Lesbian and gay rights campaigners yesterday took a 25,000-signature petition calling for the repeal of the ban on local authorities promoting homosexuality to No 10 Downing Street.

The petition, collected in one month by YouthSpeak, a gay rights organisation, calls for the repeal of Section 28 of the Local Government Act.

The Conservatives introduced the legislation, which bans the ''promotion of homosexuality in schools''.

YouthSpeak chair Chris Morris said: ''We wanted to mark the anniversary of Section 28. Labour have made lots of promises on this issue. Promises do not change the lives of young people - we want some action.

''The Labour Party has repeatedly committed itself to repealing Section 28 when appropriate time is found in Parliament.

''We believe that time can be found in the next Local Government Bill and so we're calling on Mr Blair to act on his promises and end this culture of intolerance.

''Section 28 has cost lives. Young people are often denied information about safer sex which leaves them open to abuse and exploitation.

''Low self-esteem and bullying have also been shown to lead to teenage suicide and drug abuse.''

The petition was supported by representatives from the Royal College of Nursing and the National Union of Teachers.

Hazel Platzer, chair of the

Nurses' Lesbian and Gay issues group, said: ''We need clear guidance and a clear mandate. A young person may feel suicidal or bullied. Nurses need to prevent that becoming a real problem.''

The Royal College of Nursing voted at its recently annual congress to lobby the Government on the repeal of Section 28, she said.

Christin Blower, a past president of the National Union of Teachers, said: ''Since 1996 we have supported this campaign and called for an equal age of consent. We need the issue to be re-debated.''

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