Share
Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society
Section 28: The Anti-Gay Law That Sparked A Movement
Ep. 167
•
The 1980s have a lot to answer for - spandex, for one.
It also saw the first new anti-gay law in Britain for over a century.
Against the backdrop of the HIV epidemic, and increasing homophobia across the media and politics, the law Section 28 was passed in 1988, which stopped the "promotion of homosexuality" in schools and local authorities across Britain.
What did this even mean? Who did it affect? And what was the response from the gay community?
This month marks 20 years since Section 28 was finally repealed, and in this special episode we’ll look back to the damage it caused and the defiance from those who opposed and helped overturn it - marking it as the most successful civil rights movement in modern British history.
Joining Kate are a few special guests who were on the picket lines, in the classrooms and making headlines to draw public attention to the cause:
Paul Baker, whose book, Outrageous, The Story of Section 28 and Britain’s Battle for LGBT Education, is available now.
Catherine Lee MBE, whose book, Pretended, Schools and Section 28: Historical, Cultural and Personal Perspectives, is available now.
Paul Fairweather, who worked for Manchester City Council in the 1980s, and continues to support the LGBTQ+ community at the George House Trust, which provides HIV support, advice and advocacy services.
Peter Tatchell, human rights campaigner, who continues his tireless work for equality and human rights continues with the Peter Tatchell foundation. You can find out more and donate to here.
This episode was edited and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.
Archive courtesy of: BBC, Fox 5 New York, LGBT+marketing, Richard Johnson, Direct Action, Nick Lansley.
Don’t miss out on the best offer in history! Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts.
Sign up to History Hit at historyhit.com/subscribe using code BLACKFRIDAYPOD at checkout, for $1/£1 per month for 4 months and you’ll get nearly £30 off our normal monthly price over your first 4 months.
Voting is now open for the Listener's Choice Award at this year's Podcast Awards! UK & Ireland listeners please place your vote on the Spotify mobile app here: https://open.spotify.com/s/xhg6PJa
More episodes
View all episodes
459. The Paris Showgirl Who Fought The Nazis
51:30||Ep. 459Josephine Baker went from poverty and segregation in St. Louis to becoming Paris’s most sensational showgirl, captivating Europe with her dancing, sexuality and scandalous performances.But behind her outrageous persona was an extraordinary woman who became a spy in World War Two, civil rights activist and French national hero.Joining Kate today is author and Second World War French historian, Professor Amerita Hanna Diamond.This episode was edited by Tim Arstall. The producer was Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Freddy Chick.Voting is now open for the Listener's Choice Award at this year's Podcast Awards. Click to place your vote on the Spotify mobile app: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1DX74ZgzrlyH29Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe. You can take part in our listener survey here.All music from Epidemic Sounds.Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast.Betwixt the Sheets is a History Hit podcast.History Hit is part of Little Dot Studios, a Certified B Corp™458. Mary Queen of Scots & Her Sh*thead Husband
54:18||Ep. 458Mary Queen of Scots has gone down in history for her power struggle with her cousin, Elizabeth I. But this was just one of the challenges she faced.Another was that Mary's second husband, Lord Darnley, was one of history’s worst husbands.Estelle Paranque joins Kate for this episode to discuss Mary's disastrous love life, as well as how much of a threat she was to her cousin, Elizabeth I.This episode was edited by Natasha Hughes. The producer was Sophie Gee. The senior producer was Freddy Chick.Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe. You can take part in our listener survey here.All music from Epidemic Sounds.Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast.Betwixt the Sheets is a History Hit podcast.History Hit is part of Little Dot Studios, a Certified B Corp™457. How Many Penises Are There On The Bayeux Tapestry?
53:50||Ep. 457The Bayeux Tapestry is one of the most famous works of medieval art in the world, but what do we actually know about it? Who made it? Where? Why? And are those actually human genitals?Kate is joined by Dave Musgrove, content director at History Extra and co-author of 'The Story of the Bayeux Tapestry: Unraveling the Norman Conquest'.This episode was edited by Hannah Feodorov. Produced by Sophie Gee. The senior producer was Freddy Chick.Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe. All music from Epidemic Sounds.Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast.History Hit is part of Little Dot Studios, a Certified B Corp™456. Slavery in the Roman Empire
48:13||Ep. 456Behind the impressive relics the Romans left behind lurks a much darker story: that most of Rome was built on the back of enslaved people.It's shocking to know that up to 30% of Roman society was made up of enslaved people. So how was this represented in every day life? What was life like for different enslaved people in the Roman empire? And was freedom ever a possibility?Joining Kate today is Roman historian Emma Southon, whose new book Servus: The Moving, Enthralling True Story of Slavery in the Roman Empire takes us back to this world.This episode was edited by Hannah Feodorov. Produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Freddy Chick.Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe. You can take part in our listener survey here.All music from Epidemic Sounds.Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast.Betwixt the Sheets is a History Hit podcast.History Hit is part of Little Dot Studios, a Certified B Corp™455. History's Deadliest Women: The Blood Countess
53:27||Ep. 455Elizabeth Bathory was a fabulously wealthy Noblewoman accused of torturing and killing some 600 women in the 16th century.Her story is popularly spoken about as one of history's deadliest women... but is it true? And if it isn't, why has it stuck?Helping us get to the bottom of these questions is Shelley Puhak, author of The Blood Countess: Murder, Betrayal and the Making of a Monster, to talk through her new findings on Elizabeth Báthory.This episode was edited by Hannah Feodorov. The producer was Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Freddy Chick.Voting is now open for the Listener's Choice Award at this year's Podcast Awards. Click to place your vote on the Spotify mobile app: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1DX74ZgzrlyH29Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe. You can take part in our listener survey here.All music from Epidemic Sounds.Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast.Betwixt the Sheets is a History Hit podcast.History Hit is part of Little Dot Studios, a Certified B Corp™454. Sex and Scandal on the Titanic
01:00:42||Ep. 454It's the most famous sunken ship in history, but its story is surrounded by a lot of myth.Were the working classes locked below deck and doomed to drown? Could the Titanic have avoided the iceberg? And most importantly (to us, at least), what sex and scandals took place on board?Joining Kate today is the marvellous Gareth Russell to talk us through what really went down on the Titanic, and why they've got major beef with Rose from the 1997 film.This episode was edited by Tim Arstall and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Freddy Chick.UK listeners: voting is now open for the Listener's Choice Award at this year's Podcast Awards! Click to place your vote on the Spotify mobile app: https://open.spotify.com/s/xhg6PJaSign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe. You can take part in our listener survey here.All music from Epidemic Sounds.Betwixt the Sheets is a History Hit podcast.History Hit is part of Little Dot Studios, a Certified B Corp™453. History's Deadliest Women: The Evil Stepmother
42:28||Ep. 453In 1909, the third and final woman hanged in Western Australia was executed. She had murdered three of her step children.What drove Martha Rendall to kill these children? Why did others in their neighbourhood stand by and not raise the alarm sooner? And how do our understandings of women who kill factor into the evil stepmother figure factor?This episode was edited by Tim Arstall. The producer was Sophie Gee. The senior producer was Freddy Chick.Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe. You can take part in our listener survey here.All music from Epidemic Sounds.Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast.History Hit is part of Little Dot Studios, a Certified B Corp™452. The Mad Monk & The Witch Hunts
46:21||Ep. 452Malleus Maleficarum may sound like a spell but it is actually almost the opposite. This book was nicknamed the Hammer of Witches, and today we're finding out if it really started the European witch hunts.Kate is joined by the wonderful Eleanor Janega to talk all things Heinrich Kramer, the monk who wrote the Malleus. Where did his obsession come from? And did his colleagues in the Catholic church support his views?This episode was edited by Natasha Hughes. The producer was Sophie Gee. The senior producer was Freddy Chick.Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe. You can take part in our listener survey here.All music from Epidemic Sounds.Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast.451. History's Deadliest Women: The Husband Killer
52:00||Ep. 451Until the 19th century in Britain, a woman killing her husband was guilty of worse than murder, she was guilty of petty treason.So what is petty treason? What is its very harsh punishment? And why was women killing their husbands so terrifying?Kate is joined by Rose Wallis, a social historian of crime, criminal justice and social protest at the University of the West of England. They discuss the particular case of Elizabeth Herring, and why she ended up at the stake.This episode was edited by Hannah Feodorov. The producer was Sophie Gee. The senior producer was Freddy Chick.Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe. You can take part in our listener survey here.All music from Epidemic Sounds.Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast.