An apology from the government about historic homosexual offences is ’overdue’, says gay rights campaigner.

In 1991, Alan Shea confronted politicians at Tynwald Day dressing as a concentration camp prisoner arguing that he and his gay partner should not have to face jail time for having sex.

Up until 1993 Manx law had stipulated that consenting sexual activity between men was illegal.

Within the past 25 years the island has introduced civil partnership and marriage between two persons regardless of sex, but now a new proposed law has emerged which would look at pardoning historic homosexual offences.

Mr Shea, who lives in Douglas, said he was pleased to hear about the possible pardoning.

’I really hope it goes through and gets voted on and passed. England and Scotland have done it, so why can’t the Isle of Man?

’Do what needs to be done, give us that apology,’ he said.

His petition of grievance, presented on Tynwald Hill in 1993, was in response to the treatment that the island’s homosexual community was receiving.

’What happened in the 1990s was horrific. Things needed to change because people were killing themselves,’ he said.

Mr Shea described himself as ’naive’ to the island’s different laws when he moved over from the UK in the 80s. He was shocked and felt compelled to make a stand with the support of British LGBT rights group Outrage!

’I walked in [on Tynwald Day] with a concentration camp costume, which is now at the Manx Museum,’ he said.

’There was a lot of police harassment and my aim was to get rid of it. They reminded me of the Gestapo in World War Two the way they operated.

’I thought "this [costume] is what they want us to wear so they can identify us". It was very controversial and my partner, Stephen Moore, was against me doing it - he’s Manx.’

His well-known costume was made of pyjamas bought from Marks & Spencer in Douglas and painted with grey and black stripes to resemble a Nazi concentration camp uniform.

The Manx government’s phone number was also written as the "prisoner number" on the costume.

Since the law change in 1993, he has not given up in trying to receive an apology for the men who had been affected in the past.

Mr Shea said: ’An apology is overdue from the government and police, which I have been asking for a while, but no apology has been given.’

The consultation is open to the public until February 4.

Search: https://consult.gov.im/home-affairs/sexual-offences-and-obscene-publications-bill/