Gay Marriage Reaches the Isle of Man!

[Sheilbh]

The population is only 80k or so anyway, not exactly the bright lights though there are big tax advantages for the wealthy.

Apparently the anti-gay sex laws in the UK were most vigorously prosecuted in the post-WW2 period leading up to their abolition. Perhaps a consequence of the general intrusiveness into people's private lives generated by the war economy which remains characteristic of the modern UK.

Although they always attract a more parochial type of tax evader. If you're really big time you'll move to the British Virgin Islands or Belize, the only prominent Manx tax dodger I can think of is Ken Dodd.

But yeah the 50s was the worst time, there were thousands of men being jailed every year and a particular target on prominent victims. It's a big open question why it happened. Arguably it was actually a re-assertion of control after the relative sexual freedom of the war (many gay experiences were had in the forces and there's diaries of gay men who absolutely loved the blackout ) also a general re-assertion of sexual norms with women largely being force back into the kitchen. But it was also at the same time as McCarthyism and the Cambridge four which linked the Establishment, Communism and homosexuality in many minds.

So apparently the Met Commissioner was very much inspired by the US in seeing the security risk of gays in high places which was the initial target but then decided to go far more widely and target lots of people. Of course it was actually pretty easy (even without the agents provocateurs such as the one who caught Gielgud) because most police forces had been pretty laissez-faire about it before then and only actually arrested gay men if there was a complaint by an 'innocent', but they knew who they were so when they decided to actively enforce the law they could target the bars and knew exactly who to follow and look for.

Alan Hollinghurst's first book 'The Swimming Pool Library' is pretty good and touches on this subject.

Was the law actually enforced? It sounds so barbaric.

Not sure it's the most barbaric thing about the island. As I often say they only abolished corporal punishment in the 90s. Between that and decriminalising homosexuality and abolishing the death penalty it was a very liberal time for the Manx

[Sheilbh]

I can only come up with nine.  Thought I could do better

fag
homo
queer
poof
butt pirate
chutney chaser
turd burglar
rump ranger
pillow biter

oh yeah, and mud shark for ten.

Batty boy, shirt lifter, uphill gardener, fairy, bum bandit, bum chum, bugger, light in the loafers, ponce. Main conclusion is straight people are obsessed with anal sex

[frunk]

Main conclusion is straight people are obsessed with anal sex

Louie CK made the same joke in his Louie TV series.

[alfred russel]

As I often say they only abolished corporal punishment in the 90s.

We still have corporal punishment in georgia, and it isn't just dead law, paddling still is used as a punishment in schools, though mostly in rural areas.

[Sheilbh]

The Manx birch:

Historically used on boys between 14 and 21 (under 14 from the sixties just got the cane).

Edit: Although that makes sense now. I've seen Americans referring to the paddle before and it had never clicked that it was your version of the cane.

[garbon]

This is a little too much BDSM for me.