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I think this is an interesting article, a glimpse of the past that continues to haunt the gay population in England.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100216/ap_on_re_eu/eu_britain_gays
I do find it interesting that now these men have some national support for their plight, and a final push possible from the Human Rights Court of the EU. In America a convicted homosexual wears the shame of registering as a sexual offender, and in some states that's a lifetime requirement.
I do hope these gentlemen in England get to have their day in court, but of course the simple thing would be for Justice Secretary Jack Straw just to do away with such inhuman treatment.
[Updated on: Tue, 16 February 2010 23:21]
Age appears to be best in four things; old wood best to burn, old wine to drink, old friends to trust, and old authors to read. (Sir Francis Bacon 1561-1626)
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Yes, I agree Chris. Roy Jenkins would have changed it by now - but he has been the only half-decent home secretary I can remember.
But that could so easily have been me!
Love,
Anthony
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timmy
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Has no life at all |
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13800
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This is something we EACH need to campaign for. We must not simply acknowledge it as interesting and move on.
We also should consider the convictions of those above the age of consent who were convicted of buggering those below that age when the age for gay sex was 21, and then 18 and is now 16. Sure;y they are now anomalies and should be expunged too?
Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
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I would guess that many of us here in the United States see that the changes to English law in recent history regarding age of consent and homosexuality seem progressive.
How interesting then that I read Thomas Jefferson, that paragon of American independence from England, was actually in favor of castration for persons who were convicted of homosexual acts.
But until 2003, when the US Supreme Court decided that adults (eighteen and older) could engage in private homosexual activity, being a practicing homosexual meant you were committing a felony. I would be curious to see how many men prior to 2003 still carry a criminal record for this activity.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation maintains the largest cache of criminal files and all local police defer to them when investigating someone's past. Since about 1992, when a Federal law instituted sex offender registration on a national basis, anyone who has been convicted of engaging in sex with a minor (under eighteen) must register and remain on the records indefinitely.
Is it any wonder that some men here look across the sea and feel the inequity when regarding English consent laws at age 16, German laws at 15 or Spain at 14 (or was it 13?)
I don't believe anyone should regard the age of consent to be hard and fast, or a shield from harm. 16 for some individuals hardly speaks to their level of maturity or knowledge, and in this day and time I don't think most 16 year olds qualify as adults. That holds true for some 18 year olds in this country, maturity is a value judgement. The moral values in the US are totally f**ked up.
I can look at history now and see that English homosexuals must have celebrated when all those Puritans boarded the Mayflower and sailed over here. We've been paying for their ignorant moralistic fervor ever since they landed on these shores.
>
Age appears to be best in four things; old wood best to burn, old wine to drink, old friends to trust, and old authors to read. (Sir Francis Bacon 1561-1626)
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Chris James wrote:
I can look at history now and see that English homosexuals must have celebrated when all those Puritans boarded the Mayflower and sailed over here. We've been paying for their ignorant moralistic fervor ever since they landed on these shores.
I remember that at the height of that "Monica Lewinsky" scandal in the USA an Australian high-ranker (maybe it was the then Prime Minister) said that "England sent her Puritans to America and her criminals to Australia: we got the better deal."
J F R
The paradox has often been noted that the United States, founded in secularism, is now the most religiose country in Christendom, while England, with an established church headed by its constitutional monarch, is among the least. (Richard Dawkins, 2006)
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Chris, this is a handy point of reference:
http://www.avert.org/age-of-consent.htm
Hugs
Nigel
I dream of boys with big bulges in their trousers,
Never of girls with big bulges in their blouses.
…and look forward to meeting you in Cóito.
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Thanks, Nigel...I viewed a list much like this several months ago. And at the time I remember wondering what the Spanish know about the sexual desires of their youth that we don't.
I am not attracted to ones so young, 13 is just too young for me. But in the way puppies are cute I do find boys that age attractive to look at. I guess I'd rather sleep with older dogs. 
Age appears to be best in four things; old wood best to burn, old wine to drink, old friends to trust, and old authors to read. (Sir Francis Bacon 1561-1626)
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