The UK is a magnificently diverse society, something which is very much celebrated by most sections of the population. As a consequence of this diversity, mixed-race relationships have become increasingly commonplace. Love is colour blind and in a community where people from all different backgrounds and races mix, it makes sense that mixed-race relationships should be tolerated. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. The UK has certainly come a long way from the early twentieth century, but there will always be those who preach intolerance and bigotry. As far as the general public is concerned though, individuals should be able to be with who they want.

In the UK, there have never been any anti-miscegenation laws and the ‘science’ of eugenics which took hold of Nazi Germany never gained enough ground in the UK to take the same dangerous turn. However, mixed-race relationships certainly would not have been encouraged in a largely white society in the early twentieth century. It was largely in port towns and cities where immigrants would settle either temporarily or permanently, that the white population were first exposed to people from different nations, cultures and ethnicities.

The social demographics of the UK dramatically during the 1950s and 1960s, though, when wide-scale immigration from former colonies was encouraged. As a consequence, large numbers of workers from the West Indies and South-East Asia settled down in the UK. This meant there were more opportunities for the intermingling of different races, something which didn’t always go down well with the older generations. Those engaged in a mixed-race relationship could face ostracism, verbal and physical abuse, and general hostility towards their decision to form a relationship with someone who was not of their colour.

However, this was not enough to stop individuals from different cultures and races falling in love, marrying and having children. Indeed, it is the children of mixed-race couples who have paved the way for a more enlightened attitude towards mixed-race relationships. The fastest growing ethnic minority in the UK is that of ‘mixed-race’ and when everyone is a little bit of everything, it is hard to discriminate and to abuse someone because they are black or Asian, when the reality is they are half-white and half-black or half-Asian or maybe a completely different mixture. At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter what people’s attitudes are towards mixed-race relationships, as long as the people in them are happy.

These individuals shouldn’t have to defend their decision or face criticism and abuse because of who they fell in love with and chose to start a relationship with. Ultimately, whatever people think about mixed-race relationships in the UK, they are going to happen anyway. There will always be those on the far-right who want ‘Britain for the British’ – meaning a white Britain – but as far as the general public is concerned, it is not for the government to interfere in other people’s love lives. Mixed-race relationships could even be seen to be a positive thing, bringing together individuals from different backgrounds to promote a more tolerant, open-minded, culturally-aware society.