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The Homosexual Society -- Richard Hauser
Condition : Good, considering age.
Bodley Head, 1965, Vintage paperback - Homosexuality - 224pp.

Britain was a very different place in 1958 - especially if you were a gay man. The homosexual of the 1950s could be classified into many "variables" or categories, depending on the type of sexuality he chose, as recorded in a notable government report of the time, commissioned by the Ministry of the Interior.

'The Homosexual Society' by sociologist Richard Hauser, and its general tone already appears on its inside cover, making specific proposals, such as "preventive measures in the current hotbeds [sic] of homosexuality, and to best manage possible problems [sic] when it occurs.

In the 1950s, homosexuality was illegal and in 1954 there were 1,069 gay men in jail, in England and Wales, being offered chemical castration as an alternative to prison. That was the fate of people like Alan Turing - Considered the father of artificial intelligence, he was famous for breaking the encryption codes of the Enigma machine, developed by the Nazis.He was also a pioneer in other scientific disciplines, such as biology and artificial intelligence, his contribution was essential in the development of current technologies.. In 1952, at the peak of his career, Turing was tried and convicted by the British government due to his homosexuality and had to choose between being imprisoned or undergoing chemical castration. He chose the second option and ended up committing suicide.
In any case, and rampant homophobic bias aside, the report is fascinating reading, because it provides a very clear, if completely ridiculous, insight into social attitudes at the time.

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