For #TakeBackPride day 27, we are celebrating world-famous writer, Oscar Wilde.
In 1895, the same year Wilde was celebrated for his success with The Importance of Being Earnest, he took his lover’s father to court for libel. The case revealed details of Wilde’s homosexuality.
Within days, Wilde was apprehended by police and put on trial for ‘gross indecency’, and was convicted to two years.
He served most of his sentence in Reading Gaol, and his health suffered greatly during this time. When released, he spent his remaining years in exile in France.
Though Wilde was considered a celebrity & celebrated in Victorian London for his plays and poetry, he was not safe from persecution.
While western society has become accepting & Wilde is again celebrated, LGBs across the world still face persecution & imprisonment in the 64 countries where homosexuality is illegal.
We must petition our governments to help LGBs who face real hardship globally.
