News / International
Tony Blair has been named top gay icon
26 Sep 2014 at 15:37hrs | Views
Tony Blair has been named as top gay icon in the last 30 years by the Gay Times among a list of other famous figures who fought for equal rights.
He even features as a cover star for an electronic version of the magazine, available to download from 26 September.
While he was in office, Blair oversaw the legal lowering of the age of homosexual consent to bring it in line with straight couples, and the repeal of Section 28 - the Local Government Act that prohibited authorities in England and Wales from "promoting" homosexuality and labelled gay family relationships "pretend".
"It's something I'm very proud of," Blair said of the accolade. "I consider it a significant part of my legacy. I remember Section 28, that was pretty nasty.
"It created a very ugly atmosphere in society - as I was growing up in politics, I disliked the hypocrisy where people had to conceal their own identity. And I saw the pain that they had in their own lives, because they couldn't be who they were."
"Wherever you stand politically, you'd be hard pushed to deny what Tony Blair and his government did for the LGBT community," editor Darren Scott added.
"He definitely helped paved the way, and for that I'm grateful."
He even features as a cover star for an electronic version of the magazine, available to download from 26 September.
While he was in office, Blair oversaw the legal lowering of the age of homosexual consent to bring it in line with straight couples, and the repeal of Section 28 - the Local Government Act that prohibited authorities in England and Wales from "promoting" homosexuality and labelled gay family relationships "pretend".
"It's something I'm very proud of," Blair said of the accolade. "I consider it a significant part of my legacy. I remember Section 28, that was pretty nasty.
"It created a very ugly atmosphere in society - as I was growing up in politics, I disliked the hypocrisy where people had to conceal their own identity. And I saw the pain that they had in their own lives, because they couldn't be who they were."
"Wherever you stand politically, you'd be hard pushed to deny what Tony Blair and his government did for the LGBT community," editor Darren Scott added.
"He definitely helped paved the way, and for that I'm grateful."
Source - Independent
