(Serious) sadomasochism: a protected right of privacy?
Several adult male members of a sadomasochistic sex club were arrested for violating a U.K. statute passed in 1861--The Offences Against the Person Act. The sex acts spanned a 10-year period and were videotaped. They involved manipulation of the genitalia with hot wax, sand paper, fish hooks, and needles. The sexual interactions were consensual. This analysis tracks the case from trial, to the Court of Appeal, to the House of Lords, and on to the European Court of Human Rights. It examines whether or not these sexual behaviors should be protected under a right to privacy. It contrasts state concerns of bodily harm, albeit consented to, in sex with those incurred in sport.
Green
R
R
Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge.
D001914:Boxing / Q000293:injuries / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D003416:Criminal Law / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006716:Homosexuality; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008398:Masochism; D018907:Privacy / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012448:Sadism; D006113:United Kingdom; D014743:Videotape Recording / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence