Current Version
| Region | Wales |
| Issue | Homosexual activity |
| Status | Illegal (imprisonment as punishment) |
| Start Date | Nov 1, 1861 |
| End Date | Jul 26, 1967 |
| Description | The Offences Against the Person Act 1861 lowered the maximum penalty for same-sex sexual acts to life imprisonment. Subsequent laws, such as The Labouchere Amendment (Section 11 of the Criminal Law Amendment Act 1885), redefined the offence and allowed for other punishments, for example, Oscar Wilde was sentenced to two years' hard labour in 1895, and in 1952 Alan Turing was chemically castrated. Female homosexuality and sexual acts were not addressed in the law, and therefore, they technically would have been legal, though law enforcement often applied the law to women. |
| Sources | https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Vict/24-25/100/contents https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/transformingsociety/private-lives/relationships/collections1/sexual-offences-act-1967/1885-labouchere-amendment/ |
Revision History (1)
created by jadeywadey
Helpful?
0 | Original entry | |
|---|---|
| Status | Illegal (imprisonment as punishment) |
| Start Date | Nov 1, 1861 |
| End Date | Jul 26, 1967 |
| Description | The Offences Against the Person Act 1861 lowered the maximum penalty for same-sex sexual acts to life imprisonment. Subsequent laws, such as The Labouchere Amendment (Section 11 of the Criminal Law Amendment Act 1885), redefined the offence and allowed for other punishments, for example, Oscar Wilde was sentenced to two years' hard labour in 1895, and in 1952 Alan Turing was chemically castrated. Female homosexuality and sexual acts were not addressed in the law, and therefore, they technically would have been legal, though law enforcement often applied the law to women. |
| Sources | https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Vict/24-25/100/contents https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/transformingsociety/private-lives/relationships/collections1/sexual-offences-act-1967/1885-labouchere-amendment/ |