A punishible sin
From the series Queer stories
Allegory on the Abdication of Emperor Charles v in Brussels Frans Francken II (1581–1642), oil on panel, c. 1630–1640
Until the 19th century, Europeans associated homosexual acts with terms such as ‘sodomy’, ‘unnatural debauchery’, and ‘crimen nefandum’ (crime of which cannot be spoken). While these terms did point to the sinfulness of the acts, they did not amount to a condemnation of homosexual identity itself. How did a sin become a punishable crime?
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