On Monday 7 February the House of Lords voted to keep Section 28 by 45 votes (210 to 165). The Bishops of Lichfield, Rochester and Winchester (and Lord Habgood) voted to keep the Section, the Bishop of Guildford voted for repeal.

The Bishop of Blackburn moved an amendment to the "Principles relating to sex education" which was subsequently withdrawn. It read:
 

"The local education authority shall take such steps as a reasonably practicable to secure that where sex education is given to any registered pupils at a maintained school, it is given having regard to the following principles-(a) that marriage should be promoted as the fundamental building block of society and of family life and as the proper context for the nurture of children, and (b) that pupils are entitled to develop without being subject to-(I) any physical or verbal abuse about sexual orientation, or (ii) the encouragement of sexual activity."

The Bill will now proceed to Report Stage (it may be possible to reinstate the Repeal of Section 28 at this point) and then to Third Reading. The Bill will then go the Commons with a general debate at Second Reading (possibly at the end of March). At Committee Stage an amendment to Repeal Section 28 could be reinstated and MPs will vote on this at Third Reading (early April).

The Bill will then go back to the Lords. Stonewall are hoping that the government guidelines will meet some of the concerns that the Lords raised. If 25 Lords are persuaded by the guidelines, then the repeal of Section 28 could be achieved. Meanwhile, Lady Young, resourced by the Christian Institute in Jesmond, Newcastle, continues to campaign vigorously against any change which would grant lesbian and gay people equality in law.