Thanks to William Fotheringham for his 26 Tours of duty in France | Brief letters
Edward Lord states that I was wrong to say that gay men and lesbians could be arrested for kissing in public in 1990 (Letters, 27 July). It is sad to see somebody connected with Pride attempting to diminish the very real persecution that my community faced. In fact, as Peter Tatchell has written, gay men and lesbians "continued to be prosecuted, right up until the early 1990s, under public order and breach of the peace laws, for public displays of affection, such as kissing and cuddling. Such prosecutions ended only when the LGBT direct action group, OutRage!, highlighted and protested against them."
Philip Hensher
Geneva, Switzerland
" I note that the day after Patricia Greene revealed that she was paid only 16,000 a year for her role in The Archers, her character, Jill Archer, was arrested for assault and given a caution. Clearly the BBC is not giving in easily.
Keith Flett
London