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A law against "promotion" of homosexuality was removed from the British statute books Thursday, after more than a decade of gay-rights protests.

"Today's repeal of Section 28 is a triumph for 21st-century tolerance over 19th-century prejudice," said Ben Summerskill, chief executive of gay justice group Stonewall.

The law, which barred local government councils from "promoting" homosexuality, was the subject of protests from the moment it was introduced under Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in 1988. It was devised to deal with concerns over homosexual content in sex education, but was condemned by campaigners as discriminatory.

Its repeal was one of the campaign promises of Prime Minister Tony Blair (news - web sites)'s Labor Party when it ousted the Conservatives in 1997.

Government officials said the law inhibits staff in local authorities, which run many schools and colleges, from counseling gay and lesbian people, and makes it difficult for teachers to stop people from bullying homosexual students.

The government welcomed the law's disappearance as a new Local Government Act became law Thursday.

"The government is pleased that Parliament has taken advantage of this opportunity to remove this unnecessary and offensive piece of legislation — which has fueled prejudice and stigmatized homosexuality — from the statute book," said Nick Raynsford, minister for local government.

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