Italy would change its sodomy laws in 1786, replacing executions by imprisonment. Notably, the Spanish Inquisition stoned, castrated, and burned sodomites 1 until 1700. What was striking there was not the fact that homosexual intercourse could be punished by death, but the fact that these provisions had not been relaxed during the 18th century. The Holy Roman Empire made it also a capital crime, as did Denmark. Before the French Revolution, homosexuals could be burned to death in France or hanged in Great Britain. Precisely, European criminal laws of the time were those of the Ancient Regime. The 18th and 19th Centuries: an ugly read and a glimmer of hope Female homosexuality was harshly punished during the Middle Ages, but romantic friendship rarely raised concerns in the 18th century.Despite the differences in the statutory books, lack of acceptance of homosexual relationships cut across European borders in the 18th century. On the other hand, female homosexuality records are few and far between them Sappho‘s verses are the remarkable exception in the Greek island of Lesbos. The Middle and Modern Ages brought no significant change, and death was often the legal punishment for male homosexuals and cross-dressers. Male homosexual relationships were usual in Ancient civilisations until the adoption of Christianism by the Roman Empire and the Christian interpretation of marriage became institutionalised. Of course, we also cast a light on the places where the rainbow is yet to shine. In this article, we travel from the darkest times to the days of glitter and celebration most of Europe lives in. Precisely, the interwar period saw the blossoming of European associations, building on a pre-existing demand to decriminalise homosexual relationships. With time, Pride marches moved from the fringes to the mainstream of European culture and would be the promoter of profound social change.ĭespite the first spark being kindled in America, active European LGBT activism predates the riots by decades.
In two years’ time, Europe would follow suit.
One year after the uprising, small Pride marches took place in two other American cities. It only started as a response against a police raid at the Stonewall Inn, a well-known gay club in New York where the police incursion was met with upheaval. However, LGBT Pride, the movement seeking the end to discrimination against LGBT people and social equality, is only fifty years old. Records of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans (LGBT) people are as old as written records are.