article: Madonna received a barrage of criticism from her gay fanbase today after posting a photograph of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and 'thanking' her for her service. The 56-year-old pop star posted the image of the Iron Lady on Instagram - before quickly deleting it just moments later after receiving dozens of abusive messages. Some of her fans took umbrage to the photo, which Madonna captioned with: 'Thank you Margaret Thatcher' followed by '#unapologetic #rebelheart' and a love heart. The singer, who has a large gay fanbase, offended fans who reminded her that Thatcher enacted legislation that banned 'promoting' homosexuality in 1988. Scroll down for video . Pop singer Madonna faced a barrage of criticism from her gay fanbase today after posting this photograph of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and 'thanking' her for her service. She deleted it just moments later . Madonna has immersed herself in the gay community and was named one of the greatest gay icons of all time . Conservative Thatcher, who led the country from 1979 until 1990, established Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988 – a legislation that was considered anti-gay and later overturned in 2003. Section 28 was introduced against a backdrop of councils promoting gay relationships in schools and the rise of AIDS. The section of the act banned councils from using taxpayers' money to fund books, plays, leaflets, films or any other material showing gay relationships as normal and 'promoting the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship'. Madonna, who has previously immersed herself in the gay community and was named one of the greatest gay icons of all time in 2012, thanked Thatcher for her example in the Instagram post today. Some of Madonna's fans took umbrage to the post of Thatcher's picture and said she had gone 'a step too far' However, Conservative fans praised her for the post, with one saying the singer was 'back in my good books' Madonna was close friends with openly bisexual comedienne Sandra Bernhard; pictured above in 2000 . Madge posed with her friend Rosie O'Donnell, who is openly lesbian; seen above in 2001 . Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988 was introduced under Thatcher’s rule and was a legislation that was considered anti-gay. It was brought in against a backdrop of councils promoting gay relationships in schools and the rise of AIDS. Thatcher's government claimed to have taken up the 'dangerous gauntlet' to protect children but it became a rallying cry for campaigners. Current Prime Minister David Cameron has since apologised for banning the promotion of homosexuality in schools. Speaking in 2009, Mr Cameron said the Conservative party had 'got it wrong' when it introduced Section 28 in the late 1980s. He insisted he was making his apology because the legislation had been 'offensive to gay people' and said: 'I'm sorry for Section 28. We got it wrong. It was an emotional issue. We have got to move on and we have moved on.' Alongside the portrait of Thatcher, she pulled out a famous quote from the Iron Lady, which read: 'If you just set out to be liked, you will be prepared to compromise on anything at anytime, and would achieve nothing.' The post was signed off with #rebelheart – in an apparent plug for her new album which goes by the same name. However, she took down the post just minutes after uploading it, after fans responded with criticism. One fan, called Sean, wrote: ‘Madonna’s Thatcher post was too far’. Another, writing under the name Madonsha, said: ‘Lost a bit of respect for Madonna for posting a picture of Margaret Thatcher, that woman ruined this country recked (sic) so many lives urgh.’ And Richard Rippon added: ‘Madonna should know that Thatcher was divisive in the UK. Some thought she was a heartless witch, others, an evil threat to society.’ However, other fans praised her Instagram post, including Louise Mensch who wrote: ‘Madonna back in my good books. #Thatcher’ The singer then attempted to quell any abuse by following the post up with a rather revealing selfie. The saucy image showed the mother-of-four - dressed in a black corset, nylons, garters and white jacket - lying on a floor surrounded by roses, including one held in her mouth. In the picture, she revealed her cleavage, covered somewhat in red underwear, and showed her cupping one of her breasts with her hand. She captioned the photo: 'He sent me roses begging my forgiveness. I said I'd think about it. These guys..............??????' Cougar kiss: Madonna surprised rapper Drake with a kiss on stage at Coachella last week . Although she did not reveal the identity of the gentleman who showered her with the red blooms, speculation will likely be that she was speaking of Drake - the rapper who left her red-faced when he winced in horror after she planted an amorous kiss on him during a performance at Coachella last week. The 28-year-old later explained that the kiss was fulfilling for him, despite being photographed appearing to wipe his mouth when the singer kissed him mid-performance. Aftwerwards, Drake said on Twitter: 'Don't misinterpret my shock!! I got to make out with the queen Madonna and I feel about that forever. Thank you @madonna.' Madonna has long said to have been a supporter of gay rights, ever since meeting her gay ballet teacher as a teenager in Detroit, Michigan. She has since circulated within the gay community, becoming close friends with lesbian Rosie O'Donnell and bisexual comedienne Sandra Bernhard. It is not the first time Madonna has been in the spotlight for uploading controversial posts to social media. In fact, her behaviour on Twitter and Instagram has become increasingly erratic of late with regular doses of raunchy semi-nude photographs posted online as well as bizarre references to high-profile political leaders and human rights' activists. The singer came under fire from fans earlier this year after posting pictures of iconic public figures such as Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela and Princess Diana with bondage tape photoshopped onto their faces. The images were altered to look like her own image on her new album cover - Rebel Hearts - and she was accused of comparing herself to the revolutionaries and civil rights leaders. In the ensuing furore, she was also accused of both racism and narcissism - both of which she took to social media to deny. The Queen of Pop's cover for her new album Rebel Heart is a close-up of her face with black string on it . The singer came under fire from fans earlier this year after posting pictures of iconic public figures such as Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela and Princess Diana with bondage tape photoshopped onto their faces . She said: 'I'm sorry. I'm not comparing myself to anyone. I'm admiring and acknowledging there Rebel Hearts (sic)'. She added: 'This is niether a crime or an insult or racist! I also did it with Michael jaclson and frida khalo and marilyn monroe (sic).' 'Am I saying I am them NO I'm saying they are Rebel Hearts too. And I didn't do it My fans did And I just re posted those photos My fans aren't racist either If they put me in the same category as these other people Thank you.' Her promotion of her latest album has also brought with it countless other controversies. In January, the pop star was accused by many online commentators of using the Charlie Hebdo terrorist attack in Paris to promote her album. It came after she posted a series of photos to her Instagram to offer support after 12 people were killed in the gun attack on the French satirical magazine’s offices. But as the star offered encouraging words in the captions for her social media images, she also provided some hashtags which were in promotion of her new album. The singer's behaviour on Twitter and Instagram has become increasingly erratic of late with regular doses of raunchy semi-nude photographs posted online, including this image in which she grabbed her breasts . The controversy came on the heels of the pop icon likening the leak of her album to a 'form of terrorism' - her comments coming just after the world was left in shock following a deadly hostage terrorist siege in Sydney and the devastating Taliban school massacre in Pakistan. Madonna posted a viral image 'Je suis Charlie' (I am Charlie) with the caption: 'These are very scary times we are living in. Ignorance breeds Intolerance and fear. We can only fight darkness with light! We are all Charlie! #revolutionoflove [heart] #rebelhearts.' Revolution Of Love is a track off her album Rebel Hearts, both of which she used as hashtags at the end of her post. Fans branded her insensitive for likening the leak of her upcoming album to a 'form of terrorism’ and using the tragedies to promote her work. Her son 14-year-old Rocco, from her second marriage to British film director Guy Ritchie, is also no stranger to controversy himself, having caused a storm in October last year when he posted a video purporting to show ISIS terrorists executing children on his Instagram page. His mother, in typically bombastic fashion, hit back at critics, telling the world that she was 'proud' of the teenager who was, she added, 'fighting for freedom'.
highlights: Madonna posted photograph of Margaret Thatcher before later deleting it .
  56-year-old pop star uploaded image and 'thanked' former Prime Minister .
  She quickly deleted the post after getting barrage of abuse from gay fans .
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