The Law

Sex between men was legalised in Scotland in 1980, and the age of consent for straight and gay sex was brought into line in 2003.

However, the law on sexual offences in Scotland is a mess which is currently under review by the Scottish Law Commission and we are hopeful that legislation will be put before Parliament soon.

At the moment, there are still many unequal and offensive pieces of Scottish law which still need to be changed.

• There is no hate crime legislation in Scotland
• The law does not recognise male rape or the rape of transsexual women.
• Scots sexual offences law uses extremely offensive phrases - describing sex between men as "gross indecency"

However, it is worth noting that while there is no specific crime of rape against men and transsexual women, it can be prosecuted as a serious indecent assault.