(1) A local authority shall not (a) intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality; (b) promote the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship. (2) Nothing in subsection (1) above shall be taken to prohibit the doing of anything for the purpose of treating or preventing the spread of disease. (3) In any proceedings in connection with the application of this section a court shall draw such inferences as to the intention of the local authority as may reasonably be drawn from the evidence before it.
-- Section 28 of the UK's Local Government Act 1988
Section 28 (AKA Section 2A1) was introduced by the Margaret Thatcher's Conservative government, and officially enacted on May 24th 1988; for 15 years it was a significant bone of contention between the Conservative and Labour parties in the UK2.
It was largely a result of rampant Thatcherism responding to the AIDS epidemic, and was strongly supported by conservatives, including religious groups such as the Salvation Army, the Christian Institute, the Muslim Council of Britain, the Catholic Church, the Church of Scotland, and the Church of England. Private groups such as Brian Souter's Keep the Clause campaign pumped a fair amount of money into the cause as well. A large segment of the press was pro-Section 28 as well, particularly the Daily Record, The Daily Mail, The Sun, and The Daily Telegraph.
Although the law was seen as Really Very Important by its supporters, it mostly served to intimidate people who worked with children into silence. Because it was so vague, it resulted in no prosecutions, and there was a surprising amount of confusion over what it actually meant, in practical terms. It did, however, allow the reference to homosexual relationships of all sorts as being a "pretended family" to be written into the official law of the land for 15 years.
The bill was repealed in 20033.
Footnotes:
1. Section 28 officially added section 2a to the previous Local Government Act 1986. In order to complicate things, it is also sometimes referred to as Clause 28.
2. In this case, "the UK" is England, Wales and Scotland, but not Northern Ireland.
3. The Kent County Council has continuously maintained some descendant of Section 28 in their school system polices. The current wording appears to be "We will ensure that sex education values family and marriage as the foundation of a civilized society, and a firm basis for the nurturing of children", with the understanding that 'family' means loving parents nuclear family Biblical family oh, you know what they mean.