Peter Wildeblood

Peter Wildeblood (19 May 1923 - 14 November 1999) was a British-Canadian journalist, novelist, playwright, and gay rights campaigner. He was one of the first men in the UK to publicly declare his homosexuality.

Career

Wildeblood was a journalist for Britain's Daily Mail newspaper, first as the royal correspondent, then as the diplomatic correspondent. It was while he was serving in this capacity that he was brought before the courts on charges of buggery. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison as a result of these and other charges, which led eventually to the Wolfenden Report, which in 1959 recommended the decriminalization of homosexuality in the UK. Wildeblood was charged along with Lord Montegu and Michael Pitt-Rivers, and during the course of the trial he admitted his homosexuality to the court. [cite news
title = Lord Montagu of Beaulieu admits he is bisexual
publisher = This is Hampshire
date = 16 July, 2007
url = http://www.thisishampshire.net/display.var.1547701.0.lord_montagu_of_beaulieu_admits_he_is_bisexual.php
accessdate = 2008-06-17

] This trial was instrumental in bringing public attention--and opposition--to the laws against homosexuality.

After the trial and his subsequent imprisonment, Wildeblood became a television producer and writer and was involved in a number of productions (notably for Granada and then CBC Toronto throughout the 1960s and 70s. [cite web
title = Peter Wildeblood
publisher = IMDB
url = http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0928399/
accessdate = 2008-06-17] He also chose to campaign publicly for the rights of gays by testifying before the Wolfenden Committee and in the House of Lords.

His role in the decriminalization of homosexuality was explored in the Channel Four documentary 'A Very British Sex Scandal' [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3g3RTZ-XvCw&feature=related] .

In 1994, Wildeblood suffered a stroke which left him speechless and a quadriplegic.

References

External links

* [http://www.indegayforum.org/news/show/26861.html Independent Gay Forum Profile]