Marquis de Sade (France, 1740–1814)
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Role: Writer, philosopher
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Works: Justine, 120 Days of Sodom, and other sexually explicit, sadomasochistic literature
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Punishment:
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Repeatedly imprisoned, tortured, and confined to asylums.
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Spent 32 years in prisons or mental institutions, often under horrific conditions.
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Cause: His graphic sexual content was seen as both pornographic and anti-religious; he was labeled dangerous to public morality.
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Legacy: His name became the origin of the word sadism. Still controversial but central to discussions of censorship and sexual freedom.
Richard von Krafft-Ebing (Austria/Germany, 1840s)
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Role: Psychiatrist, early sexologist
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Works: Psychopathia Sexualis — described taboo sexual behavior, including homosexuality, fetishes, and sadomasochism
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Punishment:
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His books were banned, censored, and he was targeted by religious authorities.
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Patients who echoed his writings were sometimes subjected to medical torture, including castration, electroshock, and institutional abuse.
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Cause: His open classification and study of sexuality challenged Victorian and Christian moral norms.
Li Yu (China, 17th Century)
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Role: Playwright, novelist
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Works: The Carnal Prayer Mat (淫词艳曲) — a comedic, sexually explicit novel
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Punishment:
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The Qing dynasty deemed his work obscene; his writings were banned and burned.
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While he may have escaped execution, artists of similar content at the time were known to face corporal punishment, exile, and torture.
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Cause: The novel’s erotic content was viewed as corrupting public morals and disrespecting Confucian values.
LGBTQ+ Writers under Fascism
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Examples:
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Klaus Mann (Germany), gay writer, son of Thomas Mann, fled Nazi persecution.
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Federico García Lorca (Spain), poet and playwright with queer themes.
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Punishment:
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Lorca was arrested, tortured, and executed without trial during the Spanish Civil War.
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Nazi Germany and Francoist Spain both imprisoned or castrated people for sexual or queer artistic expression.
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Cause: Fascist regimes viewed sexual deviance and gender nonconformity as threats to national purity.
Isadora Duncan (USA/Europe, early 1900s)
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Role: Dancer and choreographer
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Incident:
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While not physically tortured, she was hounded, censored, and exiled for her provocative, sexually expressive dances and bohemian lifestyle.
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Labeled indecent and immoral in several countries.
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Impact: Shows how non-explicit sexual expression, especially by women, was criminalized and socially punished.
Artists under the Inquisition (15th–17th centuries)
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Punishment:
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Writers, painters, and poets accused of “obscenity” or “carnal sin” faced:
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Torture chambers, use of the rack, whippings, or mutilation
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Many were burned alive for mixing eroticism with religious imagery
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Examples:
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Erotic engravings or “forbidden books” like La Celestina (Spain) led to authors being imprisoned or disappearing under torture.
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Every drop of blood spilled has paid a debt to the future of freedom