#Gross Indecency act

[100gayicons]

William Lygon, 7th Earl Beauchamp

William Lygon’s story is fascinating example of the homophobia and treatment gay people have had endure.

Lygon was the 7th Earl Beauchamp and a British politician who held various important posts, including Governor of New South Wales (1899 and 1901), and leader of the Liberal Party in the House of Lords (1924 and 1931).

He married Lady Lettice Grosvenor in 1876 and had 7 children (3 sons and 4 daughters). He was also a homosexual (or more probably bisexual) which was a crime under Britain’s Gross Indecency act. This was the same law that doomed Oscar Wilde and Alan Turing.

While attending Oxford, Lygon met Evelyn Waugh. He would become Waugh’s inspiration for the ill-fated Sebastian Flyte in Waugh’s novel ‘Brideshead Revisited’

In the 1920s Lygon would throw “racy” parties at Walmer, a castle he had been given. Lady Christabel Aberconway wrote in her diary of open party she attended:

“We arrived and were shown into a garden… There was the actor Ernest Thesiger, a friend of mine, nude to the waist and covered with pearls.”

Thesinger is best known for his campy performance as Dr Pretorius in “The Bride of Frankenstein” (1935).

Apparently Lygon’s sexual activity was an open secret within Britain’s upper crust. He had sexual affairs with servants, common men and other socialites (often at Madresfield Court, the Lygon family home; and at Walmer Castle when he resided).

Lygon toured Australia in 1930 with a young valet, who lived with him. The Australian Star newspaper reported:

“The most striking feature of the vice-regal ménage is the youthfulness of its members … Rosy cheeked footmen. (Each wearing) many lanyards… festoons from their broad shoulders. Lord Beauchamp deserves great credit for his taste in footmen.”

This came to the attention of Hugh Grosvenor (Duke of Westminster). He was Lygon’s brother-in-law and political rival. He hired detectives to get evidence about Lygon’s trysts.

Grosvenor was a Tory, an opposing party, and he wanted to ruin both Lygon and the Liberals. Grosvenor provided his evidence to King George V that Lygon was a homosexual. The King reportedly said,

“I thought men like that shot themselves.”

In 1931, Lygon was given an ultimatum - he must divorce his wife, resign from all offices and leave the country. Otherwise he would face public humiliation, arrest and potentially time in prison. Lygon left England immediately, first heading to Germany where he contemplated suicide. But he was talked out of it by his eldest son.

Grosvenor also showed the evidence to Lettice, Lygon wife, and Grosvenor sister. When told her husband was a bugger, Lettice misunderstood and thought he was being accused of being a bugler.

The divorce petition described Lygon as:

“A man of perverted sexual practices, [who] has committed acts of gross indecency with male servants and other male persons and has been guilty of sodomy … throughout the married life …”

Ironically Lygon’s children sided with the father and visited him often when he was out of the country. They shunned they’d mother.

Afterwards Lygon traveled, making his way to Paris, Venice, Sydney and San Francisco. But he returned to England after King George V died in 1936. His successor King George IV lifted the arrest warrant.

Lygon returned to Madresfield, his family estate in 1937. Unfortunately he was diagnosed with cancer and died in 1938.

Before his death, Grosvenor wrote Lygon saying,

"Dear Bugger-in-law, you got what you deserved. Yours, Westminster."

(Grosvenor, by the way, was a Nazi sympathizer and hated Jews, he was known for His anti-Semitic rants.)

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

"Pour grossière indécence," Le Soleil. October 21, 1942. Page 4. --- Un fonctionnaire, convaincu de grossière indécence et d'actes socratiques, a été condamné à une amende de $50 hier après-midi, en Cour du recorder. Il avait été arrêté il y a une quinzaine de jours par le détective Charles Fiset, de l'escouade des moeurs. Le recorder a usé de clémence envers lui en ne l'envoyant pas en prison parce que ce séjour aurait sans doute fait perdre son emploi à l'individu. Ce dernier promit solennellement de s'amender.

[AL: He was arrested for attempting to procure sex with another, younger man.]

[homoquartz]

hi if you want me to be insane for a sec i wanna talk about what environment re: homosexuality edwin was raised in

there was, at the time of edwin's birth, a national panic about the decline of masculinity in the UK. there was an idea that the uncontrollable sexual appetites of gay men would erode the moral foundation of the country and destroy it.

gay men, especially effeminate gay men, were seen as morally insane, degenerate, and as sexual criminals on par with child abusers. being gay was a criminal offense seen as contributing to social collapse. it was further criminalized under the labouchere amendment in 1885. gay sex was banned, but so was something as innocent as kissing. even, in some cases, just smiling or talking to other men in places suspected of being gay hotspots could be punished with imprisonment and hard labor.

edwin was born about 5 years after oscar wilde was imprisoned for "gross indecency" with other men, and about 50 years BEFORE alan turing was chemically castrated for the same crime. following wilde's highly publicized prosecution, there emerged a culture of hunting down, ratting out, and blackmailing gay men under threat of arrest. i'd go so far as to say edwin was becoming a teenager at the HEIGHT of the gay panic that emerged after wilde's trial - arrest rates had ballooned by 1912, and edwin was in school from 1913 to 1916.

it would have been rough, looking and acting the way he does.

[imfinereallyy]

“Steve, it’s an emergency. I need to kiss you. Actually, I need you to kiss me. But I can’t just do it without asking because what if you don’t want me to, and I practically attack you? So yes or no? I swear it’s for a good cause.” Eddie comes running up to Steve in the bar, panting so hard Steve can see the chest movements.

They have taken Robin to a bar out in Indy to get her laid finally. Or at least a tongue in her mouth. The girl is pent up. And it’s Steve’s job as best friend to make that happen (Robin has told him to stop saying that, ‘it is gross’). Eddie is the only other queer person they know and, luckily, has made quite a few trips to Indy to know which bars were the good ones. He tells Steve that, like Robin, he is desperate to get laid, so this is the perfect opportunity.

Steve does his best to try and ignore the burning jealousy he feels at that. Eddie doesn’t know about his feelings (hell about his sexuality), and Steve is pretty sure Eddie doesn’t see him that way.

“Huh?” Asks confused, his brain struggling to process.

“Okay, I see you’re stuck on how to answer, but Steve—“ Eddie grips Steve’s shoulder, and Steve tries not to swoon. “—my ex, the extra shitty one, is here, and if he sees me alone I’ll either a) go home with him tonight and—“

Steve cuts Eddie off with a searing kiss. The thought of Eddie going home with someone else was enough for Steve’s brain to catch up to speed. Steve presses Eddie against the bar. The loud bass of the music suddenly becomes a light thrum in the background. All that he feels is the delightful pressure of their lips together. Eddie’s hands slide up into Steve’s hair as he gets pressed harder into the bar. Steve’s hands' grip Eddie’s waist and give them a tight squeeze. The idea of bruises being left behind, a mark of what they are doing here, makes Steve deepen the kiss. His tongue used to massage Eddie’s, tasting the menthol and rum on his breath. Eddie moans loud and heavy, vibrating Steve’s entire body.

“Eddie?” A voice interrupts them. Steve feels his anger spark back slightly but wills it down because the interruption is probably needed. They are very close to getting kicked out for public indecency.

“Oh hey, Ryan.” Eddie looks the blonde man up and down. He’s cute, Steve notes, but he lacked personality in his appearance. He isn’t what Steve expects from an ex of Eddie’s. He isn’t naive enough to think Eddie dates exclusively metal heads, but he expects someone to match Eddie’s energy. This guy—Ryan apparently—looks like every other guy you’d find on a Sunday in Supermart. Boring and lacking imagination.

“Who’s this?” Ryan looks at Steve pissed.

“Steve?” Eddie wraps an arm around his waist, bringing Steve close up against him. “This is my boyfriend.”

“This dude’s your boyfriend?” Ryan snorts. “C'mon baby, I know you can do better.”

Steve feels his anger finally pop. “He is not your baby. Yea, he can do better than both of us combine, but I’m lucky enough to get him. Now, you interrupted our time together, and we both know you saw what we’re up to, so don’t act like it wasn’t on purpose.”

Ryan startles backwards, “I—“

“Sorry, maybe I wasn’t clear. I meant leave the fuck right now.” Steve grits out, some of his Upside Down protection mode popping out. Ryan scatters quickly.

“Jesus, Steve, that was amazing. I’m sorry I had to make you uncomfortable with that.” Eddie’s eyes find his and cuts Steve off before he can protest and explain no, he really did like that “—and you never even let me explain reason b, by the way! Reason b is b) he would probably humiliate me in the middle of the club.”

Steve nods at Eddie but has one track mind at this point. He grabs Eddie by the face this time before crashing their lips together once again. This time Steve moans into Eddie’s mouth as they both get lost in the kiss.

Steve pulls back ever so slightly and talks directly into Eddie’s mouth, “Sorry. I think he’s still staring. Needed to do more.”

Eddie, with swollen lips and a kissed-out face, looks around the bar to find nothing. “I don’t see him anywhere.”

Steve smirks and pulls Eddie by his belt loops so they are flushed together. Steve leans into Eddie’s ear and nibbles at his lobe. “Hmmm, you’re right. I think he’s actually in the bathroom. Maybe we should kiss in front of him there.” Steve whispers hotly.

Eddie’s brain, which has short-circuited much like Steve only minutes ago, finally catches up. Eddie groans, his face collapsing into Steve’s neck. He licks a stripe up Steve’s neck all the way to his mouth. “Fuck. Yea, baby, I think I saw him too. Think kissing, though, won’t be enough. We might need to up our game.”

Steve nips at Eddie’s lips, “I was hoping you would say that. Guess I just know how much you love your games, Eds.”

They meet each other for one last searing kiss before rushing to the bathrooms to share a very tight, very heated stall.

[arminsumi]

requesting the first years witnessing gojo flirt with reader

˗ˏˋ꒰ 🍒 ꒱

𝐅𝐥𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠

A/N: i love this idea sm i hope u like how i wrote it 👀💗

Wc ≈ 800

Pairing: GOJO Satoru x reader

Summary: Yuji, Nobara and Megumi 'accidentally' overheard you and Gojo flirting in the classroom 👀

Warnings; kinda cheesy/goofy/overdramatic, poor megumi lmfao

Passing down the hall, Yuji heard a murmuring of yours and Gojo’s voices coming from inside a vacant classroom, so he strained his ears to listen.

“I swear, your sweet tooth is insatiable… Gojo, you really should quit sugar.”

“Aw, but how could I possibly give you up?”

Yuji’s face contorted into amusement and disbelief after hearing that little exchange.

“Yuji, what the hell are you doing – ”

He hissed for Nobara to be quiet and come eavesdrop with him. So she did, albeit a bit confused at first, but in a few minutes she and him were stifling their snickering and pressing their cheeks flat to the thin sliding door.

“What did Y/n just say?? MEGUMI! Get over here.” Nobara whisper-shouted and beckoned the ravenette who appeared around the corner.

“Why?”

“JUST COME OVER HERE.”

“For what?!”

Yuji and Nobara practically dragged him over and forced him to join in their eavesdropping. He gives them a confused look but there’s a spark of curiosity in his eyes when he hears the murmur of your voice.

“I’m not your sugar, so stop calling me that – ”

“ – how about I call you my sugarbaby?”

“Satoru!” your giggle came from the other side of the door.

“Ooh, you’re calling my first name now? That’s so indecent.”

“I’m not gonna be your sugarbaby – ”

“ – you don’t want me to be your sugardaddy?!” Gojo acted offended and raised his voice.

Yuji and Nobara were desperately trying to keep it together, but their snickering and giggling kept getting worse until they were besides themselves with laughter – out of breath, seal-sounds and all. Megumi looked absolutely appalled and borderline distraught (he had a boyish crush on you).

“Stop eavesdropping, you three.”

“OH SHIT.” Nobara finally cracked and broke down laughing loudly with Yuji.

Gojo slid the door open with a smack, and they began to scramble immediately. You just peered from behind the desk where you were signing documents.

“W – wheehaha – we heard nothing! I swear!” Yuji promised.

“Sheesh, I didn’t think anyone in this world would be attracted to the likes of Gojo. Y/n, you can do better.” Nobara muttered.

“I – the audacity, I’m standing right here. Nobara, expect a forehead flick later.”

The three of them tumbled out of the halls and discussed you and Gojo like a hot topic.

“D’you think they’re like… actually dating?!” Yuji asked incredulously, standing on the last step of the stairs.

“Probably.” Nobara shrugged.

“Ugh…”

“Cheer up, Megumi. It’s not the end of the world.” Yuji chuckled.

Megumi just pouted and sat on the stairs, spreading his legs out and looking up at the sky very melancholically. He was so dramatic that the other two just laughed.

“D’you think they actually went on a date last weekend?” Yuji pondered.

“Ohhh… yeah, that’s probably what that was all about.”

“Gross!” Megumi whined.

“Megumi I’ve never seen you so jealous before.”

“What the hell, I’m not jealous!” he denounced.

Gojo came out to meet those three at the base of the stairs at just the right moment.

“You always say that you’re gonna marry Y/n when you grow up.” Yuji said.

“NO I DON’T? YOU’RE TWISTING MY WORDS, YUJI.”

Gojo placed a big hand on his head and gave him the fright of his life. He groaned when he realized you two just heard everything. Yuji and Nobara lost it laughing again.

“Sorry to steal your future wife.” He joked.

“BRO WHAT THE HELL – YUJI’S JUST JOKING!” Megumi’s cheeks reddened.

You walked out next, just the sight of you threw Nobara and Yuji right back into a fit of laughter that they were just struggling to get out of.

“Megumi, what’s the matter?” you asked.

“Nothing, I’m good – YUJI SHUT UP!”

He tackled Yuji right as he opened his mouth to say something. “Nobara – don’t – you – dare.”

“Hey future wife.” Gojo greeted you cheekily. You rolled your eyes.

“Hey future ex-husband.” You responded.

Megumi looked so comically distraught, the other two were howling. Gojo just smirked and sunk his hands into his pockets.

“You two, why is Megumi distraught?” you asked them suspiciously.

“He has a crush on you.” Nobara said.

Megumi went fully red. He looked as if he was contemplating summoning Shikigami on Nobara. Before he even checked your reaction or paid attention to his other teacher’s stifled giggles, he went rigid and stiffly walked away.

“So future wife… about that date.” Gojo said rather loudly.

“I KNEW IT!” Yuji hollered. Him and Nobara went off again, Megumi let out the most dramatic groan you’ve ever heard.

[mrmousetolliver]

Alan Mathison Turing

Alan Turing was  was an English mathematician, computer scientist, logician, cryptanalyst, philosopher and theoretical biologist and is widely considered to be the father of theoretical computer science. During the Second World War, Turing worked for the Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park, Britain's codebreaking centre that produced Ultra intelligence. He led Hut 8, the section responsible for German naval cryptanalysis. He devised techniques for speeding the breaking of German ciphers, including improvements to the pre-war Polish bomba method, an electromechanical machine that could find settings for the Enigma machine. Turing played a crucial role in cracking intercepted messages that enabled the Allies to defeat the Axis powers in many crucial engagements, including the Battle of the Atlantic. in 1952 when Turing was 39, he began a relationship with Arnold Murray, a 19 year old unemployed man. In January of 1952, Turings house was burgled, and Murray told Turing that he and the burglar were acquainted, and Turing called the police to report the crime. During the investigation, he acknowledged a sexual relationship with Murray and both men were charged with "gross indecency" under Section 11 of the Criminal Law Amendment Act 1885. On the advice of his family and lawyer he pled guilty. In March of 1952 he was convicted and given a choice between imprisonment or probation with the condition that he undergo a hormonal treatment to reduce libido, aka as "chemical castration". Turing opted for probation and began the chemical treatments. Over the course of the following year he was injected with estrogen, causing impotence and for breast tissue to form. In a letter, Turing wrote that "no doubt I shall emerge from it all a different man, but quite who I've not found out".

On 8 June 1954, at his house at 43 Adlington Road, Wilmslow, Turing's housekeeper found him dead. A post mortem was held that evening which determined that he had died the previous day at the age of 41 with cyanide poisoning cited as the cause of death. When his body was discovered, an apple lay half-eaten beside his bed, and although the apple was not tested for cyanide, it was speculated that this was the means by which Turing had consumed a fatal dose. Many question whether his death was suicide or accidental but it is officially listed as suicide. In 2013, Queen Elizabeth II signed a pardon for Turings conviction of "gross indencency", with immediate effect. The Queen officially pronounced Turing pardoned in August 2014. The Queen's action is only the fourth royal pardon granted since the conclusion of the Second World War. Pardons are normally granted only when the person is technically innocent, and a request has been made by the family or other interested party; neither condition was met in regard to Turing's conviction. In September 2016, the government announced its intention to expand this retroactive exoneration to other men convicted of similar historical indecency offences, in what was described as an "Alan Turing law". The Alan Turing law is now an informal term for the law in the United Kingdom, contained in the Policing and Crime Act 2017, which serves as an amnesty law to retroactively pardon men who were cautioned or convicted under historical legislation that outlawed homosexual acts. The law applies in England and Wales.

[captain-hawks]

Pls pls pls pls can you do a threesome with Mattsun and Hanamaki based on them being in a poly relationship with you?

(say less, i'm so so very here for this<3<3<3)

messy

issei matsukawa x f!reader x takahiro hanamaki

c: 18+ only, smut, teasing, fingering, unprotected p in v, double penetration in one hole, creampies, semi-public sex

SPICY SLEEPOVER WEEKEND — THREESOME EDITION!

“You guys are gross.”

Issei’s lips pause against yours at the sound of Oikawa’s petulant voice, his tongue briefly caressing the swell of your bottom lip before he breaks the kiss to turn his head to the side.

“Like you haven’t kissed more people than you can count,” he counters, reaching out and flicking his friend on the nose for good measure. 

“It’s not that,” Oikawa scoffs. “It’s…whatever the hell all of this is.”

As if on cue, Takahiro shifts slightly from where you’re sitting in his lap, his fingertips curling in a soothing motion against the bare skin of your thigh—rucking up the hem of your sundress a little more indecently than it already is in your current position. 

“Stop acting like you’re some goddamn prude, Shittykawa,” Iwaizumi grumbles, returning to the table with a round of drinks. 

There’s a tickling sensation against the inside of your other thigh, and you pinch Issei’s side. He huffs, regretfully giving up just as his fingers brush against your soft cotton panties. While your lower halves are mostly hidden beneath the table, Oikawa still narrows his eyes suspiciously when your breath hitches in your throat as Issei grasps your hip instead, smiling innocently while he snaps the waistband of said underwear.

“Iwa came over once,” Takahiro shrugs, Oikawa’s eyes going wide as Iwaizumi chokes on his drink.

—

“You’re both shameless,” you chide as the three of you make your way to Takahiro’s car afterward, only to find yourself pressed up against the passenger side door, your hips trapped in Issei’s warm grip. 

“What did you expect when you decided to wear this tonight,” he murmurs, pressing a hot, open-mouthed kiss to the back of your neck. 

The way you gasp and arch back into him is—admittedly—not the best course of action if you’re not planning on getting fucked here and now in this deserted, dimly lit parking garage. 

Resting his elbows on the hood and staring at you with a smile that’s equal parts endearing and mischievous, Takahiro just shrugs.

Well, it was this dress that sent the three of you tumbling over the edge you’d been dancing on for years, after all—when you were a little too tipsy to think better of jumping into a pool while wearing it at a party last summer.

(An evening that turned into a very long night as you opted to crash on the couch at their apartment after, rather than suffering through the long train ride home in a wet dress.

A very wet, suddenly very translucent dress that hugged every dip and curve of your body as you stood in Issei’s room, arguing that you couldn’t put him out by taking his bed. 

The dress had found its way to the floor as your bickering turned to making out, which in turn found his head between your warm, damp thighs, tongue lapping at your folds. Takahiro had barged in, unknowingly, and somehow ended up with his mouth plastered to yours as you whined and moaned against his lips until you came all over Issei’s face.)

“You’re the one that said you wanted to date both of us,” Takahiro grins as Issei nudges you toward the front of the car.

There are probably fucking cameras in here—though you’re too pent up at this point from their teasing all night to really care.

Takahiro’s touch is gentle yet firm as he takes Issei’s place, body folding over yours as he bends you over the hood of the car. Fuck, he’s so hard.

You don’t have to reach between your legs to know your underwear are soaked by now.

The hem of your dress is pushed upward, bunched around your waist as your panties—and the arousal now slowly beginning to drip down the inside of your thigh—are on full display for both of your partners.

You know it’s Issei’s hand that reaches out to drag your underwear aside, the specific way he drags two large, callused fingers through your slick folds a dead giveaway. A soft, keening little sound tumbles from your lips, despite your attempt to bite it back in this treacherously echo-prone environment. 

Issei knows you’re holding back, he can see it in the trembling of your thighs, the way your fingertips drag across the smooth paint on the hood of the car. 

Takahiro’s body heat seeps into yours as he brings his lips to your ear, “Don’t think there’s an easy way for us to fuck you at the same time here, do you mind if we take turns?”

Though you eagerly nod, cunt clenching in anticipation at finally being filled, you’re not expecting the way they carry out their plan—back and fucking forth. 

Literally.

For all the ways you’ve fucked them, there’s something absolutely filthy about this—the way Takahiro’s the one that spits on your pussy for good measure, only for Issei to be the only to plunge inside.

And yet he only stays for two thrusts before Takahiro’s gripping your hips and pounding into you instead, twice, three times.

Then Issei’s cock sinks back inside of you, your cunt spasming and contracting around the back and forth switch between his girth versus Takahiro’s length. You can hear the lewd splash of arousal dripping from your greedy pussy onto the pavement below.

Takahiro’s hands slide down the straps of your dress, your tits spilling out and pressing against the cool metal of the car’s hood as he buries his shaft in you balls deep, groaning about how fucking tight you always are for them.

You want to sob at how empty you feel when he pulls out, a little delirious on how badly you want both of them inside of you at the same time right this very goddamn second—logistics be damned.

Somehow, in between your incoherent, begging, pleading moans each time they ruthlessly swap (having cast any worries about the echoing parking garage to the wayside), Issei seems to get the hint and shuffles the three of you around until your hips are wrapped around his waist, Takahiro’s hands supporting your ass.

And then they’re both somehow plunging inside of your fucked out hole, Issei’s mouth a searing caress against your lips as he swallows down the rising volume of your cock drunk moans. Your cunt greedily takes them both in, dripping a fresh wave of slick arousal as you feel the way both of them shudder and groan at the sensation of their dicks rutting against one another within the tight, slick squeeze of your pussy.

You turn your head to kiss Takahiro, the spit-slick meeting of your lips nearly as filthy as the squelching sounds from between your legs that follow each of their rhythmic, deep thrusts.

When you come, you’re thankful for the steady, strong grip that keeps your trembling limbs in the air while they both fuck you through the tidal wave of pleasure that washes over you, your arms and legs useless in the shuddering aftershocks that radiate through your abdomen and your quivering pussy.

“Where, baby?” Issei pants, sounding just as close to his climax as Takahiro and his now sloppy, inconsistent thrusts.

It’s probably not the best idea, what comes out of your mouth, given that you’re in a short little sundress and have to sit perched on a leather seat for the drive home.

And yet—

“Inside, inside,” you gasp, fingers buried in his hair. “Make a mess.”

Takahiro groans in pleasure,  “Fucking hell.”

You’re not the one that’ll be stuck cleaning the seats tomorrow morning, anyway.

“Fuck,” Issei gasps, slamming his cock in to the hilt at the same time as Takahiro, warmth flooding your insides as they simultaneously fill your cunt to the brim with ropes of thick, hot cum, both staying lodged deep inside of you until your tight hole finishes milking them dry.

Just as they’re carefully putting you back down on the ground—Issei fixing the straps of your dress back over your shoulders as Takahiro flattens the skirt of your dress—there’s a familiar, indignant cry from somewhere off in the distance,

“This is a fucking PARKING GARAGE, YOU HEATHENS!”

spicy sleepover masterlist

[thethirdromana]

LGBT+ Victorians

Since it's Pride Month and Dracula Daily is going to be pretty quiet for most of June, I thought it might be good timing for a little 1890s queer history. Plus I wanted to give a bit more fuel to everyone's queer headcanons for Dracula characters!

Popping this under a cut because it's long.

The start of queer identity This is a massive generalisation, but for most of British history, being queer was about action and not about identity. The idea that people who wanted to have gay sex belonged to a specific group that was different to other people didn't exist for the most part, at least not at a societal level. (This was also true - more generalisation - for much of the western world. It was very much not true for large swathes of the rest of the world who thought about this in entirely different and varied ways).

By the second half of the 19th century, that was starting to change. People like Karl Heinrich Ulrichs in Germany (on the left), and John Addington Symonds (middle) and Edward Carpenter (right) in the UK started to think of themselves as homosexuals - Ulrichs coined the term "Urning" which became "Uranian" in English. This period marked the beginning of organised campaigning for LGBT rights in the UK, though specific campaigning for lesbian and trans rights came later.

This means that in the 1890s setting of Dracula, any characters might think of themselves as "Uranian" or "Sapphic", or they might not yet have picked up that way of thinking. At a guess I'd expect Seward or van Helsing to be particularly aware of the new theory around homosexuality.

LGBT rights in law It was a mixed time for the legal position of LGBT people. The death penalty for sodomy was abolished in 1861 in England, Wales and Ireland (1889 in Scotland), and replaced with minimum 10 years hard labour. In 1871, two amab people, Boulton and Park, were tried for dressing as women, but the judge ruled that this was not an offence under English law (though he also said that he thought it should be).

On the left: Fanny Park and Stella Boulton; on the right, the Illustrated Police News' depiction of their arrest.

And in 1885, the Criminal Law Amendment Act reduced the minimum sentence for gross indecency from 10 years' hard labour to two.

That said, before that act was introduced, there had to be a witness to any sodomy or gross indecency for it to be prosecuted. The Criminal Law Amendment Act changed that, so all private acts, arguably even love letters, could be prosecuted. So despite the reduction in sentences, this change to the law made life harder for queer men in the 1880s and 1890s. From a Dracula perspective, this means that people would be much more careful about what they wrote down - significant for a novel made up of documents.

Lesbian sex has never been illegal in the UK. (The idea that this was because Queen Victoria didn't believe in lesbianism is a myth). But in the 18th century there were a series of prosecutions of afab people who lived as men and married women. They were prosecuted for fraud when their birth sex was discovered, because they were perceived as having defrauded their wives. There were far fewer such prosecutions in the 19th century, possibly because of the belief that it was better not to create the publicity of a trial.

Victorian WLW There are HEAPS of notable Victorian lesbians and bisexual women, including a lot in the suffragette movement. So I've chosen a few examples based on there being good images on Wikipedia.

From left to right:

Margaret Benson and Janet (Nettie) Gourlay were Egyptologists who met at the excavation of the Precinct of Mut. Almost all of Benson's family preferred same-sex relationships.

Louisa Baring, Lady Ashburton, was briefly married to a man, but when she was widowed, began a 25-year relationship with American sculptor Harriet Hosmer. Harriet described herself as Louisa's "hubby".

Matilda Hays was a mixed-race writer and actress who had a relationship with American actress Charlotte Cushman, with whom she's pictured. Hays aimed to use her writing to improve the condition of women.

Victorian MLM Again, I've chosen people to highlight through the very representative method of good photos.

From left to right:

Edward Carpenter was a socialist, poet, philosopher and early gay rights activist who met his partner George Merrill on a train. The two men came from very different backgrounds: Carpenter from privilege, and Merrill from the Sheffield slums. Their 40-year relationship inspired the ending of EM Forster's novel Maurice.

Charles Ricketts and Charles Haslewood Shannon were artists who met as teenagers and lived together for more than 50 years. In the Times' obituary for Ricketts in 1931, their relationship was described as being "as remarkable as any of the great historic friendships, or the finest Darby and Joan examples of wedded felicity".

Ned Warren and John Marshall were art collectors who together were largely responsible for the Roman and Greek Art Collection of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Marshall married Warren's cousin, Mary Bliss, but only on the condition that the marriage would not be consummated. All three lived together until they died and were buried in the same tomb.

Trans Victorians I wrote last year about Dr James Barry, a Victorian trans man, in the context of whether Jack Seward could be trans. (The post is from October, but spoiler free).

Eliza Edwards was an actress who died in 1833 at the age of 24. Her body was autopsied, and discovered to be - in the words of the autopsy - "a perfect man", which had apparently not been known to any of her friends or colleagues.

Harry Stokes was a bricklayer in Manchester, who was outed as trans in newspaper articles during his divorce 1838 and again after his death in 1859. He became something of a figure of fun after being first outed, but met another woman who lived with him as his life, and was broadly accepted by the local community as a trans man.

It was only through chance that James, Eliza and Harry were outed (and in James Barry's case, despite considerable efforts on his part). There might well have been hundreds or thousands more people like them.

And Boulton and Park, who I mentioned above, have usually been treated as transvestite men by historians, but could equally - had they had the terms themselves - be identified as trans women. Some contemporary newspaper articles even used she/her pronouns for them.

Asexual Victorians Asexuality is tricky to spot in history, though even in 1896, German sexologist Magnus Hirschfeld was identifying it as a distinct phenomenon. What we do know is that more than 10% of women and a little under 10% of men in the 1890s never married, and in some cases that may well have been because they were asexual or aromantic.

From a Dracula perspective, family rumour held that Florence Stoker declined sex with her husband after the birth of their child. That may or may not have been true (and there's a ring of aphobia to some of the family's claims) but it shows how asexual people might also be found in apparently conventional marriages.

Sources British Library: A Short History of LGBT Rights in the UK British Library: A timeline of LGBT communities in the UK Girlfriends of Dorothy: A Timeline of Lesbian Rights UK 1601 - 2020s (note: the site intends to be trans-inclusive, but genders John Barry as female.) Open University: Lesbianism and the criminal law of England and Wales “Constant Companions” and “Intimate Friends”: The Lives and Careers of Maggie Benson and Nettie Gourlay Sapphic sexuality: lesbian myth and reality in art and sculpture British Library: Transgender identities in the past Warp and Weft: The extraordinary life of Harry Stokes British Academy: Happy Families? Coitus Interruptus: Sex, Bram Stoker, and Dracula 'Missing person' Florence Stoker added to DIB

[ideas-on-paper]

On Carlo and Romeo's relationship & homosexuality in Victorian schools

In my quest to find out more about Carlo and Romeo's lives at Monad Charity House, I have once again resorted to my tried and tested method of historical research, this time with a primary focus on Victorian boarding schools.

Along the way, I stumbled upon Lord Alfred Douglas, aka "Bosie" Douglas, the lover of Oscar Wilde. As people familiar with them may know, their gay romance caused quite a stir in 1895 due to the (in)famous trials of Wilde for “gross indecency”, the tragic result of which was that the latter was convicted to two years of hard labor that ruined his health.

Both already had their fair share of gay affairs beforehand though - Bosie specifically was very popular among his peers during his time at Oxford University, being excellent at sports, artistically gifted and incredibly handsome, so it's not too surprising he hooked up with some of his fellow students. What absolutely had me rolling on the floor was this statement, however (quoted from this page):

"[...] we argue that the English public schools in the last part of the nineteenth century tolerated, if they did not actually encourage the development of strong homoerotic friendships between students."

Apparently, homosexuality in boarding schools was so common people made off-hand jokes about it. In the novel Rites of Passage by William Golding, the protagonist finds a fellow traveler engaged in oral sex with a sailor, thinking of it as "that silly schoolboy prank". Admittedly, Golding wrote his novel in the 20th century, so we don’t know for sure if the 19th-century attitudes portrayed in it are accurate, but this might imply that sexual interaction between schoolboys was fairly common.

In the first edition of Tom Brown's School Days by Thomas Hughes, published in 1857, there was even a passage of the protagonist insulting two boys who were clearly in a sexual relationship with senior boys, with the author commenting that "everyone who studied at Rugby would understand why this passage was necessary". (Hughes himself was Christian and condemned homosexual relationships; the concerning passage was cut out in later versions).

This does not mean, however, that all the boys attending boarding schools were gay - rather, because boarding schools were restricted by gender, they had their first sexual experiences in this male-only environment. Many of them would try the exact same thing out with a girl later and find they enjoyed it much more. However, there were also those who never felt any desire to try it out with a girl - and given how close Carlo and Romeo were, I would honestly be more surprised if there wasn’t anything romantic going on between them.

I mean, it’s not like the entire LoP community isn’t already shipping Carlo and Romeo, but in case there was ever any doubt about it, take it from me: I’m positive these boys were gay.

And in case anyone feels like pointing out that “well, actually, the setting of Lies of P is based on France”: Homosexuality was already decriminalized in France as early as 1791 by the National Constituent Assembly, making France the first Western European country to do so - or rather, the penal code drafted with the intention to only punish "real crimes" made no mention of homosexual acts in private. Still, it was a major step for gay rights.

[firstkanaphans]

"#does khao stan anyone who isn't queer?" <- honestly a valid question. not to be that person but he just gives off such queer vibes to me in everything he does or says. like how he gifts his friends incredibly queer literature to read. plz, a straight person would never do something so iconic(ly queer). 💅

You said it, not me. But yeah, I haven't had any doubts about Khaotung since he wore this shirt.

Like you said, the fact that he gave Earth and Mix a copy of De Profundis—a letter Oscar Wilde wrote to his lover from jail after he’d been arrested for “gross indecency in the form of homosexual acts”—is just so gay. So gay, in fact, that it makes me 👀 EM too!

One of Khao’s favorite movies is Call Me By Your Name. He’s always listening to Troye Sivan. He clearly has an appreciation for queer stories and queer creators—not to mention his giant crush on Gun Atthaphan, which he isn’t the least bit shy about.

(And although this part is pure speculation, P’Jojo mentioned on Twitter after Only Friends aired that if given the choice, he chooses to work with queer actors because he knows firsthand how hard it is to be queer in this industry. And who did he choose to work with again for The Heart Killers…?)

All of this to say that Khaotung’s personal life is his own and coming out is not—nor will it ever be—a necessary part of the queer experience. But there’s a difference between thinking your favorite is gay because you want them to be in a secret relationship with their costar and thinking your favorite is gay because they’re giving you every sign they possibly can other than saying it out loud. Because the saying it out loud part is what could cost them their career.

It’s like when Gun wore that green carnation on his lapel a few months ago. They’re trying to tell us. We just have to listen.

[master-john-uk]

23rd June 1912 - Alan Turing was born in Maida Vale, London.

The scientific genius, matematician and codebreaker famously worked at Bletchley Park during WWII. His Turing Machine was the forerunner of the modern programmable computer.

His work was not recognised during his short lifetime... appaently, because of The Official Secrets Act. More likely it was because he was a homosexual, who was convicted of "gross indecency" in 1952.

Alan opted for chemical castration, rather than imprisonment. Less than two years later he committed suicide.

After a long and hard fought campaign, HM The Queen granted Alan Turing a Pardon in 2014. His face is now on the UK's £50 banknotes.

[twig-tea]

Canadian LGBTQ+ rights; a whirlwind summary

Back in August of 2023 @wen-kexing-apologist wrote an absolutely stellar piece here, and I didn't want to co-opt it (especially because it was already written with an American gaze and I don't want to pile on/distract from the fact that we're talking about Thai BL) so I decided to make this a separate post. And then it lingered in the sad pile of my drafts. But, I'm gonna post it anyway, and take this as an excuse to talk about Canadian history of LGBTQ+ rights apropos of absolutely nothing except the most recent move of the provinces (specifically Saskatchewan) to use the notwithstanding clause to force through legislation that the courts have said goes against our charter of rights and freedoms--specifically legislation that says a teacher cannot respect a child's pronouns without permission of the parent. This is being taken to court (latest as of this writing is that in Feb 2024 the group fighting the law was granted the right to be heard by the court in spite of the notwithstanding clause being invoked, so there is still a chance of it getting revoked via the courts).

WKA talks about what the conversation was like in the US around queer rights in the 20th century; highly recommend reading the linked post first. In Canada the conversation was a little different though with very similar themes; we had the shift to a focus on "privacy" as the driver of our rights long before the HIV/AIDS epidemic, in the 1960s. So much of the push and pull of our laws around homosexuality and gender identity and expression have had to do with the public vs private.

Sodomy has been illegal in Canada since colonization (earliest known conviction: 1648) but laws against gross indecency, which included dancing, kissing, or touching between two men, didn't get codified in Canada until 1892 (and not extended to apply to women until 1953 (thanks)). While these laws essentially outlawed any physical public affection between men from the turn of the century, the fervor to root out and eliminate gayness from society didn't really reach its pitch until mid-century.

I need you all to know about the Fruit Machine, which was an ostensibly "scientific" detection device to identify and purge gay and lesbian civil servants from the military and public service in Canada. While the machine was built in the 1950s and used through the 1950s and 1960s, the practice of using psychology, polygraphs, and interrogation to force military and public servants to come out and take a voluntary discharge existed through to the 1990s.

Our former Prime Minister PE Trudeau made famous the line "there is no place for the state in the bedrooms of the nation" as part of his so-called decriminalization of homosexuality 1967; this is of course a joke because "buggery" and "gross indecency" stayed on the books for another 20 years, the only difference being they were only punishable if the people involved were under 21, there were 3 or more people present, or the participants were performing these acts outside of their home. You may notice that this meant the policing of public space was where and how homophobia continued to be perpetuated by the state via police.

Highlighting the importance of privacy as a framework for gay rights at this time, The Right to Privacy movement was the name for one of the forerunners of modern Canadian LGBTQ+ rights groups through the 1970s--though worth noting that this group in particular was criticized for its exclusion of WLW and our trans siblings (some of whom of course overlap). The infamous bathhouse raids of 1981 ("Operation Soap"), leading to at the time the largest arrest in Toronto's history, were one of the precipitating factors in the recognizable start of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement. In 1986, five years after the raids and thanks to massive effort by LGBTQ+ organizing, sexual orientation was added to the protected list of attributes that it is illegal to discriminate against under the Canadian Human Rights Act (gender identity and expression was added in 2012), and in 1987 "anal intercourse" was made legal for those over 18 (the legal age of consent was made the same for everyone--16--in 2019), and "gross indecency" as a law was finally repealed. The fight for marriage equality was the next step after achieving real decriminalization, and was strongly based on the right to freedom from discrimination as protected by the Human Rights Act.

[Just going to take this moment to note that for some reason they never struck off the law criminalizing sodomy when more than two people are present; this is still an inequality on the books now and people do (rarely) still get charged with it.]

In the late 1980s and 1990s, the censorship fight was most famously held in the written sphere--if you've seen the movie Better than Chocolate, you might already be familiar what I'm talking about. From approximately 1986 through to 2000, Canada Border Services targeted shipments to queer bookstores, holding them up, sometimes destroying the content, putting those businesses at risk, and preventing queer content that passed through border control to be stocked in physical stores. It took the Supreme Court of Canada's ruling in 2000 to shut down that practice as an illegal suppression of a bookstore (Little Sisters in Vancouver, BC, shout-out!)'s right to freedom of expression.

Raids on safe spaces for sexual activity continued to be a driver for action through to the 21st century. The WLW bathhouse the Pleasure Palace (changed from "Pussy Palace" in the late 90s to be more inclusive of our sisters without that particular body part) was raided in the year 2000; 19 years after Operation Soap, and notably the first and last raid on a queer woman's bathhouse in Canadian history. What followed was a massive public coal-raking of police, including the very telling call to action: "out of the bars! Into the streets!" I don't think this was necessarily the intended implication at the time, but looking back the threat was that if we were not given our rights, we would be in everyone's faces (and conversely if we were given our rights, we'd be quiet). The legalization of marriage between any two consenting persons of legal age came five years later in 2005 (I don't mean to imply this effort was the only reason--the fight for marriage equality was active all the way through the 90s and early 2000s; it's just an interesting parallel that two of the biggest wins for equality for queer people in Canada came 5 years after a historic police raid).

One of the factors in gaining acceptance of LGBTQ+ people in Canada was the fight for marriage equality; as it focused the conversation on sameness rather than difference. The queer activism movement here pivoting from messaging around bathhouses and being left alone to marriage equality was an intentional, strategic attempt to be accepted as the same rather than being honoured for our differences. And that fight coming after the HIV/AIDS epidemic and bathhouse raids is no accident as it framed queer people directly in opposition to the stigma of promiscuity that surrounded assumptions about gay people which fed into the lack of support for medical intervention, research, and treatment for HIV/AIDS (here in Canada too, our history is just as gross on that front, people just don't talk about it as much. But Canada followed the US government's example, and so people were left without medical resources for at least eight years in Canada (since the first cases were identified here in 1982) and THREE YEARS after they had been approved by the US--AZT wasn't available in Canada until 1990. Three years in which people died unnecessarily. We similarly approved PrEP four years after the FDA, in 2016. Today, despite "universal health care", if you want access to PrEP, it will depend on the province you're in as to whether you can get it at all for free or whether you need to pay--in my province, it takes 2 months to get free PrEP).

Today, just over 50% of the people with HIV/AIDS in Canada are men who have sex with men; it's estimated 80% of people infected with HIV know their status, of those 75% are being treated, and of those 89% are effectively unable to transmit the virus. In that context, the ongoing fight re: HIV/AIDS in Canada today is around decriminalization, specifically decriminalization of drugs (since ~20% of HIV infections are from IV drug use--one of the many reasons I support harm reduction strategies), and the decriminalization of non-disclosure (since Canada is one of the few places where you can be charged for not sharing your HIV status with a sexual partner). Until very recently, we were also fighting to be able to give blood--it was only in 2022 that men who have sex with men were allowed to donate blood in Canada, which meant every visit to a blood donation clinic involved questions about the gender of your sexual partner(s). And, as mentioned at the top, one of the rights we are fighting to retain right now, is the right to have our gender expression respected without forced outing to a parent or guardian; Once again, the fight in Canada has become centered around the right to privacy.

Slightly tangential to the topic at hand, but I would be remiss in talking about moments in recent history when the law did not prosecute us, but it failed to protect us. In the 2010s, a serial killer was targeting men who he thought he could get away with making disappear; and he was right. The police ignored calls from the community to treat the case as a serial killer for years. Bruce McArthur killed 8 men who had gone missing from Toronto's Gay Village between 2010 and 2017, several who were vulnerable because they were distant from their families (because they were gay and closeted), homeless, and/or in immigration limbo (waiting for status), so it took longer for them to be reported missing. During this time, through to just weeks before the arrest, the Toronto Police insisted in public statements that there was no serial killer.

Black and Indigenous queer people have regularly died as a result of the police being called while they were in crisis. An unnamed trans woman (who was midgendered by the SIU after her death); Regis Korchinksy-Paquet, both in 2020. In 2022, Dani Cooper, queer activist who advocated against police-run wellness checks, was shot and killed by police during a wellness check called for them.

As a positive step, in 2016, Black Lives Matter Toronto staged a protest as part of the annual Pride Parade, making a list of demands, but the one that got the most coverage was the demand to ban police at Pride. This was taken up by the Pride Toronto committee, and since 2017 police have been banned from having an official float or presence at the parade. This has been taken up by several Canadian cities including Vancouver and Hamilton and inspired action in other cities globally.

With that context, in which queer people are rightfully distrustful of police, it is alarming that police-reported hate crimes against LGBTQ+ people (one of the only ways we have of tracking hate crime consistently) had a record-breaking increase in 2023.

In 2017, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (the son of PM Trudeau quoted above) gave a public apology to LGBTQ+ Canadians. Here's just a brief excerpt:

"To the kids who are listening at home and who fear rejection because of their sexual orientation or their gender identity and expression; And to those who are nervous and scared, but also excited at what their future might hold; We are all worthy of love, and deserving of respect. And whether you discover your truth at 6 or 16 or 60, who you are is valid. To members of the LGBTQ2 communities, young and old, here in Canada and around the world: You are loved. And we support you."

The important part about this apology was twofold; one, it explicitly named many of the specific instances of oppression I mentioned above, and two, it listed the things the government was doing to make reparations. This included the repeal of the law that equalized the age of consent (which went through two years later, as mentioned above), the pardoning of people who had a criminal record due to unjust laws based on LGBTQ+ discrimination, settlement of a class action lawsuit for victims of The Purge, and a commitment to work towards better resources for mental health and housing for LGBTQ+ people, as well as a committment to continue working to remove the barriers for gay men to donate blood (which went through in 2022). One of the other important achievements was the change to allow an "X" option under gender on Canadian Passports (so the three available options are M/F/X) in 2019 [some provincial gender opt-out options have existed since 2017].

The current government is by no stretch perfect, but it has been good to see some of these moments of our history acknowledged and corrected for. As the global pressure towards fascism continues, it's critical that we remember these changes are the result of hard work, not inevitable "progress", that these fights are ongoing and require our energy, and that change, using a variety of tactics, is possible.

Quick hit facts if you prefer a list to a narrative:

In Canada, it was illegal for men to hold hands with men or women to hold hands with women in public until the 1960s;

The government tried to expunge us from public service in the 60s and 70s;

it was illegal for men to have threesomes until the 1990s;

bathhouse raids were made possible due to legislative inequalities through the 2000s;

Canada took three years longer than the US to approve treatments for HIV/AIDS, four years longer to approve PrEP, and still today access can be complicated/expensive;

it was possible to be of legal age to have sex but not anal sex until 2019;

Gay men were barred from donating blood until 2022;

Canada remains one of the few countries in the world where you can be prosecuted for not disclosing your HIV status (though does not apply if you retain a minimal viral load);

In 2023 some provincial governments tried to make kids choose between gender expression and their privacy (and potentially safety) from their parents; as of March 2024 that fight is still actively being fought.

The take-aways I hope people get from this post:

This history is more recent than we pretend, and is ongoing

Framing gay rights as right to privacy vs right to being not prosecuted for being in public is nuanced and intertwined

Transphobes need to fuck off

Some references/further reading/watching:

Brief history of LGBTQ+ laws in Canada at the Canadian Encyclopedia

The Fruit Machine documentary made by TVO

Article on HIV/AIDS in Canada policy written by one of the policymakers

Timeline of HIV/AIDS Developments (only goes to 2010 so does not include PreP, which was approved in Canada in 2016, four years after its availability in the US)

Article on The Pleasure Palace raid by one of the organizers

Article on the Bathhouse Raids 40 years after Operation Soap

Article on Bruce McArthur's crimes and the review of how police handled the case by former judge Gloria Epstein

Regis Korchinksy-Paquet and the unnamed trans woman dead after interactions with police

Dani Cooper's death

Article about the Supreme Court case brought by Little Sisters bookshop

HIV Non-Disclosure Law Fact Sheet

Article about the end of the blood ban for men who have sex with men

Black Lives Matter Toronto on their 2016 action at Toronto Pride

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's apology

Gender "X" Options on Passports

Stream Better Than Chocolate (you may need to look up where it's available in your region)

Little Sisters Book & Art Emporium

Glad Day Bookshop (Makes a claim for being the oldest queer bookshop in the world; one of the few queer public spaces being maintained/actively protected as more and more of our spaces are eroded, and also just a personal fave so I'm taking the excuse to shout it out too)

[ewanmitchellcrumbs]

Can I ask what is it about Otto that you find attractive? I mean he's definately got something going on.

Oh my god.

I have answered an ask like this previously, and was about to link you to it, but then realised I'd be robbing myself of an opportunity to wax lyrical about my favourite old man. Prepare yourself. It's going to be long, and it's going to be fucking gross.

We'll get the obvious out of the way first; the physicality. Otto is the stereotypical, cookie cutter version of what I generally tend to go for in men. He's tall, he has a beard, and carries an air about him that makes you want to fall to your knees and unhinge your jaw each time he walks into a room. (Rhys Ifans actually has the exact same eye and nose shape as my husband, I'm not kidding)

That slutty little metal corset he wears as armour renders me to a state so feral I feel as though I could tear a phone book in half with little to no effort. I have to remove my Fitbit whenever I watch House of the Dragon, as every time that distinguished old prick appears on screen it fucking ruins my heartrate data. I am fairly certain I have tasted blood from the force of having to suppress audible moans.

Now, let's move on to the personality, because this is what really makes the full package. The Hightowers are one of the most affluent families in all of Westeros, and that's not by accident. Otto is clever, he's enterprising and there is nothing more attractive to me than intelligence and assertion. He has both by the bucket load. There's a reason he served as Hand of the King to so many monarchs - his brain is in high demand.

He's also Ser Otto Hightower - as if he's not impressive enough already, he served as a Knight of the Realm in his youth, so Peepaw knows how to fight, and his sense of honour is off the fucking charts. That's pretty swoon worthy, if you ask me.

He's a family man. Do you see how agitated he gets when Daemon brings up his dead wife? That man was down bad for Mrs. Hightower. You just know he was blowing her back out every night right up until she drew her last breath. He never remarries either. I can stan a man that is that cuntstruck with devotion.

Otto gets given a hard time for his treatment of his children, but in his mind he is acting in the best interests of both Westeros and his family. He has nothing to gain from his daughter being Queen - there is no situation in which Otto ever has a claim to the throne, he just wants to see his baby girl successful. His son, Gwayne, is a Knight. He pushes his kids to be successful.

The things I would do to this man, and allow him to do to me would redefine the very fabric of human indecency - they are are despicable. He invokes a lust in me so potent that I become more beast than woman.

He's also packing twelve inches. He told me personally.

[i-am-distressed]

Inspired by the tragedy today.

Y/n sees a lizard and jumps in noritoshis lap for protection meanwhile this man is like SHES SITTING ON ME???

AHAHHAHAHAH STOP THIS IS SUCH A FUNNY VISUAL-

Y/n is just out here trying to escape certain death (the lizard wasn't even dangerous😔😔) and who better to save her from this travesty than her trusty dusty (love of her life) pal noritoshi :D. Only- noritoshi was not expecting the girl he's head over heels for to JUMP into his lap and wrap her arms around his neck as she yelped and clung to him for dear life. I suspect the interaction went a little like this:

Y/n: "What is that- AAAHHHHHH" *jumps into noritoshis lap*

Noritoshi: "Wha- what are you doing?!" *his face is now very red and his arms are frozen in the air as she continues to latch onto him as the poor lizard skitters away*

Y/n: "i- there was a lizard!" *the genuine displeasure in her voice makes him upset, that is until it registers what she made such a big fuss over*

Noritoshi: "...a lizard? Are you serious?" *he nearly rolls her eyes at her antics, about to go into a whole rant about the danger of flinging yourself at people without notice until she speaks again*

Y/n: "very, it has it out for me noritoshi. Everywhere I go it's there watching me- ITS BACK" *she then grips onto him even tighter and practically jumps to the point their chair almost tips back, out of reflex he grabs onto her waist to steady them*

Noritoshi: "i-" *he tries to speak but he is malfunctioning. She's practically wrapped herself around him now and he is suddenly very aware of the way his arms are tightly clasped around her figure, and with this close proximity he can hear her heartbeat and feel her breath on the shell of his ear and-*

Todo: "ahh, young love."

Mai: "gross🤢 there are children here you know? Get a room."

*que y/n jumping off of noritoshis lap as she finally realized, 'ohmygosh I just threw myself into his lap what have I done-' and noritoshi clearing his throat as he used his handy dandy blood manipulation to calm his heartbeat (and stop himself from blushing) and proceed to scold mai and todo for acting indecently*

Mai: "oh sure, we're indecent- says the one who was embracing his lover in a public-" *todo and mai are now running for their lives*

[can-of-w0rmz]

idk about you but I love getting my opinions on one of the titans of English literature from a barely post-pubescent 20-something child on tumblr, a website famous for having users with great reading comprehension, critical thinking and no impulse whatsoever to fall into purity culture nonsense at the drop of a hat. I also love the English courts of law, and anti-sodomy laws, and I immediately and uncritically trust them when they accuse a gay man of being a pedophile. There is nothing wrong, childish or immature about this and I don't need to grow up

PURITY CULTURE??? PURITY CULTURE?????? Oh my bad folks I didn’t realise grooming 16 year old boys as a 30-something year old man was just rebelling against purity culture. And for your information, I’ve done plenty of research into anti-sodomy laws at the time of Wilde’s trials, and I’ve also read multiple sources of shorthand translations of the proceedings of the trials themselves, and anyone with two brain cells could tell that the way Wilde spoke wasn’t the way an innocent man would speak, and the evidence compiled against him was overwhelming, regardless of any bias the court may have had. True, the bias in question is fair to bring up and discuss, but it doesn’t negate his extremely likely guilt. It’s extremely unlikely that the man was innocent, from the evidence itself to Wilde’s tone during his “defence”.

Some sources:

The Trial of Oscar Wilde: From the Shorthand Reports (1906)

“In 1895, the playwright and wit Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) was prosecuted for 'acts of gross indecency' with other men. Parts of his trial were covered in newspapers of the day, but because of British censorship laws, this fuller account was not published in English until 1906.”

–The British Library official website (bl.uk)

famous-trials.com, compiled by Professor Douglas O’Linder from UMKC School of Law, mostly aligning with the shorthand translations of the testimonies from the prior source referenced yet with a few details not included in the 1906 publication to my knowledge.

https://www.famous-trials.com/wilde/327-home

Of course, everything has drawbacks, everything has a grain of salt, not everything is fullproof, there’s room for argument everywhere and of course the two sources I linked there aren’t fully enough for a big picture, and context of the time, surrounding impact, further accounts etc should all be looked into — however, in weighing up the evidence and legitimacy of sources and conflating information on all sides, personally I’m ridiculously extremely confident that Wilde was guilty, and I think the fact that this isn’t really widespread historical information is ridiculous.

You’re right, you shouldn’t take things you see on Tumblr as full proof undisputed fact. You’re right, Tumblr is a hellhole a lot of the time for misinformation and bad literary comprehension and analysis. But that doesn’t mean anything you see anywhere is objectively wrong, and you should do a small molecule of proper research and critical thinking from seeing those posts before spouting bullshit.

And for your information, I’m both queer and Irish myself and shockingly the fact that one of the major idealised queer figures for my country is a rich 19th-century-Narcissus pedophile creep, and nobody says jack shit about it, makes me pretty fucking pissed! Surprisingly!

“Purity culture” catch yourself on lad what in the fresh fuck are you on about. I’m in the age range for the wee boys Wilde fucked, surprisingly if I heard one of my friends was meeting with and having sex with some rich fuck old enough to be their da I’d be pretty fucking concerned I’d be calling cps bro 💀🙏

[charlotteharlatan]

Casual reminder that this scene in Good Omens

(The “I’ll give you a lift, anywhere you want to go” scene, the “you go too fast for me, Crowley,” scene)

Takes place in 1967.

The same year that “homosexual acts” between men were decriminalized (to a certain extent) in England and Wales.

The Sexual Offenses Act of 1967 decriminalized sexual activity in private between consenting men over the age of 21.

This law wasn’t a cure-all, obviously. It still wasn’t safe for gay men to show most forms of affection in public; you could still be charged with gross indecency, the penalties for which could be dire. (Prior to this law, even private, consensual relations could be prosecuted; Alan Turing was charged with gross indecency in 1952, and his subsequent trial, conviction, and chemical castration is considered to be a major factor that led to his suicide in 1954.)

In addition, the age of consent for heterosexual and lesbian couples was 16, in contrast to 21 for gay men. Many attempts to equalize this disparity failed in Parliament until 2000, when the Sexual Offenses Act was amended.

So, the passing of the Sexual Offenses Act “wasn’t a moment of sudden liberation for gay men,” as Florence Sutcliffe-Braithwaite wrote in BBC History. But it was one of the major milestones for LGBTQIA+ rights in the UK. It was a necessary prerequisite for the increase in LGBTQIA+ rights activism that happened there in the 1970s.

For audiences not from the UK (and indeed, to many *from* the UK) much of this historical context will likely be missed by viewers when watching this flashback scene. I’m American and definitely lacked most of this context the first time I watched the show. A viewer may recognize that the backdrop of late-night Soho in the late 1960s represented a very specific cross-section of British society that was considered by much of the general public to be “distasteful” and subversive (to put it VERY mildly) at the time. But that’s just the broad strokes.

Having additional historical details, beyond the broad strokes, goes a long way to deepen our understanding of the cultural landscape that Aziraphale and Crowley would have observed and experienced as residents of London during that period. That secretive rendezvous in the Bentley was not only risky in the sense that they might attract the attention of Heaven or Hell; they also risked being seen by a human, possibly a police officer. To a human, it would have looked like two gay men meeting in public, at night, in an “unsavory” part of London, and could have drawn all sorts of negative attention to the two of them.

The truth is, Aziraphale and Crowley are categorically not gay nor are they men. But they are unquestionably queer and theirs is undeniably a story of queer love. And each time they meet up throughout history, and by necessity must do it clandestinely, the historical context points this queerness out to the audience. It’s queerness the way bell hooks once put it: “‘queer’ not as being about who you’re having sex with (that can be a dimension of it); but ‘queer’ as being about the self that is at odds with everything around it and that has to invent and create and find a place to speak and to thrive and to live.”

In the present day (which will in large part be the time-setting for Season 2), the current social climate for the LGBTQIA+ community is becoming progressively more terrifying.

As recently as 2015, the UK was considered the best out of 49 European countries for LGBTQIA+ rights by the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association Europe (ILGA - Europe). Eight years later, the UK’s 2023 ranking on the same index has dropped significantly to 17th place, mostly due to the growing anti-trans rhetoric in public life. Transphobic hate crimes have grown by 56% in England and Wales since ILGA’s 2022 report. Homophobic hate crimes have also increased sharply, up by 41% since 2022.

Meanwhile, in the US, 2023 marks the fourth record-breaking year for anti-trans legislation. So far this year, 562 anti-trans bills have been proposed, 79 of which have been signed into law, and 354 are in active debate in their respective legislatures. In Florida, a bill recently passed that criminalizes gender-affirming healthcare for children and allows the state to take children from their families if they suspect the child is receiving such care. This is not limited to hormone replacement therapy - it also includes gender-affirming talk therapy. Florida has some of the most egregious examples of such legislation, but many states - Texas, Tennessee, Alabama, Indiana, and many others - have certainly been pursuing the same path. The number of sanctuary states is dwindling, and many families in trans-hostile states lack the resources they’d need to move somewhere safer, meaning these families live in a state of constant fear. (“LEAVE TRANS KIDS ALONE, YOU ABSOLUTE FREAKS.”)

So as we get every day closer to Season 2: always bear in mind the context. Remember the past. Be aware in the present. Consider the future and do whatever work that’s within your power to make it a good one.