A history lesson

[IM Jack Rudd]

That is a fine post, Ernie. Thank you for taking the trouble to write it.

[Andrew Zigmond]

Attitudes have changed a lot in the past decade, largely because Tony Blair stood firmly against any sort of intolerance and succeeded in sweeping a lot of it away. By my reckoning CJ would have been a teenager in the 1980s, the era of Thatcherism, section 28 and when it was quite acceptable for The Sun to refer to poufs and queers. We don't know what CJ's own experiences of homophobia were but these things leave deep emotional scars and may explain CJ's response and overreaction.

Those days are gone, partly because of activist organisations like Stonewall, but also because of people like Ernie Lazenby who had the courage to think outside of the box before it became fashionable to do so.

As a rule grassroots chess players tend to be older rather than younger and thus a more conservative generation dominates. In the fallout following the T shirt incident we have seen many responses (in my opinion; CJ - unhelpful and evasive, Raymond Keene - despicable, the ECF board - pathetic) but there has been an almost universal consensus that homophobia has no place in chess.

Since Mr Lazenby has been so honest I shall do the same. I am a gay man and chess is the one sphere of my life where I am not entirely out.

[Jonathan Rogers]

"You may also find it incredible that before 1968 a married man commiteed an illegal act if he had intercourse via his wifes anus."

Extraordinarily this only ceased to be the case owing to legislation passed in 1994.

[John Moore]

I would like to echo what Jack said about Ernie's post - and Jon, is it really true!

[Jonathan Rogers]

It's true. Surely Mike and I once covered this in a late drinking session at a 4NCL weekend ...!

I just realised that I don't know any (ex) policemen of Ernie's era, so this is my chance to ask for confirmation of something I have heard relating to the late 1960s. Is it true that policemen still arrested homosexual men after Parliament had voted to legalise homosexuality (albeit within limits) but before the repeal became effective? (Most laws do not come into effect immediately, or anywhere close). They would have been entitled to do this, though normally it would have been seen as a futile thing to do - but apparently many* police forces nonetheless did it for homosexual "offences".

* Doubtless not all. As ever there would have been a form of postcode lottery.

[Andrew Zigmond]

I seem to recall reading about retrospective investigations (as opposed to prosecutions) after the age of consent was lowered from 21 to 18 in 1994 (ie relating to acts involving under 21s before 1994). I may be wrong.