Male homosexuality had historically been the subject of much debate and legal scrutiny in Britain: until 1861 sodomy was punishable by death, and afterwards male homosexuality, even when acts were carried out in private, was a criminal offence. Female homosexuality, by contrast, was hardly ever mentioned. In 1921, when a Conservative MP suggested in Parliament that all ‘acts of gross indecency by females’ should be made illegal, the idea was swiftly dismissed for fear the very mention of such acts should lead women astray.
