An Edinburgh born filmmaker is behind the creation of a documentary that explores Section TwoA (Section 28) and how it impacted young people in Scotland.
Sarah Drummond, 35, who was born in Leith before moving to Silverknowes, attended Royal High School as a teen in the 90’s and early noughties, and says the legislation had a damaging effect on her during her formative years.
The film ‘Don’t Say Gay’ is the first ever feature documentary film to explore the history and legacy of Section TwoA in Scotland as well as Section 28 in the UK.
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The documentary will focus on the lives and stories of LGBTQ+ in Edinburgh and the rest of Scotland and will look at how they were impacted by Section TwoA.
Section TwoA, and Section 28 in the rest of the UK, banned the ‘promotion of homosexuality’ after being introduced by Thatcher’s government and ran from 1988 to the year 2000 in Scotland and until 2003 in the rest of the UK.
Sarah says that it impacted the education of a generation of school children, and teachers were unable to even mention homosexuality in schools or colleges or protect their students against homophobic bullying.
She says that the “don’t say gay” policy meant that a whole generation, including herself, internalised shame around their sexuality and were brought up in a state-sanctioned homophobic culture.
On her own childhood and the difficulties she faced in Edinburgh, Sarah said: “Section 28 had a dramatic impact on my youth.
“No one mentioned anything about LGBTQ+ people.
“We didn’t know that LGBTQ+ people even existed and so, I internalised the feelings I felt for being different which I took well into my 20s.
“When I was growing up I knew I was different at around 11 or 13 years old.
““With puberty you get different feelings and want to hug or kiss people, and for me, I knew it wasn't just boys
“I had boyfriends and kissed boys but there was something else. I was hiding something below that but was trying to present what people wanted to see from me.
“Since we could not discuss being gay and there was no sex education regarding it - I felt I was the only one.
“You’d hear slurs like gaylord, lesser, gayboy and I thought that being gay was bad.
“For me I had these overwhelming memories of suppressing my sexuality and I remember thinking that no one could find out this big secret and maybe it would go away.
“You’d try to go to school and get the right grades but would be carrying this extra burden on top of everything else.
“When I was around 16 I would think that if anyone even had an inkling that I was gay, I thought I was going to die.
“Playing truth or dare and spin the bottle was so hard as a teen.
“I would pull faces and be homophobic myself to try to hide it.
“That shame you carried made you feel like a second class citizen.
“As an adult I'm still processing what it meant to grow up like that.”
Sarah says that she pushed away so much of her queer identity and was separated from queer communities.
She didn’t find out about Section 28 until she was 30 years old and things began to make sense.
The heteronormativity that was pushed on students she feels was extremely problematic - from traditional literature or even in history classes where being gay was erased from human existence.
Sarah says that is why she is now determined to make a film that shows the history of this national silencing so that generations to come can learn about the impact that legislation like Section TwoA could have on young people.
Her feeling of isolation as a youth was a terrifying experience and it was only when she began making the film that she discovered other close friends from high school had also come out as gay.
However, she heralded Edinburgh for being ahead of the trend and said that there were several organisations fighting for a better future for the LGBTQ+ community in the 1980’s.
She said: “Historically there were some amazing moments in Edinburgh for fighting back against Section 28.
“The first Lark in the Park was hosted by Scottish Homosexual Action Group (SHAG), on May 28 1988 in Edinburgh's Princes Street gardens just four days after the legislation was introduced.
“They had to fight Edinburgh City Council so that the event could go ahead.
“Various artistic performances took place and there was even a speech from Ian McKellan.
“There was also a woman, Cat Macaulay, who was one of the founders of an LGBTQ+ friendly café called the ‘Blue Moon.’
“It used to host gay friendly events and would allow protestors to organise protests.
“There is such a proud history of fighting back in Scotland’s capital.”
The film, which has been produced by Hopscotch Films & KOH Pro, will use a mixture of interviews, archive, animation and first-person recollections.
A teaser for the documentary has been released and those behind it say that the film will also serve as a stark reminder of how much work still needs to be done.
November 2023 will be the 20th anniversary of the repeal of Section 28 in England and Wales, but inclusive LGBTQ+ education in schools across the UK is still a contentious issue, Sarah says.
‘Don’t Say Gay’ legislation is currently being introduced in Florida later this year, and 69 countries still have legislation where it is illegal to be gay.
A Kickstarter, that will be running until late July, is aiming to raise £35,000 for the film and it has so far raised over £20,000 of its total.
However Sarah is asking for any support from businesses or individuals to help them get over the line.
A business donating £1,000 can have their branding showcased at the film's premier.
You can support the Kickstarter campaign by clicking here - a teaser is also available on the page.
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