In the late 1980s, when a contentious law forbade the "promotion of homosexuality" in schools, Blue Jean, a film nominated for a Bafta, centers on a lesbian PE teacher. The film's inspiration, two women, recalls how Section 28 affected them.
It must be very strange to come face to face with a younger version of yourself. Particularly if your younger self is going through one of your most trying times.
That's how Catherine Lee felt as she observed a 20-year-old PE teacher practicing netball in a high school gym. The woman's short blonde hair was eerily similar to Catherine Lee's own.
It was identical to the gym I used to instruct in every day, Lee claims.
By visiting the Newcastle, England, set of the recent British film Blue Jean, which is set in the late 1980s and is partially based on her story and the stories of other gay teachers, she was able to experience this bizarre form of time travel.
As the lesson descended into taunts and a homophobic slur was shouted, Lee watched from behind the cameras as the actress portraying the young teacher stepped in.
"I was surprised by my reaction because I hadn't heard that word in so long. Nearly visceral, according to Lee. "It took all of my willpower to resist sticking my fingers in my ears.
"I was emotionally impacted much more than I anticipated.
At a time when public and political attitudes toward homosexuality made it a contentious moral battleground, Jean, played by Rosy McEwen, must negotiate a complex web of relationships at school and in her personal life in the movie.
Supporters claim that Section 28 was created in 1988 with the intention of preserving traditional family values and safeguarding children. "State-sponsored homophobia," according to critics.
In addition to avoiding discussing sexuality in the classroom, many gay teachers felt threatened by their employers if they came out, supported students who were struggling with their sexuality, or stood up to homophobic bullying. It increased bullying and a sense of shame among gay teenagers.
Lee, who was at the time a PE teacher in Liverpool, told McEwen about her encounters.
"We talked in-depth about what it was like to be constantly on edge at school, never in the moment, always planning ahead in case someone was going to ask you what you did on the weekend or ask you to go to the bar and cross the line from work to personal.
"Watching Rosy as Jean embody that, and be so little, anxious, and timid in those school scenes - it affected me really profoundly," says Lee.
"I went from feeling bad for her and wanting to wrap my arm around her and reassure her that everything would be OK to wanting to slap her and being furious with her for not taking a risk.
Pretended: Schools and Section 28 is a new book by Lee, an Anglia Ruskin University professor who used her old diaries as research.
The film's producers also received advice from Sarah Squires, a teacher in Exeter and London. She claims that Section 28 aided in the development of "internalized homophobia" that she is still processing today.
A video of Jean and other teachers in the staff room watching a news report about a Section 28 debate in the Houses of Parliament was shown to Squires when she visited the set.
It is Squires' opinion that McEwen "conveys this absolute turmoil, this inner struggle, so brilliantly.". "Just watching that video had me sobbing uncontrollably. My solar plexus was the first place it hit me.
"They succeeded in capturing the ongoing internal turmoil. Because you were constantly checking yourself, you had to present an almost two-dimensional version of yourself. You need to be careful that nothing you say exposes you because you need to be constantly on guard. You are therefore constantly hidden.
The movie, which recently took home four British Independent Film Awards, including best lead performance for McEwen, is up for the Bafta for best debut next week.
"When I finally saw Rosy convey this person, I had to just find her and thank her and hug her, and it felt a little like hugging my former self for getting through it somehow," adds Squires, who is now a principal lecturer at Leeds Beckett University.
"The experience was quite upsetting, and the response was very interesting.
Section 28 barred local governments from "promot[ing] the teaching of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship" in councils and schools.
Scotland had it in place until 2000, and England and Wales had it until 2003. Author Paul Baker claims he is not aware of any successful prosecutions in his book Outrageous! : The Story of Section 28 and Britain's Battle for LGBT Education.
I believe some people did lose their jobs as a result, but frequently it wasn't directly attributable to Section 28, he claims.
"Self-censorship was widespread. People stayed quiet because they were so afraid of being fired or making the news. In English literature classes and similar settings, certain books were not used. They did not pay attention to bullying if it occurred.
"Teachers have written to me and expressed how terrible they now feel about the things they overlooked or avoided confronting.
Georgia Oakley attended school in the late 1990s and early 2000s, but she didn't learn about Section 28 until much later, when she came across articles about it.
As soon as she says it, "I started thinking about what impact this law must have had on my life without my even being aware that it had existed.".
"I was also contemplating what it must have been like to be a queer teacher at that time, as well as the ripple effect on everyone who was a student.
As a filmmaker at age 34, Oakley decided that the tale deserved to be told. She is the author and director of Blue Jean.
She believes that Section 28 and larger prejudices had the effect of preventing many people from being outspoken about their sexuality.
"I experienced a complete lack of queer role models as I was growing up," she claims.
"Especially when it comes to women, I wasn't aware of anyone in my life or in the media. It was untrue that I was unaware of any lesbians in my life—in my school, among my teachers, or among the friends of my parents.
It has been 20 years since Section 28 was repealed. Blue Jean is a period piece that evokes the 1980s with its setting.
There are similarities, though, with laws that have just been put into effect in Florida, Russia, and Hungary.
We can never become complacent about our rights because everything is delicate, I suppose one message that I hope is conveyed, according to Oakley. She adds that even though a lot has changed, some things have not.
There are numerous aspects of Jean's experience that are still relevant today. And not just relevant, but also things I encounter frequently. microscopic acts of aggression. Not much has altered in that regard.
Beginning this Friday, Blue Jean will be shown in theaters in the UK.
