[Shasown]

Originally Posted by Zippy

ps; you choose to believe that Wilde had no interest in young boys even though it's a very well known aspect of his life. At this point proof is impossible so it all comes down to how one chooses to interpret what they read about him. I suggest YOU are the gullible idiot if you can read about his life and not think he ever touched an underage boy!

There wasnt an age of consent at that time for homosexual acts. It wasnt legal full stop. Thats why he went to prison.

Rent boys at the time would have been adolescent as in post pubescent working class males. Not prepubescent males. This would make Wilde an ephebophile. Ephebophilia or Hebephilia has been defined as sexual attraction to adolescents.

Incidentally the rent boy (male prostitute as opposed to boy) who testified at Wildes sodomy trial was Charlie Parker at the time of the trial he was 21, he had first met Wilde at the age of 19.

Even if we believe some of the narratives on his life which in the worst case state he entered a world of regular sex with youths such as servants and newsboys, in their mid to late teens, whom he would meet in homosexual bars or brothels. Mid to late teens = 15 - 19, hardly paedophilia.

Trying to impose modern day moralistic views on something even 100 years ago cant really be done.