How did Britain change from a country that persecuted homosexuals to a "corrupt country"? Are there any books on this subject?

I don't think so, but I have a more detailed analysis (I found it, and this article was originally published by Phoenix Free Talk):

March 29th is the first day of the implementation of the same-sex marriage law in Britain. From that day on, same-sex marriage in England and Wales was recognized by law, and many same-sex couples got married for the first time. According to British media reports, Prime Minister David Cameron "praised" and blessed the first married same-sex couple.

In addition, London government agencies also planted rainbow flags symbolizing the gay movement to celebrate. Although Britain is not the first country in the world to legalize homosexuality, looking back at the history of the legal reform of homosexuality in Britain may explain why Britain has become a "corrupt country".

How was the "rotten country" made?

England legalized homosexuality in 1967 and allowed same-sex couples to enter into civil partnerships from 2005. On July 20 13, the same-sex marriage law was passed, and the same-sex marriage registration procedures in England and Wales began in March this year. On March 29th, this law came into effect.

Like most countries, homosexuality was a crime in Britain before modern times.

Among the laws to suppress homosexuality, the law of Henry VIII of England is the most famous, and most of the laws related to homosexuality in later generations have cited this law. 1533, King Henry VIII of England promulgated the law of sodomy death penalty, which remained until 186 1. It is worth mentioning that compared with other countries, the laws on homosexuality in Britain have always been the most stringent.

/kloc-In the second half of the 9th century, although homosexuality was still regarded as a criminal, immoral and indecent thing, male prostitutes flooded London, and homosexuality also prevailed in male boarding schools in British upper class. So after 186 1 year, the death penalty was changed to fixed-term imprisonment, ranging from 10 year to life imprisonment.

The most famous gay case that happened at that time was Oscar? The Oscar Wilde incident. Wilde was gay, and his sexual partner was Lord Douglas. 1895, when Douglas's father, Marquis queensberry, learned of this incident, he flew into a rage and publicly called Wilde "Wilde who posed for anal sex". Wilde sued him for libel in court.

However, Wilde was sentenced to two years of hard labor because of his homosexual behavior. As a result, his wife left him, and his works could no longer be staged. He died three years after he was released from prison.

Woffington report: an epoch-making turning point

Before 1954, the legal status of homosexuality in Britain did not change much. Homosexuality is also regarded as a disease, and any homosexual activity, whether in public or private space, will face imprisonment.

However, with the spread of universal ideas after World War II, 1954, the British Home Office decided to set up a special committee to study how the law should deal with "homosexual crimes and prostitution". The Committee is composed of 15 "social elites", and there are no radicals, only John, who hates homosexuality himself.

Wolfenden was appointed chairman of the committee.

When asked to "put aside personal position and make moral and legal judgments based on factual evidence", the Committee can be said to embody the highest morality and speculation of modern civilization. After 62 meetings and listening to the testimony of more than 200 organizations and individuals, Sir Wolfenden finally pointed out in his report to the British government on September 4, 1957, "Homosexuality is not a disease.

The Woffington Report has aroused great repercussions, and is regarded as a major turning point in British history. It is also recognized as the starting point for the legalization of homosexuality in western countries, which is of milestone significance.

According to the report of the Woffington Committee, "unless the society equates the two concepts of crime and evil through the legal system, it should reserve a field where individuals can judge whether an act is moral or not. Simply put, this field has nothing to do with the law. This is not to condone or encourage personal immorality.

On the contrary, emphasizing moral or immoral judgment is purely private and personal, in order to emphasize personal and private responsibilities. It can be expected that a mature person will consciously take responsibility without the threat of legal punishment. The Woffington Report's idea of separating the legal field from the moral field has had a far-reaching epoch-making impact on the legislation of later generations.

1967, homosexuality was abolished in England and Wales.

1956, Britain promulgated the Sexual Offences Act, stipulating that sodomy in public places (including public toilets) without the consent of both parties and the presence of others does not constitute a crime; Other acts of sodomy are still punished as sodomy.

1964 the British parliament continues to discuss the revision of the sexual offences bill, Lord Allen (member of the house of lords)

Arran) proposed that "if the participants are over 2 1 year old and voluntary, it is not a crime to have homosexual sex in private." 1966 the bill was passed in the house of lords and the house of commons respectively.

1967, in England and Wales, England, the crime of homosexuality was formally abolished by law, stipulating that consensual homosexual behavior does not constitute a crime when it reaches 2 1 year old. However, there are still limitations that homosexual acts by two or more participants or in public places should be regarded as crimes. In addition, homosexual acts between soldiers and police are still illegal.

1994 The British Parliament passed an amendment to lower the age of consent to 18.

In 2003, the Anti-Sexual Assault Law came into effect, which abolished the provisions of specific sexual orientation and gender, including the relevant provisions of the Sexual Offences Law 1967, thus giving men and women equal anti-sexual infringement rights.

In 2006, the Racial and Religious Hatred Act was passed, and any violence based on sexual orientation will be punished as a hate crime (felony), which came into effect in 2007. In fact, in 2003, the Criminal Justice Law has stipulated that hatred of sexual orientation will be regarded as an aggravating circumstance of any crime deliberately targeting homosexuality.

From civil partnership right to the legality of same-sex marriage

After decriminalization and more protection, the protection of gay rights and interests in Britain began to turn to the civil field. In 2004, Britain passed the Civil Partnership Act, which gave same-sex couples legal status. The first same-sex couple recognized by British law was Matthew, who was registered on February 5, 2005.

Roche and Christopher had cramps. Because Roche was terminally ill, the court cancelled the silence period of 14 days, and Roche died the next day.

The Act applies to the whole of Great Britain, including England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. On July 20 13, the same-sex couple marriage law was passed, and on March 20 14, the same-sex marriage registration procedures in England and Wales began. On March 29th, this law came into effect.

On March 29th, same-sex marriage came into effect in Wales, England. Rainbow flags were planted in government offices in London to celebrate.

What is the significance of same-sex marriage law?

According to a survey of 1007 people sampled by BBC3 on March 28th, 68% people agreed that same-sex marriage should be allowed, and 26% people opposed it. A gay rights organization said, "People's attitudes are very positive." In addition, the survey also shows that about 4/5 people will not refuse to attend gay weddings.

According to the survey, about 6% of British people are gay.

An academic survey of 1992 shows that among the 8,337 British men interviewed, 6. 1% admitted to having "homosexual experience" and 3.6% admitted to having "two-way love experience". In 2005, the British government conducted a survey on the impact of pension, inheritance and tax on the eve of civil partnership legislation. The results show that gay people account for about 6% of the total population in Britain, that is, 16.66 people are gay.

The British army also allows homosexuals to openly express their sexual orientation while serving in the army. Since 2002, same-sex couples have the right to adopt children, and since 2005, they can be registered as civil partners. The Gender Recognition Act passed in 2004 has now generally accepted homosexuals in British society.

According to a poll conducted by YouGov in 2007, more than 90% of British people support legislation to prohibit gender discrimination. According to a poll conducted by Populus in 2009, 6 1% of Britons support the right of same-sex couples to get married.

The core of the new law lies in equality of rights.

In the legislation of legalizing same-sex marriage in Britain, the British government announced that same-sex couples will be able to get married legally and enjoy all the rights and interests of heterosexual couples equally after marriage. However, the new law points out that it will not be imposed on religious organizations that are unwilling to accept it. Religious organizations have the right to choose whether to allow gay couples to hold weddings in various religious places of worship.

Supporters of the bill point out that the principle is that same-sex couples should enjoy the same rights as heterosexual couples. Home Secretary Mei pointed out: "In short, it is wrong for a loving couple to be deprived of the right to formal marriage." Supporters of the bill also point out that legal marriage can be recognized all over the world, while civil partners may not be recognized all over the world.

There are also differences between civil partnership rights and same-sex marriage rights.

Previously, the so-called civil partnership right in Britain was still different from the newly adopted same-sex marriage right. Legally married same-sex couples will enjoy the same rights as heterosexual couples, such as inheritance rights, spouse's pension inheritance rights, personal insurance rights, child custody rights, family reunion immigration rights and so on. In the future, same-sex couples can not only go through the marriage formalities in the civil affairs department of the government, but also choose to hold the wedding in a religious place that is willing to accept same-sex marriage, just like heterosexual couples.

Legal basis of legalization of same-sex marriage

Although the number of people who can understand and accept gay groups around the world is gradually increasing, many social exclusion and discrimination still exist, and legal disputes about the legalization of gay marriage have always existed.

Since the law gives citizens the right to choose freely, they should treat the choice results equally.

Legally speaking, "everyone is equal before the law" requires that the rights of homosexuals must be equally protected by law. The law allows everyone to freely choose their own lifestyle and life partner. Now homosexuals only change their same-sex partners in this mode.

Since the law gives citizens equal freedom of choice, they should treat the results of their own choices equally. Therefore, if heterosexual marriage is recognized and protected by law, same-sex marriage should also be equally protected, and people should not be treated differently because of their sexual orientation.

The rights and interests of gay groups also need legal protection.

From a practical point of view, although there is a lack of marriage form between gay couples, the substantive partnership has always existed. Nowadays, many gay couples live together, but there is no law to apply when property disputes or inheritance problems occur during cohabitation. In foreign relations, because of social discrimination and exclusion, homosexuals are treated unfairly, resulting in the substantive rights and interests and mental damage mentioned at the beginning.

Modern science has proved that homosexuality is also a natural phenomenon, and social discrimination is purely derived from a rigid moral atmosphere, which is an incorrect value concept. In this respect, the law has the most authoritative value judgment and guiding power, which promotes the rationalization of the whole society and guides the public to treat homosexuals correctly.

From a practical point of view, it is also beneficial and harmless to society.

From the social point of view, because there is no legal marriage form to protect and restrain the marriage relationship between same-sex couples, it is easy for some homosexuals to make friends at will, which will aggravate the instability of the group and the probability of sexually transmitted diseases. On the contrary, if the law recognizes same-sex marriage, then the legal identity right generated by the combination of the two parties can make some homosexuals establish relatively stable relations, effectively solve the contradictions inside and outside the group and promote social stability and harmony, which is beneficial.

Legalization of same-sex marriage will spread.

At present, many countries do not recognize same-sex marriage, and the legalization of same-sex marriage first faces legal obstacles, which actually deprives homosexuals of the right to same-sex marriage, which is obviously unfair.

The Netherlands is the first country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage, and passed legislation as early as 200 1. Since then, same-sex marriage legislation has been passed in Belgium (2003), Spain (2005), Canada (2005), South Africa (2006), Norway (2009), Sweden (2009), Portugal (20 10) and Iceland (20.

And those countries that have not legalized for the time being have not given up fighting for it. On June 26th, 20 13, the US Supreme Court ruled that a law discriminating against same-sex marriage was unconstitutional, which made same-sex couples win a historic victory in the movement for equal rights. In its ruling, the Supreme Court criticized the Defense of Marriage Act for discriminating against same-sex marriage, misleading people that "same-sex marriage is not as good as heterosexual marriage" and violating the spirit that everyone enjoys all equal rights and interests in the US Constitution.

After the repeal of the Protection of Marriage Law, it means that in 12 states and the District of Columbia (the capital of Washington), legally married same-sex couples will be no different from heterosexual couples, and they can enjoy preferential treatment and welfare in tax payment, insurance, spouse migration, inheritance and many other aspects.

At present, many countries do not recognize same-sex marriage, and the legalization of same-sex marriage first faces legal obstacles, which actually deprives homosexuals of the right to same-sex marriage, which is obviously unfair. The legal basis of the legalization of same-sex marriage is the equal right stipulated in the Constitution, which embodies the civilization and tolerance of a society and is the realistic requirement of society and the trend of the times.

When people who love each other are separated by law, it should be that the law needs to be amended. -British Prime Minister David Cameron said in a statement.

This article was originally published by Phoenix Free Talk, edited by Wei Wei.

The article only represents the author's point of view, which does not mean that the website's point of view is not responsible for its authenticity. Its purpose is to convey information.