Better Worlds Theory

Better Worlds Theory

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Better Worlds Theory
Better Worlds Theory
"For the Uplift of Humanity"
Rewind Wednesday

"For the Uplift of Humanity"

On the Newport sex scandal of 1919, and our long history of persecuting difference

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M L Clark
Jul 31, 2024
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Better Worlds Theory
Better Worlds Theory
"For the Uplift of Humanity"
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Mug shot of a sailor charged for sodomy, a crime that in 1919 was the centre of a whole sting operation in Newport.
The above photo is from 1908, when Homer Baker was convicted under general anti-sodomy laws that would catch many members of the US military in the coming years. This post is about an episode a decade later, when the government expressly entrapped sailors through a “catfishing” scheme involving other servicemen.

Today, we’re looking at an episode from a …

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