Reports from the time show that entrapment was common, and that gay men were murdered for engaging in same-sex relations until the death penalty for buggery was abolished in 1861. Raids continued into the 19th century, although little is known about queer spaces during this time as the culture was pushed even further underground. The raiding of the White Swan on Vere Street in 1810 was another significant example of a queer venue being attacked it was here that the Reverend John Church – often claimed to have been the first openly gay minister in England –– is alleged to have conducted same-sex marriages. WATCH: Out and Bad – London's LGBT Dancehall Scene According to historian Rictor Norton, these included the "markets" in the Royal Exchange, Moorfields, Lincoln's Inn, the south side of St James's Park and the piazzas of Covent Garden. Some were housed in coffee houses and pubs, others in private residences.Īreas associated with high levels of crime and prostitution became homes for the molly house.
Most were brothels, but others simply places to fuck in relative peace. Molly houses were spaces for female mimicry mock marriages and births of singing, of community and of sex. Probably deriving their name from the slang for a homosexual male, these were havens for those looking for same-sex interactions in a society where sodomy was still punishable by death. It was only in 18th century London that the first well-documented queer spaces started appearing, with "molly houses" the place to head if you were looking for a gay old time. The first gay cruising grounds and gay brothels are likely to have appeared towards the middle of the 17th century, but evidence is limited. There's not a huge amount known about queer spaces in London before the 1700s a combination of poor documentation and the need for the upmost levels of secrecy means historians know very little about where exactly those looking for same-sex contact would have flocked.
The best way of doing that? A history lesson.