Section 28
repealed section of the Local Government Act 1988 in the United Kingdom
Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988 provided that local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales should "not intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality" or "promote the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship". While the bill was in progress, the relevant portion was Clause 28. The prohibition was technically effected by Section 2A of the Local Government Act 1986; all Section 28 of the 1988 act did was to insert Section 2A into the earlier act. When repeal of the provision was discussed in Scotland in 2000, it was often "Section 2A" rather than "Section 28" that was referenced.
The legislation came into effect during Margaret Thatcher's premiership on 24 May 1988. It caused many organisations, such as LGBT student support groups, to close, limit their activities or to self-censor. In addition, Section 28 had a widespread impact on schools across the United Kingdom. This was due to uncertainty around what constituted the "promotion" of homosexuality, leading many teachers to avoid discussing the topic in any educational context.
Section 28 (and Section 2A) were first repealed in Scotland under the Ethical Standards in Public Life etc. (Scotland) Act 2000.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Section 28” is repealed section of the Local Government Act 1988 in the United Kingdom. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Section, repealed and section, not as a finished interpretation.
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The phrase “repealed section of the Local Government Act 1988 in the United Kingdom” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
The record creator and administrative purpose are central evidence, because official documentation reflects both action and institutional priorities. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 6, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1098925. None of the 1 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1988, 1986 and 2000.
Later summaries often reconcile disputed chronology or motive more neatly than the contemporary record permits. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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This entry incorporates text from “Section 28” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.