only an hour and a half long, the film is extraordinarily comprehensive, exploring its subject decade by decade and contextualizing each major development with personal stories about the changes that resulted from it. A very competent and enjoyable documentary, this film entertains as well as educates, but mostly about the UK LGBT history. There is a lot that has happened. The struggles of the community continue but clearly the areas of focus are very different. The progress that’s been made from the very partial decriminalization of 1967, until 2017 when gay marriage was made legal, to today’s openness in discussing transsexual matters, is amazing. In the 70s and 80s, gays could still be prosecuted for exchanging phone numbers or having sex in a hotel bedroom. Today, in law at least, there is complete equality with straight life. And the film charts that progress. (5.5/10)