Today in Heritage History, May 25, 1895, Oscar Wilde is sentenced in London to two years in prison for being a “sodomite”. Late 19th century reformers believed that prison would “cure” Wilde in much the same way apparently, as smoking cessation advocates believe that making your kid “smoke the whole pack,” “cures” smoking.
May 25, 1895- Oscar’s Still Smoking
25 Friday May 2012
Did “sodomite” refer to any man who engaged in a homosexual act? I mean, what if Oscar had only given Lord Alfred Douglas a blow job?
This was very interesting (for me) to research. The charges were the result of a trial where Wilde was the plaintiff and was seeking damages from the father of his lover, the Marquees of Queensberry for libel. Wilde dropped the case as circumstances of his own life came to light, but it was too late. It was then Wilde’s lifestyle became the focus of a case and investigation by England’s public defenders. According to historical reports, there were countless homosexual situations Wilde eventually admitted to during the trial(s) (there were two before he was eventually convicted). “Sodomite” was the late 19th century term that referred to anyone engaging in any alleged homosexual act, of which I’m sure blow jobs were included. Curiously it also referred to persons engaged in heterosexual oral sex.I had a close woman friend in undergraduate school who was a History major. The history of blow jobs was her area of concentration. (the last two sentences are not true).
Damn. I was just gonna ask you if she’d let me read her thesis.
Those Brits. Don’t they know he was only joking.
lets see if that theory cures shoe shopping…..
Oh, my. And, what will they say about us?
Drinking a case of vodka cures alcoholism as well. I did that for 35 years.
Poor Oscar. I need to read more of him. I’ve only read The Importance of Being Earnest.