On February 20, 1988, twenty thousand people gathered in Albert Square in Manchester to protest Section 28 of the Local Government Act. The protests were planned by both the city council and members of a campaign for LGBTQ+ rights. Many local businesses supported their efforts as well (Williams). The protests came about because LGBTQ+ people and their allies were horrified by the blatant homophobia of Section 28, so they took to the streets to rally against it.