A symptomology of an authoritarian discourse: the parliamentary debates on the prohibition of the promotion of homosexuality
New Formations - ISSN 0950-2378
Volume 1990 Number 10
A symptomology of an authoritarian discourse: the parliamentary debates on the prohibition of the promotion of homosexuality
Anna Marie Smith pages -
Abstract
Smith looks at the arguments surrounding the controversial Section / Clause 28, arguing that this was based on responses to a fictitious crisis manufactured by people with an anti-gay agenda, and relied on false claims about, for example, certain books being available in council-maintained organisations. Smith describes the ‘mythical narrative’ of the ‘promotion’ of homosexuality and the ways in which statements about AIDS played into it. She discusses Lord Halsbury’s distinction between ‘responsible [closeted] homosexuals’ and ‘proselytising’ homosexuals, arguing that it places gay people in an impossible position. The Section / Clause 28 ‘crisis’ is related to a similar ‘evidence game’ played in the 1960s in relation to black immigration.
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To cite this article
Anna Marie Smith (1990) A symptomology of an authoritarian discourse: the parliamentary debates on the prohibition of the promotion of homosexuality, New Formations, 1990(10), -