Wolfenden Report (Press, 16 November 1957)
This is a Generative AI summary of this newspaper article. It may contain errors or omissions. Please note that the language in the summary is reflective of the original article and the societal attitudes of the time in which it was written.
Summary: Wolfenden Report (Press, 16 November 1957)
On 14 November 1957, the General Assembly of the Church of England voted in favour of a motion stating that homosexual practices between consenting adults should no longer be deemed illegal. The motion, which passed with 155 votes in favour and 133 against, is linked to the recommendations of the Wolfenden Committee, which suggested decriminalising homosexuality while advocating for stricter penalties for street prostitution. The Bishop of Exeter, Dr. Robert Mortimer, proposed the motion and argued in favour of the committee's approach regarding homosexuality, although he did not support all its recommendations on prostitution. Following the vote, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Geoffrey Fisher, expressed his perspective by stating that while homosexuality compromises manhood, heterosexuality exceeds this violation by impacting both manhood and womanhood. He suggested that the harm inflicted by heterosexual misconduct is greater than that caused by homosexual acts, which he believed are less prevalent. Dr. Mortimer highlighted that the Wolfenden Committee presented a valid understanding of the purpose of criminal law, delineating that true morality is defined by free choice and personal responsibility. He acknowledged that while the committee was correct in its view that private homosexual conduct among consenting adults should not be criminalised, he did not dismiss the gravity of such behaviour, describing it as a "disgusting moral incontinence." In conclusion, he still called for increased penalties for prostitution and those profiting from it, indicating that he viewed a clear distinction between these issues. The discussions reflected broader societal tensions concerning sexual morality and legal implications in mid-20th century Britain.
Important Information
The text on this page is created, in the most part, using Generative AI and so may contain errors or omissions. It is supplied to you without guarantee or warranty of correctness. If you find an error or would like to make a content suggestion please get in contact
The text on this page is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 New Zealand