tangents

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by dal mcintire

Probably never before has any country seen such a concerted assault on the anti-homosexual laws as has been made in England in the past six years. But after the leading Church bodies, papers, intellectuals and professional associations, and a government committee set up to study the problem have labelled the law as medieval, unfair, unenforceable and improper, what then?

For over a year after the publication of the government's Wolfenden Committee Report, the Tory government stalled (not that the Labor opposition was too anious to push the matter) on the pretext that the public wasn't quite warm to such a change. A Gallup Poll report indicated 38% felt consenting acts in private ought not be punished, against 47% who felt they should be punished. Sir John Wolfenden complained about the "conspiracy of silence." As with many wellmeaning committee studies, the matter was not even allowed for Parliamentary debate.

But there were notable sideeffects, not the least of which was one of the greatest flurries in history of books dealing with or touching on the subject. The Homosexual Law Reform Society was set up to lobby for a change in the law. The topic was kept alive in the press, in reasoned articles and letters in the responsible press and in endless

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nasty scandals in the gutter press, and also in "Members Only" theatres which presented several plays. banned by the Lord Chamberlain for "public" performance. The censorship was finally lifted, with the admission it was silly to try to maintain a taboo on a subject which was being so publicly discussed everywhere else.

Prof. Kilpatrick, sermonizing at University Church, warned of a vicewave at Oxford, said parents were worried rightly over corruption of undergrads by faculty members, and averred that he and "an undercover anti-homosexual team" had been spying for a year on students and faculty, and reporting suspicious details to police. Job seemed to be growing all the time. Quite possibly, he said, Oxford had more of this vice than any other university. He even believed some Oxford women were homosexuals since he'd heard rumors of late-nite orgies between men and women students.

In response, a local woman reported organizing a vigilante group to chaperone all classes and tutorials and see that nothing immoral happens or is said at Oxford.

Church of England announced further research on homosexuality under way.... One judge reminded group of men who'd been arrested in a park that law has not changed -"such conduct is still an offense against the criminal law and if I