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Quiz about History of Homosexuality Laws

History of Homosexuality Laws Trivia Quiz

In many ancient cultures such as the Romans and the Greeks, homosexuality was accepted and celebrated. Over time, however, widely oppressive attitudes and laws towards this group developed, with acceptance only being gained recently.

A multiple-choice quiz by TobyNZ. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
TobyNZ

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
358,964

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
498

Last 3 plays: Guest 86 (0/10), Guest 184 (9/10), Guest 86 (4/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. In 1533, King Henry VIII created the Buggery Act in England, which prescribed what penalty for the said crime? Hint

Death

10 years' imprisonment

Life imprisonment

1 year's imprisonment plus a severe whipping

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Question 2 of 10

2. Under its new Penal Code of 1791, which European country was the first to decriminalise homosexuality? Hint

France

The Netherlands

Britain

Prussia

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Question 3 of 10

3. In what year was the death penalty for sodomy abolished in Britain? Hint

1861

1828

1798

1885

4. In 1895, the famous author Oscar Wilde was convicted under a UK law outlawing Gross Indecency, taken to mean all sexual acts between males, which had been enacted 10 years earlier. What was his penalty? Hint

A fine

5 years imprisonment with hard labour

1 year imprisonment with hard labour

2 years imprisonment with hard labour

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Question 5 of 10

5. Homosexuality was originally decriminalised in the Soviet Union in 1922.

True

False

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Question 6 of 10

6. By 1900 in the UK, there was an average of one recorded case of buggery or male indecency offences per 100,000 population. What number had this risen to by the mid nineteen-fifties? Hint

2 recorded cases per 100,000

14 recorded cases per 100,000

5 recorded cases per 100,000

10 recorded cases per 100,000

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Question 7 of 10

7. What was the first US state to decriminalise homosexuality? Hint

California

Illinois

Hawaii

New York

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Question 8 of 10

8. Homosexuality was decriminalised in the UK in 1967 under the Labour government. However, what was the age of consent for homosexual relations at the time? Hint

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Question 9 of 10

9. What was the first country in the world to legalise gay marriage? Hint

Canada

The Netherlands

Belgium

Sweden

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Question 10 of 10

10. Spain was the _____ country in the world to legalise gay marriage Hint

6th

2nd

3rd

5th

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. In 1533, King Henry VIII created the Buggery Act in England, which prescribed what penalty for the said crime?

Answer: Death

Before 1533, cases had mostly been dealt with by the church. King Henry VIII, however, was determined to reduce the power of the church whenever he could. The official penalty was death, with forfeiture of all property to the Crown.

2. Under its new Penal Code of 1791, which European country was the first to decriminalise homosexuality?

Answer: France

This was France's first national Penal Code, adopted during the French Revolution. Its sponsor, Louis-Michel le Peletier, said that it only punished "true crimes, not the artificial offences condemned by superstition". This was incorporated in the the Napoleonic Code, which made a point of avoiding victimless crimes.

In 1794 Prussia reduced the penalty for engaging in homosexual acts from death to a maximum of four years' imprisonment.

3. In what year was the death penalty for sodomy abolished in Britain?

Answer: 1861

Under an amendment to the Offences Against the Person Act (1861), the penalty was reduced to life imprisonment.

Answer: 2 years imprisonment with hard labour

Oscar Wilde was convicted under a law which was later dubbed "the Blackmailer's Charter". The conviction arose from an unsuccessful private prosecution for defamation that he launched against the Marquess of Queensberry, who had described Wilde as a 'posing sodomite'.

5. Homosexuality was originally decriminalised in the Soviet Union in 1922.

Answer: True

The Communist Party of the Soviet Union originally legalised abortion, no-fault divorce and homosexuality. However, these laws were reversed under Stalin. Homosexuality was recriminalised in 1933.

6. By 1900 in the UK, there was an average of one recorded case of buggery or male indecency offences per 100,000 population. What number had this risen to by the mid nineteen-fifties?

Answer: 14 recorded cases per 100,000

Source: "Strangers" by Graham Robb, Criminal Statistics, Appendix I, graph pp. 274-275. Although many associate the Victorian Era with the oppression of homosexuality, Robb states (p. 31): "As far as law enforcement is concerned, it was the 20th century that the dark ages began."

7. What was the first US state to decriminalise homosexuality?

Answer: Illinois

Illinois became the first US state to decriminalise homosexual acts between consenting adults, under a new penal code in 1961. This was following the 1955 recommendation by the American Law Institute, a group of distinguished lawyers. Illinois remained the only US state to have decriminalised homosexuality until Connecticut became the next state to strike down its laws in 1971.

8. Homosexuality was decriminalised in the UK in 1967 under the Labour government. However, what was the age of consent for homosexual relations at the time?

Answer: 21

The age of consent was not finally lowered to 16 (equal with the age for heterosexuals) until 2001.

9. What was the first country in the world to legalise gay marriage?

Answer: The Netherlands

The law came into effect on 1st April 2001. The law was amended to state that "Marriage is possible between two persons of different or same sex."

10. Spain was the _____ country in the world to legalise gay marriage

Answer: 3rd

Spain legalised gay marriage on 3rd July 2005. This made Spain the third country in the world to have legalised gay marriage at the time (after the Netherlands and Belgium).

Source: Author TobyNZ

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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