One subtext to the history of English legal handling of lesbianism is a rebuttal of any notion that laws and attitudes have historically moved in a consistent direction. It's particularly important to keep this in mind when writing historical fiction set before the 20th century. (This applies generally, but particularly in England.) There was a scene in the tv series Gentleman Jack where Anne Walker freaks out over the thought of legal prosecution for her relationship with Ann Lister.
LHMP
Blog entry
Once again, I'll save my overall thoughts for the end of this set of posts. (In part because I want to get the posts up and haven't yet solidified what I want to say, overall.)
In this second chapter of Derry's book on legal aspects of lesbianism in England, the focus is on situations when "female husbands" (i.e., assinged-female persons living as men who married women or presented themselves as being married to women). In fact, a great deal of the pre-20th century focus of Derry's work is focused strongly on the specific topic of how the law (and the newspapers) dealt with "female husbands," while lesbianism that took other forms was not generally of interest to the law. More on this when I do my concluding discussion of the book.
I'll have some overall thoughts on this book after I've blogged the whole thing. Right now I just want to start posting the summary as impetus to read the last couple chapters (which cover the 20th century, and so aren't part of my primary interest).
Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast - Episode 300 – Where I Have Been, Where I Will Go - transcript
(Originally aired 2024/11/16 - listen here)
Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast - Episode 299 - On the Shelf for November 2024 - Transcript
(Originally aired 2024-11-02 - listen here)
Welcome to On the Shelf for November 2024.
Here's the Call for Submissions for 2025. There are no substantial changes from last year's call.
Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast - Episode 298 – Our F/Favorite Tropes Part 15: Gender Disguise - transcript
(Originally aired 2024/10/19 - listen here)
Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast - Episode 297 - On the Shelf for October 2024 - Transcript
(Originally aired 2024/10/05 - listen here)
Welcome to On the Shelf for October 2024.
Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast Episode 296 – Our F/Favorite Tropes Part 14b: Actresses and the Stage
Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast - Episode 296 – Our F/Favorite Tropes Part 14b: Actresses and the Stage - transcript
(Originally aired 2024/09/21 - listen here)
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