Wolfenden's Witnesses

Wolfenden's Witnesses PDF Author: Brian Lewis
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 1137321504
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 316

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Book Description
The Wolfenden Report of 1957 has long been recognized as a landmark in moves towards gay law reform. What is less well known is that the testimonials and written statements of the witnesses before the Wolfenden Committee provide by far the most complete and extensive array of perspectives we have on how homosexuality was understood in mid-twentieth century Britain. Those giving evidence, individually or through their professional associations, included a broad cross-section of official, professional and bureaucratic Britain: police chiefs, policemen, magistrates, judges, lawyers and Home Office civil servants; doctors, biologists (including Alfred Kinsey), psychiatrists, psychoanalysts and psychotherapists; prison governors, medical officers and probation officers; representatives of the churches, morality councils and progressive and ethical societies; approved school headteachers and youth organization leaders; representatives of the army, navy and air force; and a small handful of self-described but largely anonymous homosexuals. This volume presents an annotated selection of their voices.

Wolfenden's Witnesses

Wolfenden's Witnesses PDF Author: Brian Lewis
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 1137321504
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 316

Get Book

Book Description
The Wolfenden Report of 1957 has long been recognized as a landmark in moves towards gay law reform. What is less well known is that the testimonials and written statements of the witnesses before the Wolfenden Committee provide by far the most complete and extensive array of perspectives we have on how homosexuality was understood in mid-twentieth century Britain. Those giving evidence, individually or through their professional associations, included a broad cross-section of official, professional and bureaucratic Britain: police chiefs, policemen, magistrates, judges, lawyers and Home Office civil servants; doctors, biologists (including Alfred Kinsey), psychiatrists, psychoanalysts and psychotherapists; prison governors, medical officers and probation officers; representatives of the churches, morality councils and progressive and ethical societies; approved school headteachers and youth organization leaders; representatives of the army, navy and air force; and a small handful of self-described but largely anonymous homosexuals. This volume presents an annotated selection of their voices.

Wolfenden's Women

Wolfenden's Women PDF Author: Samantha Caslin
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 1137440228
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 307

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Book Description
This critical sourcebook compiles excerpts from the extensive interviews undertaken by the Wolfenden Committee on the subject of prostitution. The Committee is remembered, first and foremost, for recommending the decriminalization of sex between men. However, the other half of its remit—prostitution—has largely been forgotten, despite the fact that prostitution, not homosexuality, was the original impetus behind the Committee’s appointment. If we consider the Committee and its Report from this perspective, its status as both a liberal and permissive endeavour must be called into question. This book captures the controversy, diversity and complexity of opinions surrounding prostitution in this period, and provides critical analysis and context. It restores the question of prostitution to its central place in the history of Britain’sso-called progressive era and challenges the way that the Report and its legacy have been characterized. Crucially, this book highlights the substantial evidence gathered by the Committee on prostitution outside of London, which the Wolfenden Report itself largely disregarded. The excerpts, the reprinted report, and the critical introductions to each chapter are intended to spark important debates amongst students, researchers and the public about the history of sexuality, society and the state in twentieth-century Britain.

New Approaches in History and Theology to Same-Sex Love and Desire

New Approaches in History and Theology to Same-Sex Love and Desire PDF Author: Mark D. Chapman
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3319702114
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 270

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Book Description
This book offers a range of interdisciplinary evaluations of the history of same-sex relationships in the Church as they have been understood in different periods and contexts. The relationships between diverse forms of religious and sexual identities have been widely contested in the media since the rise of the lesbian and gay liberation movement in the 1970s. One of the key images that often appears in public debate is that of ‘lesbians and gays in the Church’ as a significant ‘problem’. Research over the past forty years or so into queer theology and the history of same-sex desire has shown that such issues have played an important role in the story of Christianity over many centuries. The contributors to this volume have all been inspired by the challenges of such revisionist study to explore religion and same-sex desire as a field of opportunity for investigation and debate. They uncover some of the hidden histories of the Church and its theologies: they tell sometimes unexpected stories, many of which invite serious further study. It is quite clear through history that some in the churches have been at the vanguard of legislative and social change. Similarly, some churches have offered safe queer spaces. Overall, these essays offer new interpretations and original research into the history of sexuality that helps inform the contemporary debate in the churches as well as in the academy.

Lord Devlin

Lord Devlin PDF Author: Justice John Sackar
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1509923713
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 287

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Book Description
Lord Devlin was a leading lawyer of his generation. Moreover, he was one of the most recognised figures in the judiciary, thanks to his role in the John Bodkin Adams trial and the Nyasaland Commission of Inquiry. It is hard then to believe that he retired as a Law Lord at a mere 58 years of age. This important book looks at the life, influences and impact of this most important judicial figure. Starting with his earliest days as a schoolboy before moving on to his later years, the author draws a compelling picture of a complex, brilliant man who would shape not just the law but society more generally in post-war Britain.

Sexuality and the Church of England, 1918–1980

Sexuality and the Church of England, 1918–1980 PDF Author: Laura Ramsay
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3031563921
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 273

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Book Description


The International LGBT Rights Movement

The International LGBT Rights Movement PDF Author: Laura A. Belmonte
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472506952
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 249

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Book Description
During the past four decades, the international lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights movement has made significant advances, but millions of LGBT people continue to live in fear in nations where homosexuality remains illegal. The International LGBT Rights Movement offers a comprehensive account of this global force, from its origins in the mid-nineteenth century to its crucial place in world affairs today. Belmonte examines the movement's goals, the disputes about its mission, and its rise to international importance. The International LGBT Rights Movement provides a thorough introduction to the movement's history, highlighting key figures, controversies, and organizations. With a global scope that considers both state and non-state actors, the book explores transnational movements to challenge homophobia, while also assessing the successes and failures of these efforts along the way.

Fear, Punishment Anxiety and the Wolfenden Report

Fear, Punishment Anxiety and the Wolfenden Report PDF Author: Charles Berg
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1000518663
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 162

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Book Description
Originally published in 1959, the blurb read: ‘Dr Berg has made a comprehensive survey of the Wolfenden Report in regard to homosexuality and illustrated his comments with extracts from case material. He points out that whereas public opinion has so far lagged behind the Committee’s main recommendation, scientifically far from being an advance the report may be considered lamentably reactionary. He says; "Perhaps this report is a good lesson in the futility of trying to unravel and assess psychological phenomena without first removing the obstacles to understanding their meaning". The author deals with the subject in his usual forthright, witty and persuasive style, which is easily enjoyed by psychiatrist and layman alike, and the book should be welcomed by all who seek to understand this controversial topic. Later chapters include a discussion of the wider implications of punishment and a new theory of the fundamental nature of Anxiety and Fear.’ Today it can be read and enjoyed in its historical context. This book is a re-issue originally published in 1959. The language used is a reflection of its era and no offence is meant by the Publishers to any reader by this re-publication.

The Homosexual(ity) of Law

The Homosexual(ity) of Law PDF Author: Leslie Moran
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134896468
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 257

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Book Description
First published in 1996. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Lawyers' Medicine

Lawyers' Medicine PDF Author: Imogen Goold
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1847315348
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 238

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Book Description
This book investigates how the requirements, limitations and intellectual structure of the British legal process have shaped medicine and medical practice. The story of this inter-relationship is greatly under-researched, which is particularly concerning given that the legal system remains a significant and pervasive influence on medicine and its practice to this day. The question which unifies the series of historical studies presented here is whether legal consideration of medical practice and concepts has played a part in the construction of medical concepts and affected developments in medical practice - in other words how the external, legal gaze has shaped the way medicine itself conceptualises some of its practices and classifications. The majority of the chapters consider this question in the context of the development and application of legislation, but the influence of court processes is also considered. Other themes which emerge from the book include the nature and exclusivity of medical expertise, the impact of public opinion on the development of medical legislation, and the difficulty the legal system has faced in dealing with new medical developments. The chapters are arranged chronologically, with an introduction drawing out themes that emerge from the chapters as a whole.

Odd men out

Odd men out PDF Author: John-Pierre Joyce
Publisher: Manchester University Press
ISBN: 1526162431
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 207

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Book Description
From government ministers and spies to activists, drag queens and celebrities, Odd men out charts the tumultuous history of gay men in 1950s and 60s Britain. It takes us from the earliest tentative steps towards decriminalisation to the liberation movement of the early 1970s. Along the way, it catalogues shocking repression, including laws against homosexual activity and the use of brutal medical ‘treatments’. Odd men out draws on medical data and opinion polls, broadcast recordings, theatrical productions, and extensive interviews with key players, as well as an in-depth analysis of the Wolfenden Report and the circumstances surrounding its creation. It brings to life pivotal moments in gay mens’ cultural representation, ranging across the West End and emerging writers like Joe Orton, the British film industry, the BBC, national newspapers, fashion catalogues and music magazines. Celebrating the joy of gay lives as well as the hardships, Odd men out preserves the voices of a disappearing generation who revolutionised what it meant to be a gay man in twentieth-century Britain.