The Scottish government is apologizing to gay men who were convicted of sex offenses that are no longer crimes. The first minister is expected to make the apology early next month along with new rules expunging the criminal records of those men, granting them a full pardon.
The apology covers those convicted before same-sex criminal laws were overturned in 2001. A spokesman for the minister said the move "will right a historic wrong and give justice to those who found themselves unjustly criminalized simply because of who they loved."
Under its Policing and Crime Act, gay and bisexual men convicted of now-abolished sexual offenses in England and Wales will get posthumous pardons. Those still living can be pardoned after the secretary of state agrees the conduct is no longer criminal.
The folks at Stonewall, the gay rights organization said: "Another important milestone of equality has been secured in law...The more equality is enshrined in our law books, the stronger our equality becomes, and the stronger we as a community become."
Source: BBC