Was Oskar 'Wild'e?

The first reading of the academic year was a poem written by Oskar Wilde - if you couldn't tell by the title. For context, Oskar Wilde was born in Dublin in 1854 and died in 1900. This was during the Victorian era, when capital punishment, although public executions were abolished in 1868, was still very popular; with private executions frequently being taken place. 

Within society at the time, there were still large debates about whether capital punishment and penal reform should still continue. On one hand, the society argued for retribution for their suffering and the victim's suffering. On the other hand, people argued that it was inhumane to kill another, arguing that not only would it lower us to the perpetrator's level, but it would prevent them from forgiving themselves and bettering themselves for mistakes they had made. 

Back to the life of Oskar Wilde. Among his other writings and novels, one of his most famous is The Picture of Dorian Gray, published in 1891. Wilde was married when he was found guilty of 'acts of gross indecency with other male persons' in 1895. 

He was sentenced to two years of hard labour and started his time at Pentonville prison, before being transferred to Wandsworth prison, then, finally, to Reading Gaol prison. Whilst at Reading Gaol, he wrote a powerful ballad, which was the reading set by my tutors. The poem - 'The Ballad of Reading Gaol' - is a first-hand account of the brutal experiences he had encountered at Reading Gaol. It talks about several men he had witnessed during his time and how each man felt and how he felt being in the situation he was in. 

In one of his chapters, a statement stuck with me regarding society's views on different types of crimes. 'A coward kills with a kiss, a brave man kills with a sword'. This says a lot about society's thoughts about homosexuality. At the time, people looked down on those who were attracted to the same gender as them, causing it to be illegalised in England until 1967 when acts of homosexuality were only legal between two men, who consented and were over the age of 21.

Since then, many other laws have been made, including Section 28, and the legalisation of same-sex marriage in the UK. However, to this day, society still views the LGBTQ+ community as being 'mentally ill'. Often, if you come out as being anything other than cishet (cisgender (identifying as the same gender as you were assigned at birth) and heterosexual (being 'straight' or being attracted to the opposite gender)), you are referred to a mental health service. 

Being LGBTQ+ doesn't make you mentally ill, the pressures and confusion by society and your own exploration of identity can cause your mental health to fluctuate. More people report only struggling with mental health from being bullied than they do from being LGBTQ+. 

People at the time Oskar Wilde was imprisoned were against both his sexuality and his active dislike of capital punishment. This meant that at the time, his work wasn't listened to, despite his going on to write multiple articles in newspapers to campaign against capital punishment after his release. 

I believe it is people like Oskar Wilde, Marsha P Johnson (one of the leading activists in the Stonewall riots), Lady Gaga, and Laverne Cox (a famous Trans* actor and LGBTQ+ advocate), who we should all gain inspiration from. Not only do they work towards equality, but they also fight for what they believe in, despite the fact that many people in society are against their existence and ideologies. They show courage, where others would not. 

If you do something for yourself; wear what you want to wear, identify as you want to, state your opinion aloud, or even stop and look at something you like in a shop window, you are brave. You are brave for going outside, for pursuing your goals, for facing your fears. You are brave and you should be proud of yourself. I am proud of you. Keep going and live your life how you want to live it. 

As always, stay safe, and stay well.

JaceEarts