Talk:Peter Dudley

Salford Royal Hospital (where he died)

Salford Royal Hospital was until recent times known as 'Hope Hospital' due it being in the Hope area (Eccles Old Road - A576/ Stott Lane - A5185) of Pendleton (M6). The ORIGINAL Salford Royal Hospital was a totally different hospital situated on Chapel Street, in 'old' Salford (M3) at the junction with Adelphi Street. This original hospital closed for good in the 1990s and was converted into residential flats. Therefore, for all intents and purposes there is ambiguity here. Did he die in 'Salford Royal Hospital' (original) or 'Hope Hospital' (as it was known in 1983)? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 143.159.128.106 (talk) 12:41, 13 April 2017 (UTC)

The Guardian newspaper source from 21 October 1983 (which is included in the article) states "Salford Royal Hospital". It doesn't state the address, so it most likely be the Chapel Street site rather than the "Hope" site on Eccles Old Road, as it was still operational in 1983. 90.241.149.44 (talk) 16:04, 17 March 2023 (UTC)

categories

There is some debate about using categories for this article. The category "people convicted for homosexuality in the UK" and "people prosecuted under anti-homosexuality laws" are certainly similar but are not quite the same, despite there being a lot of obvious overlap. Peter Dudley was a gay actor. In the 1980s he was prosecuted for exposing himself in a public toilet and "importuning" (more commonly known as "cottaging", which is looking for a male partner for sex in a public toilet). At this time, homosexuality was no longer a criminal offence in England, though importuning still was. Almost a century earlier, Oscar Wilde was prosecuted for being homosexual (I believe the charge was actually "gross indecency", which encompassed homosexuality and sodomy at that time). Oscar Wilde's relationships with men may have been consensual and in private, but were still considered gross indecency and illegal at that time. Peter Dudley's activities were in a public place, but it cannot be said he was "prosecuted for homosexuality" because it wasn't a criminal offence by that time. However, laws against importuning could still be categorised as "anti-LGBT" because it specifically targets gay men. When homosexuality was decriminalised in England under the Sexual Offences Act 1967, it permitted sex between consenting men over 21 years of age when conducted in private, but the act specifically excluded public lavatories from being "private". Had Oscar Wilde been prosecuted in the 1980s instead of the 1890s, he would not have been "prosecuted for homosexuality", though he could well have been prosecuted for having underage sex if his partners were under 21 (which would also be an anti-LGBT law because it was discriminatory towards gay men). It can seem like a fine line between the two categories, and often is. John Gielgud was also prosecuted for importuning in the 1950s but homosexuality was still illegal then. Gielgud may simply have been "looking" for a partner in a public toilet when he was caught, but had not actually engaged in direct sexual activity (i.e. a homosexual act). Perhaps the "anti homosexuality" category could be reworded "anti LGBT" to provide slightly better clarity and distinction, or it may be simpler to merge the "convicted for homosexuality" and "anti-homosexuality" categories in some way that describes both sufficiently and would take into account the differences in the eras when each case was made, But that's probably a debate for elsewhere rather than this talk page. Kookoo Star (talk) 22:56, 13 March 2023 (UTC)