1885: England Criminalizes Gross
Indecency
| A bill intended to eradicate
child prostitution by raising the age of consent from 13 to
16 for girls was sent to Parliament for a vote, but Member
of Parliament Henry Labouchere expanded its reach. His amendment
made "gross indecency" - any sexual touching
between men - illegal for the first time in English
history. Before 1885, only buggery
(anal intercourse) had been legally proscribed. |
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