Quartet Representative to the Middle East and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair meets with Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry (not pictured) to discuss latest developments in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and means to resolve it, in Cairo Au
Quartet Representative to the Middle East and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair meets with Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry (not pictured) to discuss latest developments in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and means to resolve it, in Cairo August 6, 2014. Reuters/Mohamed Abd El Ghany
Quartet Representative to the Middle East and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair meets with Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry (not pictured) to discuss latest developments in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and means to resolve it, in Cairo August 6, 2014. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany (EGYPT - Tags: POLITICS)

The Gay Times named former British Prime Minister Tony Blair one of the top gay icons in the United Kingdom the past three decades. Under his term, the homosexual age of consent was lowered as the same age as heterosexual couples and civil partnerships were introduced.

The daily of the LGBT community, explaining its choice of Mr Blair, pointed out that "An equal age of consent, the abolition of Section 28, legal recognition for trans people, civil partnerships, banning employers for sacking you because of who you love and making homophobia hate crime - they were all on Blair's watch."

The ex-PM is the cover of the online edition of Gay Times for its 30th anniversary issue. James Sutton is the cover of the printed edition, which hits newsstands on Oct 1. The online edition is already on sale.

It is his second time to grace the cover of the LGBT publication, the first being in March 1997 as Opposition leader, in a stylized image instead of a posed shot.

In 2005, Mr Blair also wrote for Gay Times.

Darren Scott, editor of Gay Times, said, "Wherever you stand politically, you'd be hard pushed to deny what Tony Blair and his government did for the LGBT community ... He definitely paved the way, and for that I'm grateful."

Tom Burke, national co-chair of LGBT Labour, in an article in The Independent, wrote that Mr Blair's recognition as gay icon isn't just for the legal reforms he initiated, but he also led and shaped public opinion to help change public attitude towards lesbians and gays.

Commenting on his recognition as gay icon along with the likes of Barbra Streisand and Boy George, the former prime minister said, quoted by Daily Mail, "It's something I'm very proud of. I consider it a significant part of my legacy. I remember Section 28, that was pretty nasty."

He added, "It created a very ugly atmosphere in society - as I was growing up in politics, I disliked the hypocrisy where people had to conceal their identity. And I saw the pain that they had in their own lives, because they couldn't be who they were"

He was referring to a section of the Local Government Act of 1988 passed when Margaret Thatcher was the prime minister. It prevented schools from teaching to students that gays could have families "in any meaningful sense."

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