Report of committee on homosexual offences and prostitution. Wolfenden report synonyms, wolfenden report pronunciation, wolfenden report translation, english dictionary definition of wolfenden report. The wolfenden report 1957 and morality and the law morality and law the criminal code of canada carries specific restrictions on our conduct in both public and private domains. Get a printable copy pdf file of the complete article 521k, or click on a page image below to browse page by page. Wolfenden 60 the wolfenden report exploring wolfendens. Report of the departmental committee on homosexual. Committee on homosexual offences and prostitution snippet view 1963. The agreedupon recommendations for prostitution were implemented within 18 months of the reports publication but as you can see from the dates 1957 for the publication of wolfendens findings.
The 1957 wolfenden report recommended that adult homosexuality be legalised and condemned the criminalisation of homosexual acts as an impingement of civil liberty. The report outlined the strategy of respect for consenting adults in private when governing matters of sexuality, that forms the basis for the modern regulation of sex, in britain and australia. Full text full text is available as a scanned copy of the original print version. Wolfenden committee synonyms, wolfenden committee pronunciation, wolfenden committee translation, english dictionary definition of wolfenden committee. Despite the recommendations of the report, it was not until july 1967 that homosexuality finally became legal in england and wales. This is a post for all the academic and librarian parents who are currently working from home, homeschooling the kids and keeping the house from becoming dangerous and unsanitary, while doing their best to look after their own mental health. The chairman of the committee was sir john wolfenden cbe lord wolfenden, who was asked look into whether homosexual acts between men should remain illegal in england and wales after three famous men, lord montagu, michael pittrivers, and peter. The wolfenden report is the legendary british document of 1957 that recommended the partial decriminalisation of mens homosexual sex. Pdf this article examines the creation and legacy of the 1957 wolfenden report, arguing that current trends to simplistically address the. Wolfenden report definition of wolfenden report by the. Homosexual offences and prostitution, is significant in. The wolfenden report 1957 and morality and the law.
The proposal is the principal and most controversial recommendation put forward by the member committee chaired by sir john wolfenden, vicechancellor of reading university, investigating the current law on homosexuality and prostitution. Get a printable copy pdf file of the complete article 521k, or click on a page image below to browse page by. The wolfenden report of 1957 has long been recognized as a landmark in moves towards gay law reform. John frederick wolfenden wolfenden of westcott, baron.
Get a printable copy pdf file of the complete article 1k, or click on a page image below to browse page by page. For 400 years male homosexuality was a crime in britain, punishable by years in jail, deportation or death. Smith 1990a of publicprivate and adultyouth sexual regulation it articulated on the law reform process in. Section 1 evaluates recent empirical evidence challenging wolfendens assumptions regarding. Less well known is that the wolfenden committee papers provide by far the most extensive array of perspectives we have on how homosexuality was understood in britain in the midtwentieth century. Wolfenden report definition and meaning collins english. Some of these restrictions keep us safe, some protect our property and some protect us from ourselves. But the wolfenden report, controversial at the time, helped change not only the law but public attitudes and acceptance. The 1957 wolfenden report recommended that adult homosexuality be legalised and condemned the criminalisation of homosexual acts as an impingement of. The chairman of the committee was sir john wolfenden cbe lord wolfenden, who was asked look into whether homosexual acts between men should remain illegal in england and wales after three famous men, lord montagu, michael pittrivers, and peter wildeblood. Thestreet offences committee 1927, under the chairmanship ofmr. The wolfenden report, a 1957 british government study officially entitled the report of the committee on. The wolfenden report is by no means a radical statement.
The wolfenden report as it is commonly known, drove interalia facility development, shared use of facilities, the financial support for governing bodies of sport, exchequer funding for sport initiatives and indeed shaped the governance of sport development in the uk by proposing a national council for the development of sport, although not. For commentators such as jeffrey weeks, the wolfenden report, by rede. The report was published 5th september 1957 and attracted a large amount of publicity. Wolfenden60 marks the 60th anniversary of the wolfenden report. The wolfenden report of 1957 famously advocated that consenting men over the age of 21 should be free to have sex in private. Wolfendens influential report put forward the argument that homosexual behaviour between consenting adults in private be no longer a criminal offence.
The wolfenden report the report of the committee on homosexual offences and prostitution to give it its full name is anenlightened andrealistic documentandreflects the greatest credit on the civilized andhumaneoutlook ofthe members ofthe committee. Offences and prostitution to give it its full name is an enlightened. Here i argue that those participants in the broadcast who are sympathetic with liberal reforms of the legislation on homosexuality utilize discourses related to normality and the publicprivate domains to discursively construct the. What is less well known is that the testimonials and written statements of the witnesses before the. Catalogue description report of committee on homosexual. A report sponsored by the government has suggested homosexual behaviour between consenting adults should no longer be a criminal offence. Everyone concerned with sport must feel an immense sense of appreciation that such eminent men and women, already fully occupied, should have been willing to devote so much of their time to the inquiry. What is less well known is that the testimonials and written statements of the witnesses before the wolfenden committee provide by far the most complete and extensive array of perspectives we have on how homosexuality was understood in midtwentieth century britain. Pdf discipline, punishment and the homosexual in law.
The wolfenden committee on sport members sir john wolfenden, c. Wolfenden report, a study containing recommendations for laws governing sexual behaviour, published in 1957 by the committee on homosexual offences and prostitution in great britain. Indeed, the wolfenden report directly influenced the american bar associations model penal code, which repealed sodomy laws and which was adopted first by illinois in 1961, and the 1969 decision by canada to decriminalize homosexual relations among consenting adults in private. Report of the departmental committee on homosexual offences.
In october 1957, the central council of physical recreation decided to appoint a small independent committee to examine the general position of sport in this country and to recommend what action should be taken by statutory and voluntary bodies if games, sports and outdoor activities were to play their full part in promoting the general welfare of the community. The publication of the report of the committee on homosexual offences and prostitution hereafter the wolfenden report in 1957 was the first major investigation by any national authority in britain into homosexual behaviour. The report, published in 1957 was known as the wolfenden report and it recommended that homosexual acts between consenting adults in private, should. Although the 1957 wolfenden report on homosexuality and prostitution was a british document, it nevertheless played a palpable role in debates among the overseas british on the manifestation and regulation of male homosexuality. It is unanimous except on the point where some difference of opinion is recorded. This article critiques the wolfenden committee s conclusion that criminalising prostituteuse is inconsistent with the liberal harm principle. The cabinet papers homosexuality the national archives. The report of the departmental committee on homosexual offences and prostitution was published in the united kingdom on 4 september 1957 after a succession of wellknown men. Wolfenden committee definition of wolfenden committee by. Wolfenden60 sets to explore the report, unearthing the undocumented history and legacy created by lord john wolfenden and his committee. What is less well known is that the testimonials and written statements of the witnesses before the wolfenden committee provide by far the most complete.
Wolfenden report definition of wolfenden report by the free. The cabinet papers before and after the wolfenden report. Wolfendens witnesses homosexuality in postwar britain. The back ground to the debate was completed by the decision several years later in shaw v. The wolfenden report 1957 stated the findings of the committee on homosexual offenses and prostitution, which had met for three years to. Abstractthis article analyses a television broadcast in england in 1957 in response to the wolfenden report wolfenden, 1957 into homosexuality and prostitution. Apr 14, 2016 the wolfenden report of 1957 famously advocated that consenting men over the age of 21 should be free to have sex in private. It was named for sir john wolfenden, the chairman of the committee. Wolfenden report, 1957, conclusion the british library.
The church of england and the wolfenden report, 19541967. Part 1 is an introduction which maps out the major debates surrounding homosexuality in the 1950s and provides a concise history of the inquiry and subsequent wolfenden report of 1957 which controversially recommended that homosexual behaviour between consenting adults aged 21 years and over in private should no longer be a criminal offence. In august 1954 the government set up the wolfenden committee, named after its chairman, john wolfenden. A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext. The report of the departmental committee on homosexual offences and prostitution better known as the wolfenden report, after sir john wolfenden, the chairman of the committee was published in the united kingdom on 4 september 1957 after a succession of wellknown men, including lord montagu of beaulieu, michael pittrivers, and peter. The wolfenden committee put together a report, after their threeyear enquiry. Our vision is to lead and transform information management, guarantee the survival of todays information for tomorrow and bring history to life for everyone. It was not until 1965 however, that lord arran advanced a motion in favour of the wolfenden report in the house of lords and in 1966 leo abse sponsored a sexual offences bill. This chapter focuses on the influence of the british wolfenden report committee on homosexual offences and prostitution 1957 and the conceptual practices d. He called his lecture the enforcement of morals, and devoted it to these issues of principle. A free vote in 1967 passed the sexual offences act and. It was 155 pages long and recommended that homosexual behaviour between. This led to calls for an enquiry into the legality of homosexuality and prostitution.
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