Having Such a Gay Time
The treatment of homosexuals in the late Edwardian era is a sub-plot of Kiss of Death, with the material below all making an appearance.
This montage advertises a Turkish Bathhouse in Sydney, and demonstrates the sort of accommodations that were common in such an establishment.
A bit of Pampering
The Turkish Bath fad gripped Victorian England, and the popularity of such places extended well into the 20th century. The Wellington version was known as “Hall’s Turkish Baths” and had a ladies’ night once a week. It was located on the corner of Manners and Dixon Streets, in the location now occupied by Te Aro Park. Such establishments were a notorious stomping ground for homosexuals but were also part of mainstream culture.
Salome
When Maud Allan reprised her role of Salome in the 1918 theatrical play, she came under attack by British independent MP Noel Pemberton-Billing, who wrote numerous allegations in his paper, The Vigilante. These allegations included the claim that she was a lesbian and that if Scotland Yard were to raid her private performances of the scandalous play, they would find a good many of the 47,000 homosexuals he believed were being blackmailed by the Germans. When Allan sued for libel, she lost - and never danced in public again.
Maud Allan sports her Salome costume while performing a scene with Herod’s severed head.
On the left, Natalie Clifford Barney receives some attention. On the right is a postcard from the Montmartre district in the Belle Epoch, painted by Ernst Kirchner.
French “Depravity”
If any place could be described as a haven for homosexuals, it was Paris. Playwright Natalie Clifford Barney hosted “sapphist” soirees in her left bank home, and the city was home to several lesbian bars. La Souris (The Mouse) was a popular establishment and of course the Montmartre district sported several venues of its own.