The_Adult_The_Journal_of_Sex_February_1898

The Legitimation League was an English advocacy organisation in the 1890s, which campaigned for the legitimation of

illegitimate Legitimacy, in traditional Western common law, is the status of a child born to parents who are legally married to each other, and of a child conceived before the parents obtain a legal divorce. Conversely, ''illegitimacy'', also known as ''b ...

children and

free love Free love is a social movement that accepts all forms of love. The movement's initial goal was to separate the State (polity), state from sexual and romantic matters such as marriage, birth control, and adultery. It stated that such issues we ...

History

The association was founded in

Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...

, in 1893, by a group of

individualist anarchists Individualist anarchism or anarcho-individualism is a collection of anarchist currents that generally emphasize the individual and their will over external determinants such as groups, society, traditions, and ideological systems. Individuali ...

, who were close to

Benjamin Tucker Benjamin Ricketson Tucker (; April 17, 1854 – June 22, 1939) was an American individualist anarchist and self-identified socialist. Tucker was the editor and publisher of the American individualist anarchist periodical ''Liberty'' (1881–19 ...

and his magazine ''

Liberty Liberty is the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views. The concept of liberty can vary depending on perspective and context. In the Constitutional ...

''. Founding members included John Badcock, Joseph Hiam Levy, Greevz Fisher,

Wordsworth Donisthorpe __NOTOC__Wordsworth Donisthorpe (24 March 1847 – 30 January 1914) was an English barrister, individualist anarchist and inventor, pioneer of cinematography and chess enthusiast. Life and work Donisthorpe was born in Leeds, on 24 March 1847 ...

, as well as Gladys and Oswald Dawson. Prominent advocates for the organisation included the poet and socialist

Edward Carpenter Edward Carpenter (29 August 1844 – 28 June 1929) was an English utopian socialist, poet, philosopher, anthologist, an early activist for gay rights and prison reform whilst advocating vegetarianism and taking a stance against vivise ...

and the sexologist and social reformer

Havelock Ellis Henry Havelock Ellis (2 February 1859 – 8 July 1939) was an English physician, eugenicist, writer, Progressivism, progressive intellectual and social reformer who studied human sexuality. He co-wrote the first medical textbook in English on h ...

. In 1897, the League moved its headquarters to London, where its meetings commanded larger audiences. In the same year, the anarchist and

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and Entitlement (fair division), entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st c ...

activist Lillian Harman became President of the League. Originally, the League's main focus was the legitimacy and equality of children from non-church or state-sanctioned connections, now sexual liberation became the main goal. At this time Donisthorpe (President since 1893) and Fisher (Vice President) left the association. The League's journal, ''The Adult'' was published from 1897 to 1899, with the subtitles "A Journal for the Advancement of Freedom in Sexual Relationships" and "A Crusade Against Sex-Enslavement". Lillian Harman wrote multiple articles for the journal. It was originally edited by League's secretary George Bedborough, whose wife Louie was treasurer, before his arrest in 1898 for selling a copy of Havelock Ellis' ''

Studies in the Psychology of Sex Vol. 2 ''Studies in the Psychology of Sex Vol. 2'' is a book published in 1900 written by Havelock Ellis (1859–1939), an English physician, writer and reform movement, social reformer. The book deals with the phenomenon of sexual inversion (sexology), ...

''. The League as a suspected anarchist organisation, had been under surveillance by

Scotland Yard Scotland Yard (officially New Scotland Yard) is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, the territorial police force responsible for policing Greater London's London boroughs, 32 boroughs. Its name derives from the location of the original ...

who used Bedborough's arrest as an opportunity to successfully destroy the League. After pleading guilty to the charge of obscenity, Bedborough agreed to no longer be associated with the League. Henry Seymour replaced Bedborough as editor until its last issue in March 1899.

Publications

* * * * * *

References

{{Authority control 1893 establishments in the United Kingdom Anarchist organisations in the United Kingdom Children's rights organisations in the United Kingdom Free love Organizations established in 1893