Against the Law

WHISTLING:

DOOR SLAMS SHU Any man who takes a criminal path...

..should be mindful

of the consequences.

My name is Peter Wildeblood.

CHEERING:

Order! Order!

May I ask the Right Honourable

Home Secretary

the number of cases

involving male perversion

this year, and how he intends to

deal with this evil?

Much of my private life has

already been made public

by the newspapers.

So I have nothing left to hide.

Roughly 5,500 offences have been

recorded

and over 600 offenders

sent to prison.

I don't pity myself

and I do not ask for pity.

But I am speaking out...

..to give some hope and courage

to other men like myself,

and to the rest of the world some...

..understanding.

I am...a homosexual.

So as long as I hold office,

I shall give no countenance to

the view that they should not be

prevented from being such a danger.

MUFFLED MUSIC AND CHATTER

CHATTER AND LAUGHTER

Whisky, please.

Thank you.

INDISTINCT CHATTER

TRAIN WHISTLE BLOWS

INDISTINCT RAILWAY ANNOUNCEMEN I wonder, could I buy you a drink?

Doesn't work that way, darling.

Unless you're willing to

play the part.

Oh, no.

So you're not a queen, then?

It's a pity,

you're quite pretty, really.

Not a rough, either.

I'm a homosexual.

A what?

A homosexual.

Homosexual?

I see.

I thought that was just something

doctors called us.

Do all the queens use this word now?

I don't know.

I'm not sure I like it.

Come along, Fanny dear.

See you later, dear heart.

Coming, Ducky.

DOOR CLOSES:

VOICEOVER:
At that particular time

there was a, you might call it

a purge,

on people who were gay.

We were considered sick.

We were considered, er, you know,

child molesters.

The police went out of their way to

catch you and...and...

and the Members of Parliament,

"This filth and this...

"This is going to ruin the nation,

we must...we must stub it out."

I can't remember

the name of the, erm,

the Home Secretary at the time,

but he was one of the worst.

David Maxwell Fyfe,

Sir David Maxwell Fyfe,

later Viscount Kilmuir.

Well, he embodied all the worst

attitudes

of the British Establishment.

You could be arrested for just

looking at somebody...

..in the street, you know, winking

at them or smiling at them.

And, er, I thought this is mad,

this world has gone a bit potty.

I have to say it made it

even more exciting

because, you know, it is exciting,

er, avoiding the police,

keeping a look out. It's like being

a member of an underground sect,

or something, er,

and you get a great kick out of it.

Wherever you went was liable to

be raided...

..um, whether it was a pub or it was

a private drinking club

or it was a private party.

And you would have your name

and address printed in the paper.

Oh! Oh, I'm sorry! Oh.

It's... It's fine.

Um, do you need directions?

No.

No, I'm, erm... I'm just...

I'm down off leave from Ely.

And, er, it's going to rain again.

Any minute.

So, um,

if you want to stay, there's a sofa,

which should be perfectly

comfortable.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, it should.

Yeah, it's a bit small.

And besides...

..you and I could, er, f*** here.

Live a little.

HE CHUCKLES:

What?

"You and I could f*** maybe?"

What?

The romance of it.

Dead romantic.

That's one of my best lines.

You heading back to Ely?

In two days, yep.

So what do you do?

I'm a journalist.

Oh, right. Which paper?

The Mail.

Nice.

Not really. It's...

Well, it's quite dull, actually.

Well, it was nice meeting you.

I'll, erm, you know?

Keep in touch. I mean it.

Do you want me to?

Well, yes. I... All right, then.

Being a gay was a very tricky

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