Homosexuality dates back as early as 1533, when King Henry VIII was ruler of England. In 1533, an act was passed through the houses of Parliament and was accepted by King Henry, this was the ‘Buggery Act 1533.’
The act stated that any male-male sexual activity was punishable by death – (hanging).
It was the first sodomy law in England that defined certain sexual acts that were deemed as ‘unnatural’ and ‘unmoral’, such as anal sex, oral sex and sexual activities between human and animal – known as bestiality.
In the 17th century, King James VI of Scotland – later to be known as King James I of England, was openly admittent about his homosexual love affairs with a few of his close acquaintances – although there was never any real hard evidence
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The safety of the ‘Molly House’ sanctuary soon disappeared as in 1726, the coffee house was raided and three men were arrested and hanged for sodomy.
In 1785, Jeremy Bentham, a British Philosopher, became one of the first ever people to stand up and speak out and argue for the decriminalisation of sodomy in England.
He argued that homosexual acts where not a crime and posed no threat to the public.
He argued for equality for both men and women and after his death in 1931, an essay he wrote on homosexuality and the rights was published and argued for homosexual law reform in England.
In 1828, the ‘Buggery Act 1533’ was repealed and replaced by the ‘Offences against the person act 1828.’
Homosexuality was still punishable by death until it was abolished in 1835.
The last two men to be executed in Britain for buggery where hanged in November 1835 after being observed having sex.
A total of 8921 men had been prosecuted under this act since 1806, and 404 where sentenced to death and 4 of them