Oscar Wilde and Lord Alfred Douglas, c. 1893. On April 5, 1895, Oscar Wilde’s criminal libel c

Oscar Wilde and Lord Alfred Douglas, c. 1893. On April 5, 1895, Oscar Wilde’s criminal libel case against the Marquess of Queensbury came to a close as the judge found that Queensbury, father of Wilde’s lover, Lord Alfred Douglas, told the truth “in fact and substance” and “for the public benefit” when he publicly accused Wilde of “posing as a somdomite [sic].” During the trial, Wilde did himself no favors; on April 4, for example, when asked if he had ever kissed a particular young man, Wilde declined to simply deny the kiss, instead explaining: “Oh, dear no. He was a peculiarly plain boy. He was, unfortunately, extremely ugly.” Hours after the end of the trial, Wilde was arrested on charges of sodomy and gross indecency; his name was removed from playbills at theaters where his plays were showing that night. Wilde quickly was found guilty and sentenced to two years’ hard labor, and neither his career nor his health would ever recover from the impact of his prison stay. In 1896, after Wilde and Lord Alfred Douglas both had forsaken their true selves in the name of religion, Wilde wrote to his “Bosie,” from whom he had not heard since the trial; Wilde closed his letter: “You came to me to learn the Pleasure of Life and the Pleasure of Art. Perhaps I am chosen to teach you something much more wonderful, the meaning of Sorrow, and its beauty. Your affectionate friend, Oscar Wilde.” #lgbthistory #lgbtherstory #lgbttheirstory #gay #bi #trans #lesbian #pride #gayancestors #oscarwilde #lordalfreddouglas #avengeoscarwilde #gayboys#gayboysofold (at Ablemarle Street) -- source link

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