Earl of Arran
Earl of Arran. The 8th Earl of Arran, Sir Arthur Strange Kattendyke David Archibald Gore (5 July 1910 – 23 February 1983), supported the efforts of Leo Abse to bring about reform to the laws on homosexuality. As a member of the House of Lords, Earl Arran introduced a Private Members Bill into the House. On the afternoon of 12 May 1965 he started the debate in the Lords [1]. In 1977 he presented a Bill to lower the age of consent for male homosexual acts from 21 to 18. The Bill was defeated by 146 to 25 [2].
He married Fiona Bryde Colquhoun (1918–2013), eldest daughter of Sir Iain Colquhoun, 7th Baronet. She was a speedboat racer and, like her husband, an animal rights activist. The couple had homes in Hemel Hempstead Hertfordshire and Scotland.
An elder brother of the Earl had committed suicide apparently because he was homosexual and it is thought that this is what motivated the Earls campaigning for homosexual law reform. He also sponsored a bill for the protection of badgers, and was once asked why this effort had failed whereas decriminalising homosexuality had succeeded. Arran is reported to have replied: "There are not many badgers in the House of Lords" [3].
