The strange story of how homosexuality came to be criminalised in 1885, a story that takes us from the notorious Dublin Scandal to the unique moment of fear - now largely forgotten - after Oscar Wilde's arrest ten years later.
The events involved the author's ancestor, who he traces from prominence in Dublin to a secret life in Camberwell in London in the 1890s, and explains how the events of those years led to the persecution of tens of thousands over the next eight decades.
This book looks at the strange story behind that decision, and the furore that tore apart Irish society in 1884, and how the roots of the whole business lie in the furious world of Irish politics after the Phoenix Park murders. The author's ancestor escaped from Dublin in disguise in 1884. But even in London, he wasn't safe, escaping a second time ten years later in a moment of fear that was unprecedented in modern British history, that swept though the gay community.
This is a ground-breaking book, part history part detective story, that looks back at the moment society turned on homosexuality with such venom, and why it happened.
This is a new edition to this successful book, with new material and a new epilogue...
