Chris Morris

Chris Morris was the teenage gay activist responsible for equalising the homosexual age of consent in the United Kingdom, aided by the campaigning organisation Stonewall. In criminal law, the age of consent is the age at which a person is considered to be capable of legally giving informed consent to sexual acts with another person. ... See also: Other Stonewalls Stonewall is a high profile gay rights organisation in the United Kingdom. ...

His took his case, Morris v. the United Kingdom, to the European Court of Human Rights, when he was 17, arguing that it was a breach of the European Convention on Human Rights that his heterosexual peers could legally have sex when he could not. European Court of Human Rights building in Strasbourg The European Court of Human Rights, often referred to informally as the Strasbourg Court, was created to systematise the hearing of human rights complaints from Council of Europe member states. ... The Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, also known as the European Convention on Human Rights, was adopted under the auspices of the Council of Europe[1] in 1950 to protect human rights and fundamental freedoms. ...

He launched YouthSpeak, a youth campaign group funded by Sir Ian McKellen, to give gay teenagers a platform to tell their own stories about how the unequal age of consent affected their lives. The group projected a laser beam onto Big Ben, demanding "16 for everyone". YouthSpeak was a gay rights campaign organisation in the United Kingdom. ... Sir Ian McKellen takes a day out at Universal Studios, Hollywood, April 2000. ... The Clock Tower, colloquially known as Big Ben Big Ben is the colloquial name of the Clock Tower of the Palace of Westminster in London, and an informal name for the Great Bell of Westminster, the largest bell in the tower and part of the Great Clock of Westminster. ...

In 1997, the Labour government signed an out of court agreement that bound them to hold a free vote on the issue in the House of Commons within one year. Gay Times heralded Chris: "The Boy Who Made The Government Back Down". The Labour Party is a centrist/centre-left political party in the United Kingdom (see British politics). ... A conscience vote or free vote is a type of vote in a legislative body where legislators are each expected to vote according to their own personal conscience rather than according to an official line set down by their political party. ... In some bicameral parliaments of a Westminster System, the House of Commons has historically been the name of the elected lower house. ... Categories: Stub | LGBT media ...

Baroness Young led a campaign in the House of Lords to keep the age of consent unequal. However, the law was finally changed as part of the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 2000, after the use of the Parliament Act, in November 2000. Janet Young, Baroness Young (October 23, 1926-September 6, 2002), was a British Conservative politician. ... This article is about the British House of Lords. ... The Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 2000 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom. ... In the United Kingdom, Parliament Act refers to each of two Acts of Parliament, passed in 1911 and 1949 respectively. ...

In 1999, Chris founded and became editor of the gay rights magazine Outcast. Contributors included Mayor Ken Livingstone, Charles Kennedy, Ben Bradshaw, Mark Simpson and Peter Tatchell. Ken Livingstone Kenneth Robert Livingstone (born June 17, 1945), is a British local government leader. ... Charles Kennedy, current leader of the UK Liberal Democrat Party The Right Honourable Charles Peter Kennedy (born 25 November 1959) is a British politician, who has been leader of the Liberal Democrats (the third largest political party in the United Kingdom) since 1999. ... For Ben Bradshaw the escape artist, see Ben Bradshaw (stage magician) Benjamin Peter James Bradshaw (born August 30, 1960) is a British Labour Member of Parliament for Exeter (since May 1997), as well as Minister for Recycling (promoted following the 2005 election after serving as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State... Mark Simpson is a British journalist and writer focussing primarily on issues of gender, sexuality and pop culture. ... Peter Gary Tatchell (born January 21, 1952) is a sometimes controversial human rights activist based in Britain. ...

Later in 1999, he and Peter Tatchell attempted the first citizen's arrest of Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe on charges of torture under the United Nations Convention Against Torture. Peter Gary Tatchell (born January 21, 1952) is a sometimes controversial human rights activist based in Britain. ... A citizens arrest is an arrest performed by a person acting as a civilian, as opposed to a sworn law enforcement officer. ... Robert Gabriel Mugabe (born February 21, 1924) has been the head of government in Zimbabwe, first as Prime Minister and later as first executive President, since 1980. ... The United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (UNCAT) is an international human rights instrument, organized by the United Nations and intended to prevent torture and other similar activities. ...