As reported on AOL news - thought this might be of interest:
HOME Secretary David Blunkett has announced "an historic change" of the gay sex laws.
It is the most radical overhaul of sex crime legislation for more than 100 years.
Offences like buggery, gross indecency and soliciting by men will be binned while protections against rapists, paedophiles and other perverts will be tightened.
Defendants accused of rape will have to be able to show they took "reasonable action" to ensure the other person consented to sex.
A new offence of "grooming" children for sex abuse - previously thought to be planned only for adults who lure youngsters on the Internet - will be applied to every aspect of life and have a maximum five year penalty.
Laws on child abuse will be updated, the sex offenders register will be tightened and there will be entirely new offences to combat sexual exploitation of children and adults.
Mr Blunkett said: "The law on sex offences is widely recognised as archaic, incoherent and discriminatory.
"Much of it belongs in an age before the light bulb or motor car yet we now live in a world of global communications, with children two clicks away from Internet porn sites generated by a multi-million pound sex industry.
"We must have laws that are fit for the 21st century, that reflect today's society and attitudes and provide effective protection against today's crimes."
The Home Office paper said the so-called gay "cottaging" offences, which date from 1956, will be repealed because they "criminalise consensual sexual activity in private between men, which would not be illegal between heterosexuals or between women"