The Trial of Boulton and Park
Thomas Ernest Boulton and Frederick William Park met in London and developed a popular double act called Fanny and Stella. They were able to dress up as women and perform on stage at London’s West End without suffering much in the way of harassment. However, both men also engaged in homosexual relationships and the authorities began watching them and waiting for the duo to slip up. In 1870, police saw the two men disappear into a private room at The Stand theatre with several other men. The cops burst in and arrested the duo.
Park and Boulton were put on trial in 1871 and the prosecution claimed they were ‘caught’ red-handed. The court asked if the men were caught having gay sex and the prosecution admitted that they had not. While gay sexual activity was illegal, ‘acting’ gay or being in the company of homosexual men was not. As a result, there was no legal justification for convicting Boulton and Park so they were acquitted. Although it was fantastic news for them, it ushered in a dark age for homosexuals in Britain as future laws made it easier to punish gay men.
Stricter Laws Proved That the Victorian Age Was NOT Lenient Towards Homosexuals
After failing to convict Park and Boulton, the police needed new powers to catch gay men and the courts needed the power to punish them even if they weren’t caught in the act. In 1885, the infamous Criminal Law Amendment Act, better known as the Labouchere Amendment, criminalized ‘gross indecency’. If the court couldn’t prove that the accused engaged in sodomy, incriminating love letters or cross-dressing would be enough. In other words, Park and Boulton would have been convicted under these new laws.
Oscar Wilde was one of the first, and most high profile, cases where a man was punished under the Labouchere Amendment. As part of his sentence, Wilde had to walk on a treadmill machine all day and pick apart rope with his hands until they became blistered and started bleeding. Although fewer men were convicted of homosexuality and punished in the Victorian age, its backward thinking laid the foundations for gay men and women to be ostracized and punished in the 20th century.
Alan Turing famously developed the Bombe, a code-breaking machine that cracked Nazi codes in World War II. His innovation saved thousands of lives and arguably changed the course of the war on the British side. However, when he was convicted of homosexuality in 1952, he was chemically castrated in lieu of a prison sentence. Two years later, Turing committed suicide. Homosexuality was decriminalized in 1967 and thousands of men, including Turing, were posthumously pardoned. Sadly, the horrendous treatment of homosexuals destroyed thousands of lives and was formed in the dark days of the Victorian era.
Where Do We Get This Stuff? Here Are Our Sources
“Friendships, Lesbianism, and Identity in Victorian Britain.” Lauren Miller in The York Historian. July 2017.
“From gay marriage to cougar wives, the Victorians have much to teach us.” Deborah Cohen. The Guardian. December 2012.
“The Victorian men in drag who led Britain to outlaw homosexuality.” Meagan Day in Timeline. October 2016.
“Alan Turing, code-breaker castrated for homosexuality, receives royal pardon.” Jethro Mullen in CNN. August 2014.
“The Victorians’ surprisingly liberal attitude towards gay men.” Jeff Evans in History Extra. April 2015.
“Sex and Sexuality in the 19th Century.” Jan Marsh in Victoria and Albert Museum.