Historical pederast's British Library Card posthumously reinstated

[Jim Burton]

https://www.removepaywall.com/search?ur ... pension%2F

The British Library has reinstated the suspended library card of revered Irish author Oscar Wilde, who died in 1900.

Wilde’s access to the British Museum Reading Room was revoked in 1895 after the gay writer was convicted of “gross indecency” and sentenced to two years in prison. Sexual relationships between men were illegal in the U.K. until 1967.

Wilde’s newly issued card was expected to be collected Thursday — on what would have been his 171st birthday — by his grandson, author Merlin Holland, according to the BBC.

Holland said his grandfather had been in prison for three months when his library privileges were revoked and wouldn’t have been aware of the insult, which is probably just as well.

[Jim Burton]

https://www.jhunewsletter.com/article/2 ... t-indecent

From Nov. 6 to Nov. 9, the Hopkins Program in Theatre Arts and Studies presented show-stopping performances of “Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde.” Written by Moisés Kaufman and directed by Sean Elias, the show offered a unique look at the downfall of Oscar Wilde’s career and an introspective view on the role of the artist in society.

Wilde was a known homosexual in a staunchly homophobic country in a more staunchly homophobic era. Set in late 19th-century Victorian England, the play portrays Wilde’s three trials, where he faced accusations of “gross indecency” for his relationships with young men. Wilde brought forth the first trial for libel against the Marquess of Queensbury, the father of Wilde’s romantic partner at the time, claiming that the Marquess wrongfully called him a “sodomite” on a public ticket (Wilde at the time was a very popular playwright and author).