8 20 2500 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/171e44f8b232b15ea0d75c08f0493249.jpg f7e2a93a88951c0e803420a49b70cfa6 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/e3cc86a2f6e2723d206515dfc483c480.jpg c56561f6f68925593e0273ba10355bb9 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document 24 November 1960 Dear George, Thank you for forwarding Keith Wedmore's letter of the 4th. This is by way of brief acknowledgement and I wonder whether you would be so good to act as an Intermediary? I was deeply touched at this thoughtfulness in commenting on my comments, and I'm only sorry that as I didn't keep a carbon and returned the document to you I've very little idea of what most of it is about. However, that in no way diminishes from the vast pleasure I had in his letter. I think in point of fact that I could summon from the vasty deep most of the points, but I doubt whether it's worth my while doing so when the text has now had a hundred visions and revisions before the taking of a toast and tea. But if it is thought to be of the slightest use to the Bidder Committee (I decline to be drawn on KW's use of QCB) I am perfectly willing to comment on any further drafts as they become available. I think that with Wedmore's chapter list I can make slightly more intelligent comments, but if he thinks an explanatory covering letter would keep me on the rails, that might be even better. I think that on the whole I would prefer to deal with the matter through you if you're prepared to do all the forwarding, and I assume that KW marks his letters to you "confidential." The one point on which I do still feel strongly is the lengthy quotation from Hansard about the Labouchere amendment. I have two grounds for my hesitation:-- a. style. I feel that it is most dangerous to incorporate long quotations unless there is an overwhelming necessity, and if KW insists on his full quote I am afraid that it will result in skipping, which is precisely what he wants to avoid. Let him state in the text forcefully that the amendment was introduced at a late stage in a fairly empty House on a bill for an entirely different purpose, and then if he likes refer to Appendix I for the recitation of the relevant Hansard. But to include the quotations will simply defeat his purpose. b. politics. Is not undue emphasis on the 1885 law rather dangerous? In general I am in favor of Fabian tactics and letting freedom broaden down from precedent to precedent and all that, but recent suggestions of simple compromise of repealing the Labouchere amendment seems like to result in an intolerable and administratively unworkable situation. I think it is quite right to say that the L. amendment was almost accidental, but not to stress it, since the 1861 Offences against the Person Act, re-enacting a three-hundred old statute against buggery, was presumably quite considered and deliberate. It should hardly need stressing (the Wolfenden Report, I think, makes the point) that it is quite ludicrous for one form of homosexual lovemaking to be made legal in private, while another is not. I speak out of a desire for fair play and not as an interested party--I dislike it personally, passively because of piles and actively because it is extraordinarily hard to kiss another man's lips while having an orgasm without pulling half the muscles in one's back. This is much longer that I meant it to be and I won't blame KW if he decides that he can't bear more maundering comments and would rather not send me future drafts as they are completed. But if this hasn't put him off and he really thinks I can do anything to help, I'll be glad to try my best. Yours, Anon Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Anonymous Letter, 24 November 1960 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Keith Wedmore Papers Description An account of the resource The anonymous correspondent sent a reply to Wedmore's letter on 24 November 1960, once again through George Gorman as intermediary. https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/53f4fc70e6be5628d14b0830f07e32b8.jpg 313ac1d2fe92dfe2bf1c69d9aeebe7b6 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/c980ff6e15a3b7819eabde6aea7891ad.jpg 8b34d69f239802faadf745e0adb2d430 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/f088ef3be816e5a142a4a1315ce19f68.jpg 5ce32ba6a25a459739dacf96b4e83b94 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document 26 February 1961 Keith Wedmore: Dear Friend, Thank you for your letter to George Gorman dated 21 February. I am more touched than I can say at the kindness and warmth of your response to my comments. So touched that I will buy a new ribbon before I next write that your aching eyes be not strained beyond bearing in efforts to decipher my comments. If you and the QCH (& OPS of course) think that similar comments on the rest of the drafts would be useful, I will gladly do my best. But you must bear in mind that comments of an "interested party" who has not had the benefit of your discussions is bound to be not merely biased but (to some extent) ill-informed. You will please to make allowances accordingly. I propose to address future letters to you as I find it easier to write 'Don't you think' rather than 'I wonder if the committee has considered'. I think that I would rather continue to send them through George, However--this is strictly confidential and for yourself only, not for the committee--I will not rule out altogether the possibility of my journeying from Chevy Chase (where I am writing, as you will know, border ballads and Elizabethan love songs) to London if it would really be useful in pulling the draft into shape. At the moment I feel extremely critical of it. That brings me to the question: What is the draft. I returned to George the mimeographed Parts 8 and 10 which he let me see in September. Since then I have received the following which I have letters (since the QCH has no Helpful Symbols on the documents):-- A containing Part I (Introduction) 3 pages Part 10 though no to marked (How can help be given?) 2 pages, p.2 being numbered 10 Part 2 (Heterosexuality) 4 pages Part 8 (Homosexuality and the law) being your revise. 8 pages Part 11 (Summary) 1 page B containing Part 5 (Perversions) 2 pages Part 6 (Origins of sexual behavior) 10 pages C containing Part 3 (Homosexuality) I gather that this is all I ought to have, but what is "the later printed revision of Part 8: or do you mean 'duplicated' and therefore the draft in DOCUMENT A? And 'Homosexuality' was Part 5 in your synopsis (letter 4 November 1960): why is it now 3? These are not meant to be captious questions, but I can't use what little intelligence I have on the draft unless I can related each chapter to the book as a whole. While are on the book as a whole can I put in more more plea for a uniform prose--dignified, vigorous, lively, but unfascetious. I know that you said (4 November again) that 'a deadpan article on sex--yet another, let's face it--could be terribly dull'. I agree. Dullness is a perennial danger of drafting documents by the committee method. But the way to avoid it (it seems to me) is to entrust the re-writing of the book to a single individual once the drafts are agreed for content. Naturally the QCH would have to re-vet the rewritten document, but at the moment the changes in style between one part and another are unhelpful. I want a vigorous book, but I also want one that moves with dignity so that is can have effective powers of persuasion. Some of the asides in some of the drafts still seem to me cheap and unworthy and all too likely to defeat what I take to be QCH's intention. Now for Part 3. I am mercifully ignorant of who drafted this. I assume from your letter it wasn't you, but even if it was, I judge from your letters that you are charitable enough to forgive me if I say that it seems to me completely shapeless, with a lot of irrelevancies and non-sequiturs, and with half of it utterly out of place. But I do realize that it is a first draft. Almost the whole of (c) belongs, I should have thought, in Part 9; and I do not therefore propose to discuss it in detail now. Surely the purpose of this chapter is to do the following: 1, Define homosexuality--it is necessary to explain that it does not mean 'the practicing of homosexual acts' (several rather well-informed people have told me that it does). It is also supposed that it derives from the Latin and has something to do with men, and an explanation of the Greek tongue might be useful, followed by an explanation that as the word 'Lesbianism' is commonly used for female homosexuality, the word 'h/s' in this book will be understood to mean 'male h/s;. 2. Differentiate between h/s and preoccupation with small boys. I know that this is in all sorts of places, but it does need saying and driving home (the Nancy Mitford quotation on 0 5 is unhelpful as it can rather easily be misunderstood). 3. Give supposed percentages (as on p.2) and refer to the wide variety of physical types, etc., to be found--the sentences 'It is commonly..unassailable' (p. 4) belong to this. 4. Deal with merely physical h/s in adolescence (some of pages 2 and 3 come in, but the treatment of this as it stands is confusing (a) physical adolescent h/s whether individual or 'orgy-like'. (b) emotional adolescent involvement, which is what the Radcliffe Hall passage is about, (c) seduction of an adolescent by an older man--the passage beginning 'seduction, then' is out of place as the drafter hasn't discussed the problem) 5. The incidence of h/s in present-day Britain. There my be some other points, but I think that the chapter should stick to facts, so far as anybody is prepared to accept that anything on this subject is fact.I think that my first notes (of which I hadn't kept a copy) urged strongly that the book should move steadily along the lines of reasonably accepted facts until it came to Part Nine--though I had prepared my own imaginary synopsis at that stage. I still hold that view. This is probably enough for a first shot. Without going through Parts (a) and (b) in detail, I am prepared to take a few detailed pot-shots:-- p. 1. 'one can no more deplore...' A poor parallel since most grass is green and only the minority pinl, while most people are hetero and only the minority homo. I want a dignified (see 1 above) not a flippant reference to the dictionary. p. 4 A.P. Herbert. Again, an unhelpful parallel, and there are too many quotations anyway--as bad as Robert Davis's pamphlets or certain Swarthmore lectures. OUT. p. 4 'have been actually prosecuted." Actually presupposes surprise, e.g.:-'George Gorman has actually been stick on procedure' 'Anon has actually had a fit of generosity'. The drafter means simply: 'were prosecuted'. 'Alert readers' is poor too: you can be alert and have a poor memory; or you can be alert and miss 'The Times' for a week while in Brittany (even Anon can't remember who the Junior Minister was)). And in any case I think it is dangerous to bolster as case by arguing from cases of h/s offences other than those in private. p. 6 'A well known Quaker'. I just cannot see that this follows from the sentence before. I could understand it if it read: "A well known Quaker pacifist long and successfully concealed his homosexuality and once told a member of our group that, were it known, it would immediately undo all the work he had been able to do for promoting greater understanding between nations and races.' Does it mean that? This is really quite enough. You and the QCH will, I hope, realize that these criticisms stem from a fundamental respect and interest in the draft. If I didn't think it could be a good book I wouldn't trouble to criticize. Yours sincerely, Anon Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Letter from Anonymous, 26 February 1961 Description An account of the resource Anonymous sent an immediate followup to Wedmore's previous letter (above) and included some rather biting criticism of the section on Homosexuality that Wedmore had written. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Keith Wedmore Papers https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/0d1fb389efcea62fcd396616d8cfda91.jpg 43e502fb9c2192e8b0f0fa5e43dee50f https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/4ff175a0ec5aa8d1e91589a222e3f204.jpg 8186885def9dbf8376663b75105586cd https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/4997d2dc23c38d0ebcc30a051e9a1b37.jpg 0b463851c875be91cb26d7053b47d330 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document Stoneleigh Sheerwater Avenue West Byfleet, Surrey 4th November 1960 Dear George: You will recall that when last summer a first draft of the coming QCB pamphlet was in your hands for duplicating, you showed it to a friend, who wrote three sides of very sympathetic comment. The silence that has followed your forwarding this to us does not mean we ignored his comments--far from it. The whole letter was gone over in full committee in October, and the various further drafts produced since then have had his comments in mind. This letter contains my personal reactions to his comments--just to thank and encourage him as it were. First of all: what he was sent was Part 8 (Homosexuality and the law) and part ten (How can help be given) which were simply two parts taken at random from the whole scheme: which as you know is far more comprehensive, and not for example confined to homosexuality, although it has a homosexual emphasis. I shall be interested to see your correspondents comments on the part dealing with homosexuality as such (Part 5) when we have produced it and he has seen it. Secondly: what he was sent has been completely revised twice since apart from a further revision by me. What he was was in a very immature state. Thirdly: I only wrote the legal part and that is all that is discussed here. Fourthly: I must assume, in order that this should not be intolerably long, that your correspondent kept a copy of his comments! NOW: 1. Most of this is taken care of when one explains that anon has not yet seen our section on Homosexuality (Hy hereafter). f: we are not concerned to argue for a change in the law; that is not our task. I was only trying to set out what was the law, and of course my irritation with is shows through. Of course--I might add--all of us assume the law should be changed. (I hope by the way that your correspondent is an enthusiastic supporter of the H1 Law Reform Society). g. We go further than that: we are (get this!) purporting to revise the 'moral code' itself. It is here that we expect to arouse a certain amount of controversy. It will help if I give the outline of the pamphlet without further ado: 1 Introduction 2 Heterosexuality 3 Heterosexual problems 4 Masturbation 5 Homosexuality 6 Perversions 7 Causation 8 Homosexuality and the law 9 morals 10 help 11 Summary 2. Would your correspondent like to prepare a brief (as long as this letter) and accurate summary of the views--historical and present--of all Christian bodies? I started on this, gave it up. We decided it was beyond our knowledge. In general ,we are able to say that there is some genuine first hand knowledge or expertise going into this thing. None of us are historians or theologians. What is your correspondent? (I was balked at having to unravel, eg, Luther's or George Fox's views; perhaps he wouldnt be.) We put Gibbon in simply because we liked it so. We all agree with anon's last remark but none of us felt inclined to take Gibbon out! A deadpan article on sex--yet another, lets face it--could be terribly dull. 3 Hansard was quoted at length for a reason: I have a fairly heretical though not novel point to urge (and it must he here opinion not fact): I say that Parliament didnt know what it was doing when it passed section 11. (This is highly relevant to the law reform angle by the way) All I can do is to set out all the facts as I can see them, and let the reader judge. We have now greatly expanded the section on buggery and sodomy, explaining what is what, in light of anon's comments, (and Wednesday's success for Lady Chatterley). 4 Yes, rather true. Has been altered. I am not sure I agree with such a high age of consent as 21 myself: so I havent emphasised it again. We will deal with capitalization and stops when the whole articles stands finished for final revision (June 1962 at the present rate!) Yours sincerely, Keith Wedmore Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Wedmore to Gorman re Anonymous 4 November 1960 Description An account of the resource Wedmore sent a reply to the anonymous letter that George Gorman had forwarded to the committee in August (above). Wedmore wrote his perspectives on the aims and accomplishments of the committee during its early writing phase. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Keith Wedmore Papers https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/5dcf5858fcc7fb38ce7da0e923ca0080.jpg fa3923e1d9954f86071888bfec24fd27 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/b01a05840eea87ad8eddbfc48939e58c.jpg 89efcc1c1d4ec49ed9d44315eabdcb9b Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document 21 February 1961 Dear George, This is (by your grace) a reply to the letter to you from our friend Anon dated 24 November. You passed it on to Duncan Fairn who forgot to bring it to the following meeting of the QCB (or if non prefers, H) but he brought to the one after that where it was read out and discussed. So my apologies for the delay, but I have only had it for some 3 weeks, nothing as these matters go, with umpteen thousand years of crooked thinking to straighten out and all that. Again, I must assume he has a copy. 1. First of all, we were most appreciative. Anon has even changed our minds for us: we agree, for example, to move the Hansard quotes in my bit on the law to the appendix. 2. It is not the purpose of a consolidating statute, such as the 1961 Offences A.T.P. act was, to change the law, and indeed their is a legal presumption against that being its effect; but it may be there is a little too much emphasis on Labouchere and that is is inappropriate to leave the Sodomy laws untouched. When I called in at the J. Law Reform Society yesterday incidentally I was told that amendments to repeal Labouchere may be expected to pop up over the coming few years from all sides, including the Governement, but the HLRS itself is holding out for the lot. I am not certain about this, but this (which is Anon's) is certainly the logical approach, and perhaps the right one. I will look over the draft again. 3. On morals, it is suggested that there is a certain amount of moral matter in what is admittedly intended to be a purely legal chapter. Like what, I wonder? I didnt think there was one moral line in it (as it were!) at least in the later printed revision (which perhaps you could let anon see). 4. If anon is not yet tiring, perhaps he could also see that real heart of the matter, ie the part on homosexuality as such (entirely unrevised by anybody as yet) which arrived through my door last Saturday and of which I devoutly hope you have spare copies. (If you have, I think I could do with another myself). While I am writing--I enclose L2--9--4 against the enclosed invoice. I am much obliged to the HSC for their copperation generally, and to yourself personally of course for forwarding Anon's mail... Yours ever, PS Anon should know that--having record in particular to the penultimate paragraph--his comments were the least maundering I have ever heard. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Wedmore to Gorman for Anonymous 21 February 1961 Description An account of the resource Wedmore sent a reply letter, dated 21 February 1961, to the Anonymous correspondent's letter of 24 November 1960 (above). Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Keith Wedmore Papers https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/0ba9341cdb4f5acebec95101a152e225.jpg 9dfe1472830439bc6b6cb44367cb83b3 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/5e5646ebe135edf23026768b53ab20df.jpg a76af51464eac1a8a26b5e55220c7cab https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/a5e469dfc31cc5f74ad62dd08c044f9e.jpg 0bc1be79faf587506b391ac0e1c9e8cb Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document 21/10/60 Dear Duncan, Give Jonathan my congratulations: may he and his wife be as happy as I and mine have been. I could make some more frivolous addition in view of the enclosed material, but will refrain. QCB: ACCOUNTS. I enclose a statement so that you can see how and where the QCB Rowntree Trust money is going. I think we have about L40 left. QCB. Pamphlet. I enclose: 1. The pencil draft you sent; the revised version I have completely retyped and two copies of that are also enclosed. As my revision was extensive but I hope prompt, I thought I should send it all back to you again first. Introduction (Chapter 1.) I endeavoured throughout to be entirely merciless and considered no feelings; I expect the same to happen to my revisions. I found the introduction a little woolly, especially the earlier part. But I have left untouched those passages I found impeccable (which is most of them.Much of the revision is addition). 2. Your notes for the revision of the QCB article; and now my rewritten setion on buggery together with notes, I hope this will be thought lucid and satisfactory. 3. A Suggested endnote or signature, most of which is my appalling ignorance I cannot fill in, which will tell our readerss something about us and our qualifications. 4. A revised summary (Chapter 11). I doubt whether it is really possible to produce this satisfactorily before we have the rest of the article to summarize; but I am willing to do my best now. I have added to, rather than altered it; I have mainly tried to strengthen it. 5. Chapter 2: heterosexuality, as revised. Here I have very much left Richard's original format alone, but with a few interpolations. I would point out that what was sent me finishes at page 12 with a crossed out bit about adulthood; I assume that a section on adulthood is forthcoming. As also Chapteres: 3 (hetersexual deviation problems. Presumably not very long). 4: masturbation (ditto) 5. Homosexuality 6. Perversions 7 causation Duncan, PART EIGHT: Homosexuality and the Law I don't think I have a fully amended "Master", so I enclose a re-write of the buggery laws as requested, and I list below the other amendments to your Master (Enclosed) that I was asked to, or said I would look into. I leave it to you to produce the completely revised whole chapter. Para 1: I have been unable to discover who said "One cannot try the mind of man..." etc. No doubt, this does not matter much. St. Paul: I think we got the appropriate quotes from Romans 1:27, yes? The AV seems better. Justinian and earthquakes: unchecked. But I clearly recall reading it in something knowledgeable. Anthony Greenwood is spelt Anthony Greenwood, P7 original duplicated draft: line 3: after unnecessary add R.V. Hunt (1950 2 ALL E R 291) House of Commons debate: was June 29th 1960. The Times reports (June 30th, page 6) Mr. Greenwood as saying: "Although they all knew the difficulties in enforcing uniformity throughout the country Mr. Butler could not have forgotten that he had regular conferences with chief constables, and it would be esay for him to lead them along more progressive lines than some of them were following at present. He should urge on them the possibility of establishing two main criteria before prosecution took place - the safeguarding of young people and the protection of public decency." and the motion was rejected by 213 to 99 Majority against, 114. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Letter Wedmore to Fairn, 21 October 1960 Description An account of the resource Letter (incomplete) from Keith Wedmore to Duncan Fairn, dated 21 October 1960, outlined revisions Wedmore made to the drafts of different sections of the study. Copy of revisions to Homosexuality and the Law section included. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Keith Wedmore Papers https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/76f56692a5e037dcd96a19b4231f15f3.jpg a8735691f475dc7965b1c18c1f75e135 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document 8th November, 1960 Dear Alfred: It's a little late to say this, but of course I would never have troubled you for the QCB cheque if I had realised atthe time that you were ill. My thanks for the cheque, although even these thanks are also belated; and I do hope that you are now better. I have enjoyed reading your article in the "Friends" and to realise from it that you were convelescing well. Our present meetings are taken up with interminable consideration (quite right) of the draft pamphlet. Yours ever, Alfred Torrie 6, Lion Gate Gardens Kew Surrey Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Letter Wedmore to Torrie, 8 Nov 1960 Description An account of the resource Keith Wedmore wrote a brief acknowledgement on receipt of Alfred Torrie's payment for expenses and wished well in convalescence. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Keith Wedmore Papers https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/ff4f9243e0d53398abc9c09205d63625.jpg aef5aa48d26e2ceae59168f6ce47d4e5 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document To Members of the Committee. It was my job to write a section on heterosexuality. I've had very little time to give to it and I've had simply to throw together a number of scraps that may or may not be what is wanted. They may overlap on to Duncan's section on the Quaker approach but we can perhaps sort this out on Sunday. I have seen Richard's section on heterosexual deviations and it seems to me to state or imply a great deal of what is normal in physical heterosexual contacts. There seems therefore relatively little of that for me to describe. I would suggest that our pamphlet should open with a statement to this effect: "The contents of this pamphlet are the considered and corporate responsibility of this committee. It is requested that individual members should not be approached by representatives of the Press for any interpretation or answering of questions. There will certainly be much discussion and many questions put to us, but we feel that every question must be consider by the whole committee before any answers are made public in the Press. "Further, although this pamphlet is the work of a Quaker Committee, it has not been submitted for approval to the Society of Friends as a whole, and must not be taken to commit Quakers in general to its findings. K.C.B. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Memo Barnes, 29 January 1961 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Keith Wedmore Papers Description An account of the resource Barnes sent memo re: his draft of a section on heterosexuality. He also proposed statements emphasizing that the study is the creation of the whole committee and that is not sanctioned by the Religious Society of Friends. https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/b5081650af9a8365f33353797d636391.jpg cbb4a00d0a6a042eec5003e8a4c35b79 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document 16, Back Street, St. Cross, Winchester, Hants. 23.1.61 Dear Keith: Joyce James wrote to me, as she cannot come on Sunday. She owuld have liked something written about female homosexuality, as you have not mentioned this problem at all. I have taken the liberty to note down a few thoughts, rather hurriedly, as I had her letter only to-day. I enclose my notes, perhaps you could make some use of them and hash something up about the topic. I am sending a copy of these notes to Joyce, asking her, is possible, to write her comments to me to the Club, I also send them to D.F. Yours Lotte Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Letter Rosenberg to Wedmore, 23 February 1961 Description An account of the resource Lotte Rosenberg sent a letter, dated 23 February 1961, to Wedmore suggesting the addition of material about female homosexuality to the study. She enclosed some suggested ideas (not available). Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Keith Wedmore Papers https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/998afaa802a596edb5c1250b7e8cc447.jpg 4d723614fb5c0886695e063b581fd437 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/0b1ed9e1f0147dee3f70a41727dde6d3.jpg e9a8a23bc1c8a2fe2db4b054fb05418f Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document 29 Southdown Road Seaford 24.2.61 Dear Lotte, Many thanks for your letter--it came by the 2nd post (12:30pm) and I have to be out all the rest of today. So I can only send a hasty and unconsidered reply. I think your notes would be very useful, can't at the moment, make any constructive suggestions, except that I am sure we should recognise that a good many females homos. do not know they are and we ought to be very careful what we way, and how. Do get the group to talk about this--I'm more than ever sorry not to come. Am keeping the copy of script you sent so as to go over it more thoroughly. I see it's a carbon so you will have another. Many thanks--excuse haste; the dinner demands attention! Yours, Joyce Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Letter James to Rosenberg, 24 Feb 1961 Description An account of the resource Joyce James penned an immediate reply to Rosenberg's letter with suggested text on Female Homosexuality. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Keith Wedmore Papers https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/f8dc77908b3426478ecec15fc078d103.jpg 2ab337d65bf4baaaf6a5350605e3a4df Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document 12 Elm Road, Beckenham, Kent. 5th October, 1961 Dear Friends: Welcome home to Anna. Sorry I cannot be with you but I find that I am booked to see Professor Carstairs in Edinburgh about writing a Pelican on psychopathic personality, and am loathe to let the opportunity slip. I have made some notes on the Female Homosexuality piece which I though excellent, and enclosed stencilled copies of the bits I was to write. Hope you have a good meeting. See you in November? For goodness' sake, it's time we had this thing published! All the best, Richard Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Fox memo, 5 October 1961 Description An account of the resource Richard Fox sent memo, dated 5 October 1961, to rest of group indicating his absence from the upcoming meeting and enclosed comments on the Female Homosexuality section and his draft text (not available). Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Keith Wedmore Papers https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/628f9ee0f8524677d49f8d0d5d2e2eca.jpg bf4f9080e850035d38fe7d6a47a038ce https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/8393251c655d98ab0f8fda3c3c535575.jpg e30f45bb371fd4e7b0a7c5d012bb0014 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/0ecfdd3eccc949825975ddb3c04138d3.jpg 66c3a13bb0688904c1c0d6532e8703c2 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document 21 February 1961 Dear Eric Cleaver, The Quaker Group on Homosexuality etc. I write to you again at the request of the Committee, and as its Treasurer, to ask if your trustees can again see their way to a grant this year: the same amount as last year, viz L100, would it is thought cover the coming year's expenses. I have mentioned the arrangements made last year about payment via the FTU to this years FTU Secretary, Reginald Smith, and he will be happy to acquiesce in a repetition of the same arrangement. There is some L20 or so remaining of the L100, and I thought I would make application before we ran right out in the hope of getting a further cheque before we do. The money has been spent on (a) travel expenses etc of members of the group, although they bear the first 10/- of their expenses on any one Sunday; (b) stationery, stamp & duplicating expenses of the Committee's Chairman and Secretary; (c) the travel expenses of a Conference called at Hampstead M.H. last June. The Committee has met a roughly monthly intervals for the whole of a Sunday. During the year, apart from the conference, our work has been to prepare a Pamphlet (which I suspect will be nearer a book in length) on the subject of our concern for the FSC. Some 2/3rds of it is done. During the coming year we hope to finish and publish this. There are only one or two more major revisions to do and perhaps summer will see it published. Our members are (Anna Bidder being in the South Pacific somewhere) Duncan Fairn, Lotte Rosenberg, Secretary, Alfred Torrie, Alastair Heron, Richard Fox, Kenneth Barnes, Kenneth Nicholson, Mervyn Parry, Joyce James and myself; I might add that attendance at this committee (unlike al lt he other committees I have every sat on) is usually 100%, although journeys from Liverpool and Yorkshire are involved, which I think apply demonstrates that we feel our concern to be a continuing and a real one. We welcomed back Alfred Torrie at our last meeting and were most gratified that he was able to come after his recent illness. Yours sincerely, Keith Wedmore Eric Cleaver The Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trusts Beverley House Shipton Road YORK __________________________________________ 22 February 1961 Keith Wedmore, Treasurer, The Quaker Group on Homosexuality, etc. Stoneleigh, Sheerwater Avenue, West Byfleet, Surrey Dear Keith Wedmore, I thank you for your letter of the 21st February enquiring about the possibility of a further grant from this Trust towards the expenses of your Committee. Eric Cleaver will be back in the office in a few days following his visit to Kenya, and in the meantime I am writing to acknowledge your request and to say that this should be considered by the Trustees at their next meeting in about 3 weeks time. Yours sincerely, Trevor B. Jepson Acting Secretary Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Letters requesting Rowntree Grant, 21 February 1961 Description An account of the resource Wedmore, as treasurer of the committee, sent a request to the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust asking for renewal of their grant of £100. The letter outlined the group's financial procedures, listed its accomplishments and intentions, as well as praised the diligence of the members. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Keith Wedmore Papers https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/c2de8e99d606014d05e026703908804a.jpg 8f99839a8522cb71df1c553ae73912c0 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/9c0fc767f34ffeee5e7f8e7b13d8a8a6.jpg 97f754f3d66eb539a7e1b77a7add8917 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/3e9e22c07e3faffec0715134be8bd36e.jpg 19727dbfd4ab2647f1186d3c3e7f94b2 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document The Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust, Beverley House, Shipton Road, York. Tel. YORK 22527 23rd March 1961 Keith Wedmore, Stoneleigh, Sheerwater Avenue, West Byfleet, Surrey Dear Keith Wedmore, The Quaker Group on Homosexuality, etc. Your letter of the 21st February to my deputy, Trevor Jepson, was considered at a meeting of the J.R.C. Trustees held last Saturday. As you will be aware, there is much interest and support here for the work being done by the Group and you may count upon a renewal of the £100 grant, at any rate for the current year. The question was asked, however, as to whether the Group is a permanent body or whether for example the publication of the booklet or book is likely to be the point at which it will either continue independently and in the process attempt to secure wider financial support, or alternatively, hand over its work to the nearest competent Quaker body. As you will probably sense, the Trust does not with to take up the position of being a regular subscribers to the funds of the Group but rather to assist it during the present formative period in terms of a limited commitment only. Perhaps you would comment on this. I gather from your letter it will be suitable if I sent along the 1961 grant of £100 to the FTU, Reginald Smith, at the end of next month? With kindly greetings. Yours sincerely, Eric Cleaver, secretary _____________________________________ 25 March 1961 Dear Eric Cleaver Quaker Group on Homosexuality etc Thank you so much for your letter, which I will lay before the Group on its next Meeting in late April. I am, as I am sure they will be, most grateful to your Trustees for their renewed generosity. I agreed that the appropriate course would be to send the cheque to Reginald Smith as you suggest. The group is not and cannot be a Permanent body, although it is certainly an unconscionable time a-dying. Essentially I think that what you have here is a small body of concerned Friends (entirely unofficial) who first met for some years to arrive at a shared conclusion on the problems which concern them (which they have done), and who then decide that the best way of airing, and sharing, their approach to these problems would be to set it out in a pamphlet or book. That (as I say) is in sight of completion. The Group look no further than that I think; and would throw the future of the concern entirely at large after that. They obviously cannot indefinitely continue to spend the time this concern has demanded; and I doubt whether any one of them would wish to pursue this much further in any event without some kind of recognition or authority from the Society itself. If the Society takes up this concern (as we hope) but will be for it to say that form its future pursuit is to take, I imagine, and I would have thought that with such direction would come the adoption of financial responsibility. I hope that meets your point adequately. I am bound to add of course that I am only the Treasurer of this Group and that I send off the above commentary on the assumption that it is a fair one and that you would rather have a reply now than in (say) 6 weeks when the group have met. So the above are my own views; but your letter and the contents of this will be laid before my colleagues when we meet again and If I am instructed to add or vary anything of the above I will. With best wishes, and thank for your continued interest (which is as much appreciated as the money!) Yours sincerely, Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Rowntree Trust Renews Grant 23 March 1961 Description An account of the resource Eric Cleaver notified Wedmore that Rowntree Trustees renewed the £100 grant for 1961. He also inquired whether the Committee would be permanent--and seek future funding. Wedmore sent an immediate reply that acknowledged the grant and stated that the Committee was an unofficial, not-permanent group of Friends. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Keith Wedmore Papers https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/c67d6156efe1e2789a3584d168ace01b.jpg 9cc3e2a1385c255a46274baab1357d25 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/dd1ee14dd25c77a8448b30f24b346761.jpg a7cc63a2ac2ef1a20c169eb5d6897ac2 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/6391a3f9f225839cefe62c568883db5f.jpg 7e2050c8d852ac44a1e090fe316eb79f https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/ba5e2c584db35c7f641741c77fa94c12.jpg fe98d5f8b762a1f9d88e5d46a16a305f Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Financial Records 1960-61 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Keith Wedmore Papers Description An account of the resource Treasurer Wedmore produced this financial report as of 31 August 1960 that gave an accounting of travel pool and reimbursement for members' participation in meetings and the June conference. This bank statement showed transactions from April-June 1961. https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/5326b6711954f69edc342ddedbeed5c1.jpg db004c083428b19ef3380b36a572a5f8 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/d5db4a6d58605d636f6e832f00d7eb0c.jpg 839c0d01024497312466b118738eb7c2 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/f38e63cbd5c26ddd67446c8c313e5ade.jpg 90c0f7cfac1cf8e4c1b6d6e3555a0eb2 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document 8th May, 1961 Mary Holden Friends Temperance & Moral Welfare Union Friends House, Euston Road, London N.W.1 Dear Mary Holden Quaker Study Group on Homosexuality Friends Temperance & Moral Welfare Union You will remember that about a year ago you kindly undertook to receive a grant of £100 from my Trustees for transmission to the above study group of which the treasurer is Keith Wedmore. The Trust has undertaken to make a second grant of the same sum, which is appears, they will be glad to have at any day now. On the assumption that the same method of transmission is acceptable to you, I am enclosing a suitable cheque for the sum of £100 which I should be grateful if you would pass through your books and then on to them. With kindly greetings and again many thanks. Yours sincerely, Eric Cleaver Enc. EDC/LW KW ___________________________________ 14 May 1961 Dear Reginald Smith Quaker Group on Homosexuality and other Problems of Sex I write as Treasurer of the above. You will remember that I asked you some six months ago whether in the event of our again being successful in getting a grant from the Rowntree Trust it could again be forwarded through you. We were, and on the 8th May I see Eric Cleaver wrote to Mary Holden with a £100 cheque. It may have been sent on to her personally in view of the length of time since she was Secretary; meanwhile the group is overdrawn and the money is needed urgently. Could you possible track that cheque down? Yours sincerely, [Keith Wedmore] __________________________________________ Friends Temperance and Moral Welfare Union Friends House Euston Road, London, N.W. 1 23rd May 1961. Keith Wedmore, "Stoneleigh", Sheerwater Avenue, West Byfleet, Surrey. Dear Keith, Herewith I send our cheque for £100, to pass on to you the grant we have received from the Rowntree Trust on behalf of the group studying homosexuality and other problems of sex. It took a little time to get the formalities attended to, and then I was caught in the throes of Yearly Meeting. I get inquiries from time to time about the further progress of your group. If you had anything to tell us of its activities, the Committee of the Union would be interested to know of it. Apart from our function as an intermediary for the grant, the subject is obviously close to our field. Kind regards, Sincerely, Reg. A. Smith answered 2 July 61 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Payment of 1961 Rowntree Grant Description An account of the resource The 1961 Rowntree Grant was sent to the Friends Temperance & Moral Welfare Union as the fiscal agent for the Committee. This correspondence traces the path of this payment. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Keith Wedmore Papers https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/68e55a100b2d83d362c4624cc8c51991.jpg cae4072f0452b0e5496795151e77cefa https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/e3ccee6bf4c8c23df6ea2f57d0eed0af.jpg 7a197490ece43891dac3d0bfe7eabb19 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document 7 January 1962 Dear Cedric Davies, A Quaker Group of which I am a member, and which is preparing a short book for publication, has asked me to enquire with you on the basis of the table of contents etc whether you are likely to be interested in publication. I am not authorized to forward the drafts at this stage, so that the enquiry (it is appreciated) is very preliminary; the work is expected to be complete in the Spring. The Group is the "Quaker Group on Homosexuality and other problems of sex". Its concern has been to make a frontal but Quaker assault on the traditional Christian moral code so far as sexual behaviour is concerned and to suggest a new Christian attitude to sexual problems especially homosexuality. It has met for some four years in regular session, first discussing, and then writing the book. The Members of the group, in no particular order, are as follows: Duncan Fairn, Director of the Prison Commission. (it was he, I think, that suggested you.) Kenneth Barnes, Headmaster of Wennington School Weatherby, author of several recently publicised books on sexuality Anna Bidder (Chairman) Lecture in Zoology, Newnham College Cambridge Lotte Rosenberg, (Secretary) a practising psychiatrist Kenneth Nicholson, Headmaster, Friends School Saffron Walden Richard Fox, a psychiatrist Mervyn Parry, Headmaster of a school near Cambridge whose name escapes me; Alasdair Heron, Director of a Medical Research Unit in Industrial Psychology (Psychologist)Alfred Torrie, psychiatrist, sometime Director of the Retreat, York Myself, a practicing Barrister, and late colleague of your brother at Somerset House Joyce James, of Marriage and Parenthood Council. The work is not an anthology. Not only is joint responsibility taken for its entire contents, but it has been corporately written. The opinions offered are novel and frankly liberal. It is thought the book may prove to be controversial. The concern from which it sprang will be put to Yearly Meeting in 1963. The Table of Contents stands as follows: 1. Foreword (not by member of the group) 2. Introduction 3. Normal Sexual Development 4. Homosexuality 5. Homosexuality and the Law 6. Homosexuality and Society 7. Heterosexuality 8. How can help be given Appendices: 1. Origins of sexual behaviour 2. Some deviations considered 3. Selected reading list. Index. Primarily the work deals with all the implications of homosexuality, which your brother once unkindly called my subject, but it was found necessary to consider Christian attitudes to all sexual behaviour as a whole, and the Group went ahead and did just that. Could you let me have your reactions? Yours sincerely, Keith Wedmore Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Letter to Darwen Finlayson, 7 January 1962 Description An account of the resource Wedmore wrote to Darwen Finlayson Publishers inquiring as to their interest in publishing the book. Wedmore expressed far-reaching expectations of the group's intent--"a frontal but Quaker assault on Christian moral code"--and gave a revised Table of Contents. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Keith Wedmore Papers https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/dd4d6f5a4484b0ce382be223d4ed505c.pdf 961325bf34b301784c12c54a93405585 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document Swarthmore Lecture The Creative Imagination Two years ago a small group of Friends met to consider the problems brought into prominence by the Wolfenden Report--problems first of homosexuality and later those of sexual conduct in general. All but two of us were trained in scientific method--teachers, psychiatrists, research workers. We knew that we had to deal with actions and evidence that to most people were repulsive, and that even in ourselves, who had come voluntarily to investigate these matters, there were disgusts and inhibitions that made it difficult for us to understand the predicament of the offenders against law and convention. We know that we had to do as Jesus did, to reach out imaginatively to understand. To do this we had to set aside all pre-judgments. We could not know these people if we first of all thought of them as sinners. We had to abandon all those fierce certainties and categorical judgments that people have in the past believed to be inseparable from Christianity, relying only on its revelation of the need of love and of the quality of love that Jesus offered. Casting aside so much, what were we left with? A faith that in the honest search for truth--in so far as it was honest--we could not depart from the way of God. But we had to prepare ourselves, for the investigation and judgment of sexual conduct can be deeply coloured by unconscious impulses, and clear-sightedness is difficult to achieve. So our conferences have been preceded by a full-length meeting for worship in which we have been encouraged to face everything in ourselves as well as in the world. Those meetings for worship have been sometimes completely silent yet time of intense activity. I think I can say that of all the specific group-work I have experienced in the Society of Friends, this has been the most moving, and most convincing in its effect. By abandoning certainty of judgment in an aspect of life where the Church has in the past been most vehemently certain and uncompromising, we reached a deeper certainty and a more creative one. It could not be said that we have reached solutions to what are among the most intractable problems of our time. Indeed we have had to recognize that there are conditions for which one is responsible and which we can do little to remedy; and that we must all, at least in spirit and imagination, share as Jesus did in body and apparently in defeat, the suffering of our fellows. More than anything else the experience of this work has brought us an understanding of compassion, the need to enter into the lives of others and know how life feels to them. This experience has been one of growing unity, of intimacy of spirit, of liveliness as well as gravity. It has been to us a revelation. The moment I use this word I think of the way in which the slowly accumulated truths of science are sometimes contrasted, with the "revealed" truths of religion. But is there any difference? Only if we are committing ourselves to a dualism and thinking in terms of ideas, or if we are dressing up primitive magic in respectable clothes. There is no fundamental difference if we see supremely in Jesus, as we sometimes almost equally clearly in the friends we love, the living truth--truth as a movement, a process, a continuing action--in a person. I am often sorry that we were ever called Quakers. Too often the term Quaker--originally a jibe,and meaningless in the modern world--obscures the deeply significant origin of our true name, a name that should inspire and humble us. I do not speak of you any more as my servants; a servant is one who does not understand what his master is about, whereas I have made known to you all that my Father has told me; and so I have called you my friends.* Jesus may not actually have used these words, for the Gospel of John is interpretive rather than a factual record. That does not make them any less significant, for even so they indicate what Jesus had become to his followers. Is the Christian Church outgrowing the attitude of ecstatic adoration and near-idolatry, and will it increasingly recognize what it means to be the companion of Christ in discovery? Friends have in their very name accepted this relationship; we have little excuse for failing to recognize the implications; we have nothing to lose. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Barnes Swarthmore Lecture 1960 Description An account of the resource Excerpt from the 1960 Swarthmore Lecture in which Barnes reflects on the creative process by which the group has worked together. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <em>The Creative Imagination</em>, Kenneth Barnes. Swarthmore Lecture 1960, George Allen and Unwin, London, 1960. Reproduced by permission of the Religious Society of Friends. https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/d18385f1ffcf003338113592217652e9.jpg 94aff320e25d5c34935d6b6da16bf5d3 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/5ae8926346194a6fe2fa203e82025d6e.jpg 4ca5d25cfb571070e3504d5c890f976e https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/db9b643da1959a5bbcc2529ab92ce946.jpg b76475920968c28fb83412adcf384fba Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document Towards a Quaker View of Sex The Friend May 20, 1960 At its highest, the sexual instinct can lead us to profound experiences symbolic to many of a sharing, however, humble, in the Divine act of creation. Yet variations of the same instinct often result in behaviour which leads to evil and tragedy difficult to describe. Friends do not always face this paradox, and some even seem to deny the existence of sexual problems within the Society. It is easier to respond whole-heartedly to more "outgoing" and material concerns, such as famines, epidemics and refugees, which make clear-cut demands on the emotions and do not so much involve the searching self-examination often called for in an approach to the problems of sexual morality. Yet no one can come into intimate contact with life and ignore these difficulties. Whether as teachers, doctors, lawyers, marriage counsellors, or just as concerned laymen, we continually and increasingly meet the problems of morality and the need to help troubled people, old and young. These are matters which no concerned religious body can ignore. One of the commonest and most misunderstood problems is homosexuality. Homosexuality is the erotic love of a person for others of the same sex: man for man or woman for woman. It is not a psychiatric curiosity; in fact it is thought by one authority to predominate in nearly one million men in this country. Careful American work showed that one-third of all men had some type of homosexual experience before the age of 45, and the situation in this country--and among women--is unlikely to be very different. Most people grow through this stage to a normal adjustment. Nor can we neglect the overwhelming evidence of psychiatrists that we all carry deeply within us the elements of both sexes, and may be capable of the sexual desire and expression quite foreign to our common selves. Homosexuality and heterosexuality are both viewed as a continuity of conduct with the exclusive forms of each at the two ends and with varying degrees of bi-sexuality between. Different cultures now and in the past have placed the ideal of behaviour at different points on the scale, and although heterosexual expression predominates in large measure, the total and exclusively heterosexual is probably as much an artificial and "abnormal" produce of his culture and environment as is the exclusively heterosexual. The social attitudes current in this country places great emphasis on one extreme. It hounds and penalizes the male homosexual, causing the greatest human suffering to those who, for not fault of their own, have only known and are only capable of this form of expression, or who are torn by conflicting desires in both directions. Whether practised in private or in public, homosexuality (though not between females) is always an offence against the criminal law. In this respect it stands in sharp contrast with some other forms of sexual deviation which can be practised in private with impunity. How these sexual orientations are laid down is (and alas will long remain) a matter for speculation. It is doubtful if seduction in early life is a significant cause; but one thing we can be sure of is that fundamental trends are laid down very early on, and concepts of blame and guilt have little place. Skilled help from doctors and others, or sympathetic friendship, may lead a troubled homosexual to "grow through" a difficult phase to sexual maturity, or assist the immutable to adjust his life to the permanent state. Each situation is an individual and personal one. New knowledge of the hormones and chromosomes of sex has not yet helped much at the moment. But homosexuals are not necessarily to be seen as "patients". True, many have psychiatric complaints, but in view of the ostracism that surrounds them this is not necessarily surprising. Many others, unsuspected, live quiet, useful lives in society, as well adjusted to their condition as any of us. Some may achieve marriage and children, although basically they remain unchanged. One cannot expect members of the Society of Friends to be free from the difficulties that face mankind at large, and the unfolding of homosexual conflicts among young Friends in some of our Universities., followed by their quest for a Quaker answer to their condition, and to the formation of a Quaker group dedicated to the study of this problem. This committee, representing teaching, penology, psychiatry, biology and the law, has been meeting about every two months during the last two and a half years, and has consulted with representatives of Young Friends, Quaker Heads of Schools, the Marriage and Parenthood Committee, the Friends Temperance and Moral Welfare Union, the Penal Reform Committee, the Guild of Friend Social Workers and other concerned Friends. In its discussions and reflections it has seen itself unable to consider the problem of homosexuality in isolation from other aspects of sexual expression, and in its consideration of the Wolfenden recommendations has seen itself less and less able to distinguish between the evils of homosexual conduct and similar evils that occur in heterosexuality. The seduction of the young, or sexual acts in [....] are equally undesirable in both cases, [...} obviously, it is the ephemeral and irresponsible nature of so many sexual affairs, both homosexual and heterosexual, which the committee believes to be damaging. The factor of transcendent importance in the human relationship seemed, to the committee to be its quality: the dedication of the self to the other person, and the acceptance of unlimited responsibility for each other. This unselfish and valuable type of relationship was seen to be present in many homosexual liaisons, although the homosexual love affair seems to be typically riven through with doubts, passion and inpermanence--not surprisingly, since social forces, by condemnation, tend to tear it apart while acting to cement the heterosexual situation. These social pressures create other evils: the closed society of homosexuals for example, and the reluctance of sympathetic people to speak up for homosexuals for fear of being so branded. In our discussion of all these problems we could not always follow what has traditionally been regarded as Christian judgment. We have asked ourselves anew what we really think is right or wrong. Again and again we have been brought back to the fundamental issue: how are these matters related to the love of God and of our neighbour? It is surely clear that homosexuality is a poor substitute for heterosexual expression, denying as it does the creative purpose of the sexual drive. But should we, as a religious body, regard it as meriting persecution and imprisonment? And going further than this, should we indeed regard it as inherently sinful and contrary to the will of God? Passing beyond the issues raised by the Wolfenden Committee, what attitude do we take on other sexual matters such as masturbation, which is now known to occur almost universally during adolescence, and to persist in an appreciable number of people? Or premarital intercourse? The answer here is less easy than it might appear, for biological maturity in our young people is occurring at an earlier and earlier age; yet the increasing demands of study and specialisation often postpone economic independence. These are problems to which this group has sought answers through thought and prayer, and to which it believes our Society should address itself. In particular is this important to Elders and Overseers, because there are many young people in our midst and some of them, we know, are much troubled by sexual conflicts of one kind or another. Our Society needs to make known to them that sympathy and understanding are always to be had, and that the Quaker interpretation of the Christian faith is able to speak to their condition. Kenneth Barnes. Anna Bidder (Chairman). Duncan Fairn. Richard Fox. Alastair Heron. Joyce James. Kenneth Nicholson. Mervyn Parry. Lotte Rosenberg (Secretary). Alfred Torrie. Keith Wedmore. A Quaker Group on Homosexuality and Other Problems of Sex Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Article in The Friend May 20, 1960 Description An account of the resource The statement of concern from the group that was published in the May 20, 1960 issue of <em>The Friend</em>. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <em>The Friend</em>, May 20, 1960, pp. 686-688 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/55f0fa8602bad2e92f64923630f2ab17.png 7845b55000000b0c21f334782c4972b6 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/710ab24116cc9d297bb25000488750cf.mp3 135a277e28dce783861bb8740f4478c6 Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Transcription Any written text transcribed from a sound <p><strong>Keith W:</strong> Then the other thing that happened was that by the time we got to 1955, when I left Cambridge, I had a pretty good idea – and I felt here being a Quaker was a huge advantage – that I could see that there was a definite section of the undergraduates who regarded themselves as gay, period, a lot of whom, of course, I knew.  I would meet them at these gay parties and so on.  And there were two or three much older people who would [lived at] Trinity Farm I remember, yeah.  There were one or two people who were connected with the university, or who were dons at it who were also gay and could be seen at parties. </p> <p>But I realized that there was a problem, because nobody was admitting that these two realities, the heterosexual world, where nobody had heard of homosexuality, at least not in any acceptable sense, I began to realize that there were these two worlds which had no connection with each other.  That the Saturday night gay party, in my case, could be followed by a Quaker meeting in the morning, in which one would have thought that sex didn’t exist. </p> <p>So I somehow felt, because I think hypocrisy is one of the main things which Quakerism has triumphed over, that I had some kind of duty to see if I could make a bridge here.  And I did it quite accidentally, because a group of us Young Friends from Cambridge went off to Woodbrooke one Christmas for a Christmas retreat.  Woodbrooke is the-- [Friends’ Center at Birmingham, a kind of urban Pendle Hill].</p> <p><strong>Neil F:</strong> Yes.</p> <p><strong>Keith W:</strong> And we started a conversation.  That’s right, I and another gay guy called Donald Thomas started a conversation at the top of the stairs there.  There’s about three flights of stairs.  And we obviously didn’t want to leave off, because it was becoming very interesting.  We were each coming out to the other and discussing the problems of it.  But everybody on the staircase apparently could hear this, which is not surprising, entirely.  We both had clear voices, and the staircase had that sort of good acoustics.  So I think a lot of people after that were onto the fact that there was something happening. </p> <p>And then there was something else.  I noticed that there was a tendency – we get about six suicides a year at Cambridge, or we did at that time, and I decided that a rather significant number of these were because people were gay and couldn’t deal with it.  I mean, they had just reached the end. </p> <p>There was one guy called Roger Walker, who was a young, somewhat effeminate and very much lacking in stability type guy, very bright, of course.  I can’t remember who he pursued, and I assume he had some successes.  And I didn’t find him attractive myself.  But I went to find him one morning, about the spring of  ‘55, and walked straight into his room, where there was a slight smell of coal gas, and there he was, pink and dead.  He had put his head in the oven. </p> <p>And that made me come out, in a way, because they had an inquest at which nobody seemed to know quite what he was up to.  And I explained to the parents in advance that he was gay – not using that word, I expect, at the time – and that…oh, maybe I did. But anyway, and that he was extremely worried and depressed about it all, and that that’s why he had committed suicide.  He didn’t leave a note.  And with their permission and consent, I volunteered, in the middle of the inquest to the coroner, that I knew something about it and was willing to give evidence, which I did. </p> <p>And the thing I mainly remember about it – I mean, I explained the situation to the coroner in fairly simple terms.  By that time I felt able to do that.  And the police were furious, because I hadn’t given them a statement about this, and so they were put out of face.  And I can remember them threatening afterwards.  The guy who had supplied the witnesses to the coroner and the witnesses’ statements and so on, I mean, he really was quite threatening.  He said if ever you want to say this kind of thing, you must see me first, or something like that.  So I realized that the police are part of the hypocritical setup.</p> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Keith Wedmore talks about Cambridge Young friends Description An account of the resource Keith Wedmore talks about his student years at Cambridge (1953-55) and observations about homosexuality, including a student suicide. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived from June 17, 2012 interview with Neil Fullager. https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/70efd3573c4b571eaf8049eb9413338b.mp3 4ae766fec314e569dcec898d96d90b96 https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/16de515aeaed0cbf2f98da1343649cbb.png 7845b55000000b0c21f334782c4972b6 Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Transcription Any written text transcribed from a sound <p><strong>Mark B.</strong>  You mentioned in the other interview that the group met once a month at the University Women’s Club, had lunch together in the library.  Was it the same date each month?  Did you schedule a day each month?  Do you know how that evolved, how that started?</p> <p><strong>Keith W.  </strong> We scheduled it, obviously, according to whether people were all going to be on holiday, or whether our prime members were.  We could obviously stand meeting without one or two, but to lose more than that out of the 11 would have been sad, so we just fitted it to needs.</p> <p><strong>Mark B.</strong>  So it was a different day of the week?  It wasn’t the third Sunday, or something like that?</p> <p><strong>Keith W.</strong>  No.  It might well have been at the weekend, because most of the group, including me, were working.  I couldn’t attend a thing which met on Friday or Thursday.  It must have been always at a weekend, possibly Sunday.</p> <p><strong>Mark B. </strong> I saw a reference—I think it was in David’s work—that you always began with worship, that that was the beginning of your time together.</p> <p><strong>Keith W.</strong>  Oh, yeah, sure, sure.  We gathered in a very Quaker manner.  We had time.  We didn’t have to start talking as soon as we sat down.  And so we could start with a few minutes of silence with a little worship and finish the same way, in the Quaker tradition.  I mean, this is how all our committees function.  And the difference between a committee, so to speak, and meeting for worship, as such, the church meeting on a Sunday morning, is that you can eat through committee meetings, but you’re not supposed to chew sandwiches during meeting for worship.</p> <p><strong>Mark B.</strong>  You met for a couple of hours, an hour, three hours?</p> <p><strong>Keith W.</strong>  Oh, no.  It would have been most of the day.  I mean, we would have met at 9:00 or 10:00 and had lunch at the University Women’s Club and then continued afterwards until, I don’t know, 4:00 or 5:00, that kind of thing.  I see that I was the treasurer of the organization shortly after I got there.  You can see all sorts of things which give away very much how we did and what we paid for and all that.</p> <p><strong>Mark B.</strong>  Excellent.  And the early period, people came and gave presentations?</p> <p><strong>Keith W.</strong>  Oh, yes.</p> <p><strong>Mark B.</strong>  How did you start addressing the subject?  Where did you get your information from?</p> <p><strong>Keith W. </strong> Well, we thought that we were sort of trawling on a random basis, but boy, it got better than that.  But we thought we’d have some, I don’t know, police officers or some probation officers, or some psychiatrists that weren’t already in the group, or a whole range of professional people, in the wide sense—probation officers, nurses, whatever—but people who would be likely to have some knowledge in right of their job, so that they didn’t feel that we were summoning them because we thought they were or might be gay.  I mean, that didn’t come into it. </p> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Keith Wedmore talks about Working Group meetings Description An account of the resource Keith Wedmore talks about the Working Group’s meetings at the University Women’s Club. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived From March 20, 2013 interview with Mark Bowman. https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/47e3fedcf13df0e4b1afa94317e0a7f0.mp3 131ba785b7756726ed1ff57104b2dc0a https://exhibits.lgbtran.org/files/original/7304e509fc3e00861bd12039323631f1.png 7845b55000000b0c21f334782c4972b6 Sound A resource primarily intended to be heard. Examples include a music playback file format, an audio compact disc, and recorded speech or sounds. Transcription Any written text transcribed from a sound <p>…there was something in particular you recall around a particular gift or perspective or role that someone in particular played within the group.</p> <p><strong>Keith W.</strong>  Well, Alfred Torrie was a very well-rounded psychiatrist.</p> <p><strong>Mark B.</strong>  He published a lot.  I found a lot of books published by him.</p> <p><strong>Keith W.</strong>  Yes.  And so he brought a lot of common sense as well as psychiatric experience.  I think that…who was it now?  The lady.  Oh, yes, Lotte.  I think Lotte had tended almost to specialize in [sexually distressed] people…I don’t think her practice was entirely all around.  I think that she had a sort of Mother Teresa feeling about her patients.  Oh, I think I sent her somebody, somebody in my meeting who I thought was gay, and finally…I can’t remember at what stage in my existence, but this was, I think, before all this stuff came out.  But he went along to Lotte and it changed his life, I mean, it was wonderful.  But that’s the sort of thing that she really did.  She would take people out of their nest of misery, and it was quite often sexual, so that she almost developed, so to speak, in psychiatry, a corner in sexuality, rather as John Mortimer and I had, in the law, a corner in indecency. </p> <p>So Alfred Torrie was a good psychiatric all around-er.  Lotte Rosenberg was an absolute gift to people who were crushed by sexual troubles.  Mervyn Parry was a very normal sort of guy.  He had this interesting triangular situation.  But the fact that he was at a borstal, of course, so he had had England’s toughest young crooks.  The borstal institutions were institutions for young prisoners, and if you went to borstal you were more or less marked for life as an offender.  It didn’t do your resumé any good.  But anyway, so he will have got quite a bit from that. </p> <p>Kenneth Nicholson, oh, of course, Friends School Saffron Walden, where my daughter was later to go.  I’d forgotten Kenneth.  Well, that’s interesting.  You know, really, these things come back.  As a headmaster—and I don’t remember that he had any particular interest in gayness, particularly, while I’m at it—but he was running a liberal Friends boarding school, which was not quite a public school in the English sense.  I’m trying to think whether it was or not.  No, I don’t think so.  The one at Reading was, Leighton Park. </p> <p>There was a very posh school and they used to play football with Eton College and so on.  Saffron Walden was a little bit out in the sticks, and it was more liberal, very intelligent.  And he just had the experience, I suppose, that a headmaster must have, of how teenagers…  By the time you’re 14, you’re what you’re going to be the rest of your life, let’s face it, so he had people who were even 17 and 18, never mind 14, so he could see their paths and where they were going, and no doubt he knew something about their troubles.  I mean, he was a sympathetic sort of guy. </p> <p>Joyce James was simply…she was unable to attend during the last year.  I wonder if she was sick.  That’s possible.  But she was just a charming, ordinary, but I think it was her ordinariness which was really her claim.  I mean, we wanted somebody who didn’t have any particular specialty.  Alastair Heron.  He survived a long time.  Very well-known Friend.</p> <p><strong>Mark B.</strong>   He was quite prominent, yes.</p> <p><strong>Keith W.</strong>  Yes.</p> <p><strong>Mark B.</strong>  He and Anna Bidder and Kenneth Barnes have entries in Wikipedia. </p> <p><strong>Keith W.</strong>  Yes, that’s right.  They’re all mentioned because he [Alastair Heron] was the general editor of this thing.  I’d forgotten that.  So that he was finally responsible for collating it.  It’s an administrative job, isn’t it?  He was finally responsible for collating the various suggestions and seeing that they got into some sort of form where they could be discussed at the next meeting. </p> <p>Richard Fox was a wonderfully bouncy guy, yes.  A very confident psychiatrist.  Maudsley Hospital.  He was good.  And of course he was younger.  He was nearer my—he was probably about six years older.  How old was I?  Let me see.  In 1957 I would have been 25.  Well, he could have been 31 or 34 or something.  And he just had a…he was one of these busy psychiatrists who sees an awful lot of patients.  He can’t have been a Freudian.  You know, [he saw folks] for just two or three sessions and that kind of thing. </p> <p>Anna Bidder, research work and teacher.  She’s very humble here.  Teacher in zoology.  My goodness.  Had she not refused such things on principle, she would have certainly been Dame Anna Bidder long before she died, and I imagine she had been specifically invited, because she founded Cavendish College, which is…I mean, almost singlehanded.  But that was an amazing thing to do.</p> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Keith Wedmore recalls members of the Working Group Description An account of the resource Keith Wedmore share his recollections about other persons in the group. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived From March 20, 2013 interview with Mark Bowman