Homosexual acts legalised
01 May 1992
The House of Keys, the lower chamber of the Isle of Man government, has voted to legalise homosexual acts in private between consenting adults who are over 21. It was the third debate on the issue in the past three years and brings the island's laws in line with the European Convention on Human Rights. In February police made a series of arrests of gay men, charging 21 with gross indecency; one of those charged, Kevin McCauley, 21, later committed suicide. A second man, Darren Wild, who it was alleged had been harassed by police because of his contacts with gay activists, shot himself when police arrived to question him.