When #oscarwilde was incarcerated in Reading Gaol in May 1895 for the crime of “being himself” it exposed the inhumanity & bigotry of Victorian Calvinism. In prison he began his book De Profundis in which he wrote: “When first I was put into prison some people advised me to try & forget who I was. It was ruinous advice. It is only by realising what I am that I have found comfort of any kind.” These words remain as profound & as relevant today as 1897. For if we allow politicians & moralists to govern who we are, we are ruined! It is no longer a crime to be gay in Britain but we are still demanding the government #stopdithering & criminalise the torture of transgender children -many people are shocked at the scale & barbarity of #conversiontherapy in Britain especially as transgenderism was considered perfectly natural until the Victorian Age when LGBTQIA TORCHBEARERS like #shakespeare & #sirfrancisbacon were ghosted maligned or their sexuality “realigned” to conform to Victorian heteronormative ideals. Many of Shakespeare’s plays were inspired by the trans actor-activist & celebrity Mall Frith (born Mary 1584-1659). London’s viaducts flowed with wine after his funeral which was attended by thousands more than Puritan Military Dictator #olivercromwell 1658 Raise a glass to Frith on the anniversary of his death 26th July. TORCHBEARER GOWN created by trans-artist @highfashionhockey (in video) @petertatchellfoundation #banconversiontherapy #transrightsarehumanrights https://www.instagram.com/p/CQwBWoTAW7L/?utm_medium=tumblr
