Gay rights champion Peter Tatchell says Tynwald should recognise Alan Shea for his historic campaign that helped to lead to the decriminalisation of homosexuality.

He was speaking at an event held to mark the 30th anniversary of Mr Shea’s appearance at the Tynwald Day ceremony wearing a concentration camp outfit to highlight the injustice of the law at the time.

Mr Tatchell told the Examiner: ’Alan was a true trailblazer. At a time when it was very risky to be openly gay he came out and personified the struggle for the liberation right in the Isle of Man.

’His Tynwald Day protest was remarkably brave.’

He said that Mr Shea endured personal abuse and even death threats. But he helped to bring about a change in the law.

’I would suggest that Alan should be considered for the Tynwald Honour medal. His actions have ended the fear of a lot of LGBT+ people and helped them to live better lives over the decades.

’He would be a very worthy recipient.’

There have been nine recipients of the Tynwald Honour.

They include artist Norman Sayle, â?? Nadene Crowther, who helped to found the Hospice, Examiner farming correspondent Harvey Briggs, and war hero Hector Duff.

Mr Tatchell was the guest of honour at the event, held in Douglas on Saturday night.

Among the other guests were current MHKs and two who led the battle for gay rights in the 1990s, former chief minister Allan Bell and Hazel Hannan.

Mr Tatchell - who has fought for all kinds of human rights worldwide and famously performed a citizen’s arrest on Zimbabwe’s president, Robert Mugabe, when he visited London, and has been beaten up a number of times during his confrontational campaigns - also called for the Manx police to issue an apology to the gay community.

His words echoed those made by Mr Shea over recent weeks.

He described arrests of gay men when Robin Oake was chief constable as a witchhunt and said the current chief constable Gary Roberts should issue a formal apology.

’I would urge him to do so to draw a line under the dark, dark days when gay and bisexual men were victimised. At least two young men committed suicide as a result of police victimisation.

’They and their loved ones deserve a police apology.’

On behalf of the government, Chief Minister Howard Quayle has apologised to gay and bisexual men for the way they were treated in the past.