The Love That Dares Speak Its Name - Best Troll EVAH

[Martinus]

The Love that Dares to Speak its Name is a controversial poem by James Kirkup.

It is written from the viewpoint of a Roman centurion who is graphically described having sex with dead Jesus after his crucifixion, and also claims that Jesus had had sex with numerous disciples, guards, and even Pontius Pilate.

It was at the centre of the Whitehouse v. Lemon trial for blasphemous libel, where the editor of Gay News was convicted and given a suspended prison sentence.

Ok, so I may be late to learn about it (it was written some time in 1970s) but I think as trolls go, this one is fucking brilliant. Ann Frank's furry fanfiction pales in comparison.

[The Brain]

Link?

[Martinus]

Here's wikipedia entry, with a link to the poem:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Love_that_Dares_to_Speak_its_Name

[The Brain]

I've seen worse poems (yeah I'm looking at you Ank).

But could he actually have loved all men? What about the Santa paradox? There just isn't enough time.

[Martinus]

I've seen worse poems (yeah I'm looking at you Ank).

But could he actually have loved all men? What about the Santa paradox? There just isn't enough time.

Could an omnipotent, all-loving God fuck all men on the planet if he wanted? Who was the Languishite that attended a Bible study class? Now that's a question he should ask next time he goes there.

Edit: And it makes sense God would start fucking men - he knocked up one girl and people still can't stop talking about it 2000 years later.

[Viking]

I thought the Maccabees wiped the holy land clean of hellenistic epecurianism?

[Neil]

Why suspend his sentence?

[Sheilbh]

It's better known in this country than a poem of its quality deserves to be because it's our last successful blasphemy prosecution.

[Martinus]

What amused me about the author:

In the early 1990s Kirkup settled in Andorra. He continues to work and until recently was a frequent contributor to the obituary section of the British newspaper, The Independent. He also has several virtual books published on the internet by Brindin Press.



I also love the fact that his rather extensive biopic on the website of the university of Leeds (which he apparently went to) contains no mention whatsoever of the poem or the court case. 

[garbon]

Leeds made a film on him?

[Crazy_Ivan80]

It's better known in this country than a poem of its quality deserves to be because it's our last successful blasphemy prosecution.

You'll probably get some new ones soon, given the way the civilised world is going.

[Sheilbh]

It's better known in this country than a poem of its quality deserves to be because it's our last successful blasphemy prosecution.

You'll probably get some new ones soon, given the way the civilised world is going.

Well blasphemy's still illegal in this country.  That was one of the arguments for a law against incitement religious hatred.  If the Church of England (and only the Church of England, though, by extension much of Christian belife) is protected why aren't other faiths?

Edit:  Actually, apparently, blasphemy has been abolished because it was made largely redundant by the law against religious hatred.

[Lucidor]

This was better line-per-line, but Furry Anne Frank still comes out as the overall winner because of the sheer horribleness of it all.

[Martinus]

Edit:  Actually, apparently, blasphemy has been abolished because it was made largely redundant by the law against religious hatred.

I would think that these usually cover completely different areas. 

For example, I fail to see how this poem could be seen as inciting "religious hatred".

[Sheilbh]

I would think that these usually cover completely different areas. 

For example, I fail to see how this poem could be seen as inciting "religious hatred".

Well that was the government's position.  It was preposterous that  the Christian church was protected from blasphemy (though this was beginning to be ignored, there was a public reading of it by Peter Tatchell in Trafalgar Square and he wasn't arrested or anything) while all other religions were fair game.  I think the government decided that from a social position what's more worrying isn't people denigrating a faith (Jerry Springer: The Opera, for example) but people trying to whip up hatred against adherents to a faith.

So they instituted that law which gave all religions equal protection and then abolished the blasphemy laws.