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he represents same-sex desire and nonconformity to heteronormativity during this time. he played a representational role rather than a role of activism in the history of same sex desire

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he represents same-sex desire and nonconformity to heteronormativity during this time. he played a representational role rather than a role of activism in the history of same sex desire

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REPRESENTATIONAL ICON

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How far do we equate the Oscar of post hard labour to the Oscar pre hard labour? Is this self hatred of post hard labour a new thing to Oscar or a preexisting doubt that he ignored previously? If the latter, then it would be wrong to make him an icon if even he did not have a solid hold of his identity.

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Aristocracy win- surprise! Oscar is a scapegoat.

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Aristocracy win- surprise! Oscar is a scapegoat.

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Bosie and his brother leave the situation without the severe punishment Oscar faced, despite letters between Bosie and Oscar demonstrating same-sex desire on both sides. Oscar's new money was no match for the aristocracy's power. He was scapegoated and the press eventually portrayed him as a symbol of non-virtuosity.

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A gay icon, but definitely not a gay rights campaigner. Discuss.

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There were other occasions such as the Cleveland street scandal that question whether the Oscar Wilde trials was a significant event in a series of significant events

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Was Wilde's Wife and Children ever interviewed or spoken to either about the trials or their life together?
Obviously they are told to flee the country and change their identity but were they ever rediscovered or did they want to come out and say who they were in the future? Or is this simply unknown?

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It is difficult to determine the motives behind Wilde's actions, he could be presented as a 'martyr' for the community because he did not flee the country and served a sentence as a result of his 'crimes', yet in petitioning to the Home Secretary he claims he was revolted by his past desires. Does this mean he didn't actually identify with the community? If so, is it fair to hold him up as an icon when him refusing to leave the country and withstand his ground may have just been a reflection of his own personality?

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more widely the trials gave the police and courts the precedent to infiltrate the private as well as public spheres of life - a point that contradicts victorian obsession with freedom and therefore privacy of the anglosaxon people

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Wilde spoke after as if he was unhappy with the choices he had previously made engaging in same-sex relations and therefore is unlikely to have been pleased being used as an icon for labels he himself wouldn't have resonated with

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Wilde was presented as a pillar of immorality, decadence and societal degeneration in order to protect PM Roseberry. Example of same-sex desire being manipulated and used to push a hierarchical agenda.

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If we dismiss the trials, Wilde's work alone stands as great progressive works which depict same sex desire with such a confrontational approach for possibly the first time within literature of that era (even if some wasn't fully published for years after) It is refreshing for both contemporary and modern readers alike that are part of the LGBT+ community to feel less isolated within their experiences and gives a sense of both self understanding and communal shared experience, which can validate some peoples identity for them.

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Oscar Wilde memorial bookshop in New York before it closed down.

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Wilde's cultural outputs have shown others that they can express themselves in an implicit but also freeing way through the arts. So it is fair that he is an icon (in this sense) because he showed the liberation of the arts and the importance of self-expression. He was a proponent of the aesthetic movement but there is great value in people now identifying with his works in their own way.

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Fair to be held as an icon but not to such prominence when those who have subsequently actively fought for queer liberation remain sidelined, particularly PoC

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a lot of historical figures are speculated to be gay or its rumored they engaged in same-sex relationships, with Oscar its confirmed - so its fair that he's seen as an icon

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There's also the side of whether he was really a martyr? Would he have done anything in the activist sense if he wasn't put on trial?

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Makes it clear that people were to hide their sexuality as being openly queer and making no effort to hide it led to consequences

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He was true to himself - an admirable quality

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He was true to himself - an admirable quality

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He never pretended to be something he wasn't, some people might admire this personal quality of his and feel it is worthy of admiration, regardless of how arrogant he came across as

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It's understandable that he was used as an icon because his trial involved same sex desire - and he fought against the state, the media and the public. The attitude he had during his trial resonates with the LGBT community during the latter half of the 20th century because they were about fighting for their rights and what they believed in - essentially what Wilde was doing, despite his message being pretty different. He is easily presented as a revolutionary  - whether or not their messages really coincide with one another. The issue with this is that the supporting same-sex desire was not his course of action, and so dishonours those who actually fought for LGBT and queer rights. He is simply an easy face to market.

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Oscar wasn't a great person, but his literature and public defence of 'spiritual affection' was a big step in a climate of Victorian repression. Oscar demonstrates the importance of Queer Art to project desires and emotions. He may not have been an activist in the typical sense, but given the climate, what he did do was impactful and widely publicised, which is worth commending. His personality was crap, but his impact was iconic, largely due to his high-profile. Feels unfair to take away from Oscar's writings/public defence of himself just because he was not a traditional activist when you consider the harsh climate and punishments.

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He appears as a martyr for their cause, he willingly confronts the public with who he is and is completely unapologetic for it. This is pivotal for the community as he becomes one of the first public figures to not repeal their own identity to keep his safety under the war.

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In the immediate aftermath of the trials, it made same-sex desire more invisible than ever to society - his experience was highly publicised as a warning. It wasn't until nearly a century later his story was used to force homosexuality to be visible, instead with a sense of pride

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The trials changed public opinion on Wilde. His sexuality was probably known by the general public but the trials meant that they had to contemplate his actions in depth and make moral decisions.