British Library Restores Oscar Wilde’s Card 130 Years After Gay Conviction

The British Library has reinstated Oscar Wilde’s reader’s card, 130 years after revoking his access following his 1895 conviction for “gross indecency” based on homosexual relationships. Library trustees had canceled Wilde’s card in June 1895, weeks into his two-year prison sentence with hard labor, under rules requiring revocation for anyone convicted of crimes. Writer Merlin Holland, Wilde’s grandson and only living descendant, will collect the new card Thursday during a ceremony marking what would have been Wilde’s 171st birthday. Holland called the gesture “a lovely gesture of forgiveness,” saying his grandfather “would be touched and delighted.” Dame Carol Black, British Library chair, said reissuing the card honors Wilde’s memory and acknowledges “the injustices and immense suffering he faced as a result of his conviction.” (Story URL)