The British Library will posthumously reinstate Oscar Wilde’s reader pass, more than a century after it was revoked due to his conviction for homosexuality — a move hailed as a symbolic gesture of apology and recognition of injustice.
The late gay poet and playwright was banned from what was then the British Museum Reading Room in 1895, following his conviction for “gross indecency” with men. Wilde was sentenced to two years of hard labour, a punishment that contributed significantly to his early death in 1900.
The reinstated pass will be formally presented to Wilde’s grandson, Merlin Holland, on 16 October — Wilde’s birthday — during a special event at the library. Holland, a noted Wilde scholar, welcomed the gesture, telling The Guardian: “He’d probably say ‘about time’ too.”
Wilde had already been in prison for three weeks when the reading pass was revoked, meaning he was likely unaware of the decision. “It would have just added to his misery to feel that one of the world’s great libraries had banned him from books just as the law had banned him from daily life,” Holland said. “But the restitution of his ticket is a lovely gesture of forgiveness, and I’m sure his spirit will be touched.”
While he supports the library’s decision, Holland also noted that he does not believe Wilde would have sought a posthumous pardon under a 2017 UK law that pardoned an estimated 50,000 to 100,000 men convicted under historic anti-gay laws. “Oscar didn’t think there was anything wrong in same-sex love… If I had to ask for a pardon, I wouldn’t, because all it would do is make the British establishment feel better about itself.”
British Library curator Laura Walker said the reinstatement is especially significant given the institution’s extensive collection of Wilde’s manuscripts. “We really want to honour Wilde now and acknowledge what happened to him,” she said. “Section 11 of the law, which related to the criminalisation of homosexuality, was unjust.”
