In Victorian England, the concept of homosexuality didn't officially exist.
The term “homosexual” only entered the English language in the late 19th century, while terms like “transsexual” and “transgender” emerged even later. However, men were engaging in romantic and sexual relationships with one another long before these terms were coined. To navigate this, many used Polari, a coded language that allowed them to communicate discreetly.
Despite societal struggles to define and understand them, these individuals lived their lives, regardless of the labels available at the time.
Take the case of Frederick William Park and Thomas Ernest Boulton, better known as Fanny and Stella. The pair met while acting in London, where it was common for men to dress as women for theatrical performances. Fanny and Stella maintained their feminine personas offstage as well, socializing at parties and in public.
Boulton had a longstanding interest in women’s clothing and was in a live-in relationship with Lord Arthur Clinton, a naval officer and son of the 5th Duke of Newcastle. Park, the son of a judge, was less directly involved with Boulton or Clinton sexually but corresponded with Clinton as Fanny.
Trouble began when Fanny and Stella were arrested outside London’s Royal Strand Theatre on April 28, 1870. They were charged with “conspiring and inciting persons to commit an unnatural offense” with their companions. Lord Clinton, also implicated, died before the trial, possibly by suicide.
In court, the prosecution faced difficulties. There was no legal precedent for a man wearing a dress, and since terms like “homosexual” and “transgender” didn’t exist, proving guilt for such identities was impossible. Consequently, the only charge they could pursue was sodomy.
During the trial, Fanny and Stella appeared in evening gowns while doctors presented evidence of sodomy. The public found the trial absurd, and the jury ultimately acquitted them.
In 1880, Victorian sensibilities were again challenged by a “drag ball” in Manchester. Held on September 24 at Temperance Hall, the event was organized by the Pawnbrokers' Assistants' Association, who took measures to conceal their identities. Despite these precautions, Detective Jerome Caminada believed to be a model for Sherlock Holmes, raided the event and arrested nearly 50 people for “having solicited and incited each other to commit an unnameable offense,” as there were no specific laws against “being queer and dancing.”
Most attendees were required to post a bond for 12 months of “good behavior.”
Five years later, the U.K. enacted the Criminal Law Amendment Act of 1885, criminalizing “gross indecency” between men. MP Henry Labouchère introduced this term to prosecute homosexual acts without having to prove sodomy, which was difficult to substantiate legally. This law was added to an amendment about the age of consent.
Oscar Wilde's conviction for gross indecency was one of the most notable, leading to two years of hard labor from which he never fully recovered. Alan Turing, a British codebreaker and computing pioneer, was also charged with gross indecency in 1952 and subjected to chemical castration, a punishment that was later deemed inhumane by the British government.
It wasn’t until 1967 that sex between consenting males was decriminalized in England and Wales, with similar laws remaining in Scotland and Northern Ireland until the 1980s. Comprehensive LGBTQ rights, including adoption, marriage, and anti-discrimination protections, were secured by 2010.
The struggle for sexual and gender equality has been extensive. However, it is clear that queer individuals have always existed, regardless of historical labels. Naming identities allows us to recognize and understand them better. The terminology we use today helps us acknowledge and accept these identities as integral parts of the human experience.