From Cleveland Street to Reading Gaol: An analysis of homosexual scandals during the Victorian Era

Homosexuality has been widely debated over the course of history. It has been confronted with a range of social attitudes, such as homophobia, prejudice, and violence. Besides its modern prevalence, socially and politically, homosexuality is all the more pertinent due to the ever-changing legislation regarding homosexual rights and liberties in the modern day. It has remained a prominent issue, as is evident from recent campaigns that have gained international attention, such as establishing the legality of gay marriage, enabling gay men to adopt children, and forming an active LGBTQ community are also key developments. This research hopes to influence the evaluation, and as a result, our understanding, on the wider field of homosexuality within gender studies and the history of deviance, focusing on the Victorian era. Its main objective is to explore homosexuality through the lens of three prominent homosexual scandals: The Cleveland Street Scandal, The Dublin Castle Scandals, and The Trials of Oscar Wilde. Although these scandals have each been studied independently, they have not been examined comparatively, which is unique to this research