Oscar Wilde

Oscar Wilde’s response was calculated and guarded, designed to show the love he was talking about in the best possible light, while attempting to refrain from labeling it with anything to which his enemies could latch on. Unfortunately for him, it was still pretty clear what he was talking about, and he ended up being sentenced to two years of hard labor along with the man he was being sentenced with. Interestingly, when sentencing him with the maximum punishment possible for the crime, the judge called it “totally inadequate for a case such as this”, though I don’t know if he meant there should be a stricter or lighter punishment.

For queers today, it is good that he basically admitted to the acts he was on trial for instead of lying. I’m sure if he’d gone along and acted repentant he would have gotten off scot-free, but instead he stuck with his acts, putting homosexuality in the spotlight and giving queers something to rally around. Being a somewhat outspoken homosexual is probably what he’s remembered best for today, which is something to keep in mind next time it seems easier to lie than to say what’s right.