Avenge Oscar Wilde" pinback, Gay Liberation Front, London, c. 1970. On the morning of February

Avenge Oscar Wilde" pinback, Gay Liberation Front, London, c. 1970. On the morning of February 18, 1895, the Marquess of Queensberry, father of Oscar Wilde’s lover, Lord Alfred Douglass, left his calling card at Wilde’s club, inscribed: “For Oscar Wilde, posing Somdomite [sic],” prompting Wilde to initiate a private prosecution against Queensberry for libel. Under British law, the libel charge carried a possible two-year prison term. Queensberry, however, could avoid prison if able to show the truth of his claim and the benefit of his public declaration; he did so at trial. After Wilde left court, he was arrested for sodomy and gross indecency, and he entered prison on March 25, 1895. In the late 1960s, as gay liberation activists fought anti-sodomy laws across Europe, “Avenge Oscar Wilde” became a rallying cry. #lgbthistory #lgbtherstory #gay #lesbian #bi #trans #sodomite #pride #avengeoscarwilde (at Ablemarle Street) -- source link

More pics about