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William Griffin, Gabriel Lawrence, and Thomas Wright were murdered in 1726. The murderer was the country of England, the weapon used a noose. The “crime” they were found guilty of was being gay.
--On This Day in History, Shit Went Down: May 9, 1726--
Margaret Clap ran a “molly house” in London, which was what they called a gay bar back then. She was a married woman who loved her GBFs and treated them with kindness and acceptance. According to court documents, she was often present in the house and “The Company talk’d all manner of gross and vile Obscenity in her hearing, and she appeared to be wonderfully pleas’d with it’.”
Guided by an informant who ratted out Clap’s molly house in exchange for not being prosecuted, in February of 1726 police raided her establishment looking for “the detestable Sin of Sodomy” at such a “disorderly House” used for “entertaining wicked abandon’d Men” who “committed such indecent effeminate Actions, as are not to be mentioned.” But then the legal documents go into lots of mentioning such “filthy Actions” because the Crown was big into punishing homosexuality because Jesus was watching even though Jesus never said anything about gay sex.
All avenues of escape were blocked by constables during the raid, and approximately 40 men were arrested. Most were let go due to lack of evidence because they weren’t caught in the act. However, a number were fined, imprisoned, and exhibited in the pillory. That’s the locking thingy where your head and hands are exposed and people throw nasty shit at you, including actual shit.
Despite weak evidence against them, Griffin, Lawrence, and Wright were convicted of buggery and sentenced to die. They were transported to Tyburn Manor, a popular mass execution site, on May 9, 1726, to be hanged simultaneously. Three other felons were also executed that day; it was great entertainment for the masses to view such events. The wealthy would often pay extra to sit in stands specially constructed to give them the best view of the condemned prisoners’ final moments, the sick fucks.
In what one might call an awesomely hilarious twist, on that particular day there were so many people crammed into the viewing stands, approximately 150 in all, that the stands collapsed under their massive weight and six of the spectators died. Nelson from The Simpsons says Ha-HA!
Margaret Clap was also tried and found guilty of operating a molly house, fined, sentenced to the pillory along with two years in prison. Beaten brutally by the mob, she fainted several times while in the pillory; it is unknown if she survived her time in prison.
Homosexuality would not be legalized in England until 1967.
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