A long and winding road

The first event came in the wake of the abolition of section 28 of 1988's Local Government Act, the now infamous law which prohibited local authorities and schools in England and Wales from 'promoting' homosexuality and labelled gay family relationships as 'pretend'.

To coincide with LGBT history month, this week the Law Society hosted its twelfth lecture in association with equal rights charity Stonewall. Titled 'The long and winding road - the issues facing LGBTI people worldwide', the spotlight moved away from the UK and towards the atrocities continuing to take place each day around the globe. Human rights barrister and chief executive of the Human Dignity Trust, John Cooper OBE, delivered the lecture.

The trust works with local groups across the 79 jurisdictions where private consensual sexual activity between adults of the same sex is criminalised. Together, they challenge the legality of such laws through national and international courts, aiming to bring national law into conformity with international human rights law. Many firms and individual lawyers commit their time and expertise to developing strategies and undertake essential pro bono programmes to support the work of the trust.

The fact that some attention has shifted to international work does not mean that equality has been achieved at home. In spite of legal equality, such as last year's equal marriage legislation, discrimination continues to take place across the country in all walks of life. The work of the legislature is now done and the challenge has passed to us, as lawyers and law enforcers, to uphold those laws.

This was put into context as I watched a revival of a 20-year-old play in London's West End. My Night With Reg follows a group of friends in the mid-80s as they deal with the world changing around them. As they toast the laws that see them persecuted - 'sodomy', 'gross indecency' - many of their friends and acquaintances are lost to AIDS.

Although the names (and fashions) have changed and time has moved on, many of the difficulties that faced the characters then remain today. Feelings of embarrassment, guilt, grief, fear and worry continue to plague many in the LGBT community. Bullying in schools, the workplace and at home, violent hate crimes and trolling on social media are daily occurrences in 2015. As lawyers, we have a responsibility to tackle injustice and challenge those who discriminate on any grounds.

I'm fortunate not to have experienced discrimination in my professional life - at least as far as I am aware. Unfortunately, many others cannot say the same. Just this week, John van der Luit-Drummond reported on a lack of LGB networks outside of the capital.

Regardless of whether you work with someone you know to be LGBT or even might suspect to be, everyone is entitled to the same treatment, equal opportunity and a working environment free from harassment and hostility.

By setting that example to our colleagues and our clients, I am sure that, in another 20 years, the next revival of My Night With Reg will be just that little bit more alien and just part of our LGBT history.

Kevin Poulter, editor at large

#SJPOULTER @SJ_weekly 

editorial@solicitorsjournal.co.uk

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