ANALYSIS: LGB - Repeal is just the start

After more than 15 years of campaigning, Section 28, the law that banned local councils from "promoting" homosexuality, has finally gone.

Since its introduction in the Local Government Act 1988, Section 28's abolition has been the Holy Grail for the gay equality movement and its removal has, unsurprisingly, been met with jubilation among campaigners.

But while the symbolism of Section 28's demise is clear, the impact of its repeal on youth work in the lesbian and gay field remains vague.

To a large extent this lack of clarity is down to the confusion that surrounded the meaning of Section 28. For example, the often repeated claim that Section 28 banned schools from discussing homosexuality is wrong: Section 28 only applied to local authorities. It did, however, bar local authorities from promoting homosexuality, except when it came to sexual health work, and prohibited homosexuality being promoted as a pretended family relationship in schools.