Issues taken up

Future of CHE

The 2018 Annual Conferencre authorised the Executive Committee to explore ways forward for CHE, including possibly partnership with another organisation, and/or the transformation of CHE into a grant-awarding trust.

The 2019 Conference authorised the EC to proceed with theformation of a 'trust' or equivalent to take over from CHE and be responsible for the marketing of Amiable Warriors.

The 2022 Conference replaced the existing Consitution with a shorter version clarifying CHE's relationship to the new CHE Research Trust.

The Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Alliance

The 2019 Conference reaffirmed its commitment to TS and non-binary rights, and declared its opposition to the aims of the recently formed LGB Alliance, seen as formed to demonise trans people.

The Human Rights Act

The European Convention on Human Rights came into effect in 1953. It has led to important advances for LGBT people in the UK (and elsewhere in Europe), including:

• descriminalisation of gay sex in Northern Ireland (1982) and Jersey (2007)
• compensation for gay men convicted of having sex where more than two people were present (1996 and 2000)
• equal age of consent (2000)
• introduction of gender recognition certificates (2004)
• same-sex partners treated as "spouses" in tenancy cases (2004)
• adoption by same-sex couples in Northern Ireland (2013)

The Convention allows individuals to challenge the actions of governments in the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. The change that the Human Rights Act 1998 has made is that the Convention effectively becomes part of UK law, and individuals can challenge the government in the British courts, avoiding the delay and expense of taking the case to Strasbourg.

The 2015 CHE Conference in 2015 committed CHE to campaign against any repeal of the Human Rights Act.

Equal marriage in Northern Ireland

The 2015 Conference congratulated the people of the Republic of Ireland for having voted in favour of equal marriage, but noted the Northern Ireland Assembly's refusal to follow suit.

LGBT History and archives

The 2015 Conference passed three motions on the subject of LGBT history and archives:

• LGBT History Festival: CHE will be continuing to fund the Allan Horsfall Memorial Lecture, and supporting the LGBT History Festival in other ways.
  (For more about LGBT History Month and the Festival, see http://lgbthistorymonth.org.uk.)
• LGBT History Project: CHE will be working with other organisations to ensure the long-term survival of the LGBT History Project [since renamed the UK LGBT Archive] and the recruitment of additional volunteers.
  (The LGBT Archive's online encyclopaedia is at lgbtarchive.uk.)
• Millivres-Prowler photographic archive: we plan to work with Millivres-Prowler and other organisations to ensure that the photographic archive is preserved and made available for study.

Gayle Newland

The 2016 Conference expressed its support for Gayle Newland, whose 8-year sentence for 'sex by deception' seemed totally disproportionate.

CHE archives

CHE has resolved to deposit its archives in future with the Bishopsgate Institute, rather than with the Hall-Carpentere Archives as hitherto.

Support for Peter Tatchell

The 2017 Conference voted to donate £10,000 to the Peter Tatchell Foundation.

Other issues

CHE dealt with a variety of other issues in the earlier part of the 21st century:

• Equal marriage: Not everyone, and indeed not all members of CHE, had the same opinion as to the relevance of marriage in general. The debate at the 2011 AGM bore that out. However marriage remained an area in which homosexual equality had not yet been achieved. The Government held a consultation, concluding on 14th June 2012, and CHE, together with Croydon Area Gay Society, issued a briefing note to our members, with suggestions as to what to consider when replying.
• During the 2010 General Election campaign we encouraged our members to write to all the candidates in their own constituencies to find out their views on LGBT issues.
• In 2009 we asked our members to wrute to the Uganda High Commission  about the Anti-Homosexuality Bill, expected to come before the Ugandan parliament that year, which would make that country one of the most oppressive in the world towards gay people. It not only imposed very severe sentences for homosexual acts, it criminalised those who fail to denounce gay people to the authorities. The Bill had been widely condemned, including by our own Prime Minister at the Commonwealth Conference, and many Christian groups in the UK, including the Archbishop of Canterbury (but not so far the Ugandan-born Archbishop of York) but it had the support of leading politicians and church groups in Uganda, sponsored it is rumoured by right-wing groups in the USA.
• For some years CHE had been concerned about homophobic song lyrics, particularly in songs by certain Jamaican singers.
• CHE was concerned about the situation of older LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) people who may need sheltered accommodation. Will they be housed together with other LGBT people? Will they at least be free from discrimination by staff and homophobic behaviour from other residents?
• Life is very dangerous for gay men in Iraq. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs believes that as many as 30 people were killed in a 3-month period just for being gay. We publicised an article by Michael Donsky on the Edge network.
• The UK asylum system is failing to provide fair treatment for LGBT asylum seekers, many of whom are in very real danger in their own countries. We republished a talk on this by Peter Tatchell.