1976: Table showing the number of offences of ‘indecency’ between males in England and Wales 1946-76. Catalogue ref: HO 522/7
The table covers the period directly before and after the Sexual Offences Act 1967, in which homosexual acts in private between men over age 21 were legalised.
Transcript
Figure 1
Number of offences of Indecency between Males recorded as known to the police, England and Wales 1946-76
[Vertical axis:]
Number of offences
500 – 1000 – 1500 – 2000 – 2500
[Horizontal axis:]
1946 – 1951 – 1956 – 1961 – 1966 – 1971 – 1976
Visual description
The line starts from 500 at year 1946, then climbs steadily to almost 2500 by year 1956. It then starts going down relatively steadily until hitting a low of around 700 around 1966. Around the year 1970 the line then starts climbing again until it hits around 1700 right before year 1976.
- Identify the year 1967 on the chart. What was happening to the number of offences around this time?
- What happens to the number of offences after 1967?
- Can you think of any reasons why offences might rise after the 1967 Sexual Offences Act?
- What does this tell you about how well the Sexual Offences Act addressed the needs of the LGBTQ+ community?