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Law: Wolfenden Committee Report on prostitution and homosexuality published

Law: Wolfenden Committee Report on prostitution and homosexuality published; Sir John Wolfenden (Chair of the Wolfenden Report) interview SOF- [On homosexuality, changes in the law being suggested] Can we be quite clear first, we are talking homosexual offences, distinction we need to keep between homosexuality and homosexual offences, the chief change we are recommending there is that homosexual behaviour between adult consenting males in private should no longer be a criminal offence, it always has been until now, has for about 100 years and the sense in that we don't see, that again goes back to my general principle, that there are some areas of a man's private life which are not the concern of the criminal law except and so far as they damage public order or result in exploitation / - [Danger that a change in the law may have repercussions on children these men may also go after] From the evidence we've had, the opposite is what we should expect, because on the medical evidence that we've had it looks like there are two quite different kinds of homosexual men, those who prefer the company of their contemporaries, and those who prefer young people, boys and maybe girls, it could well be the case that by taking out of the criminal law homosexual behaviour between adults, contemporary males in private, that may be a safeguard to boys and young people rather than the opposite / - [On whether lesbianism was considered] Well that is not inside the criminal law now, it is not an offence, so it was outside our terms of reference, and we saw no reason to bring it in / - [Asked whether any homosexuals gave evidence] Yes they did, quite deliberately and of their own free will / - [On whether he feels recommendations should pass into the law] That is a matter for parliament and not for me, I should be very sorry if all that happens after this is that we got pigeon-holed, the streets in some of our cities do need cleaning up, nobody could deny that, I think ther...
Law: Wolfenden Committee Report on prostitution and homosexuality published; Sir John Wolfenden (Chair of the Wolfenden Report) interview SOF- [On homosexuality, changes in the law being suggested] Can we be quite clear first, we are talking homosexual offences, distinction we need to keep between homosexuality and homosexual offences, the chief change we are recommending there is that homosexual behaviour between adult consenting males in private should no longer be a criminal offence, it always has been until now, has for about 100 years and the sense in that we don't see, that again goes back to my general principle, that there are some areas of a man's private life which are not the concern of the criminal law except and so far as they damage public order or result in exploitation / - [Danger that a change in the law may have repercussions on children these men may also go after] From the evidence we've had, the opposite is what we should expect, because on the medical evidence that we've had it looks like there are two quite different kinds of homosexual men, those who prefer the company of their contemporaries, and those who prefer young people, boys and maybe girls, it could well be the case that by taking out of the criminal law homosexual behaviour between adults, contemporary males in private, that may be a safeguard to boys and young people rather than the opposite / - [On whether lesbianism was considered] Well that is not inside the criminal law now, it is not an offence, so it was outside our terms of reference, and we saw no reason to bring it in / - [Asked whether any homosexuals gave evidence] Yes they did, quite deliberately and of their own free will / - [On whether he feels recommendations should pass into the law] That is a matter for parliament and not for me, I should be very sorry if all that happens after this is that we got pigeon-holed, the streets in some of our cities do need cleaning up, nobody could deny that, I think ther...
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803972198
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ITN
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September 04, 1957
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