Operation Spanner - The Roland Jaggard Interview (Part 4)
Channel: Fireside Chats with Douglas O'Keeffe
Date: 2020-02-09

Watch Part 1 here: https://youtu.be/V-2MW4ZF22M

Operation Spanner was a result of Margaret Thatcher's failed policies of privatising the United Kingdom's public agencies and services. Because many agencies were at risk of elimination, they scrambled to create a reason for existence, and Operation Spanner was the name of the project that sought to reinterpret archaic laws in an effort to prosecute LGBTQ+ individuals.

The Policing and Crime Act 2017, which contained what is known as "The Alan Turing Law", served as an amnesty law to pardon men who were cautioned or convicted under historical legislation that outlawed homosexual acts.

Victims of Operation Spanner were not included in this legislation.


Inside Leather History: A Fireside Chat is produced by Douglas O’Keeffe and Mistress Joanne C. Gaddy (the “Producers”).The Chats seek to capture the memories, reflections, and experiences of leaders in the leather and/or LGBTQ communities. With a deep and heartfelt regard for the importance of our history, it is the intent of the Producers to collect, preserve, and appropriately share the stories of our forebears and others who have made significant contributions to the leather and/or LGBTQ communities. This is done through a series of recorded interviews.