Page:Edward Prime-Stevenson - The Intersexes.djvu/476

 or pretexts even in France, Italy, Russia, Spain, Portugal, Belgium Holland, Luxemburg and other tolerant lands, the victim—as shown early in this book—is a felon. Subject to more or less severe State-laws, he is amenable to penitentiary and jail, liable sometimes to terms of long imprisonment for even such least, nominal offense. We have indicated (in the Fourth Chapter of this book) details of most of the Statutory Codes as to homosexual offenses. Legislation is blameless in protecting innocent youth from debauchery, in punishing homosexual rape, in opposing public indecencies. But the law under the present ignorant, unscientific, Jewish-Christian basis, is too often a lamentable injury and menace to the best elements of society. The blackmailer has only to make a victim believe that a charge of "unnatural vice" will be his inevitable public infamy; as too often it really is. The homosexual so blackmailed melts like wax, in his terror of disgrace or a prison-cell.

Occasionally the blackmailer has hot been the direct particeps criminis, but, has merely got second-hand possession of facts. Occasionally there has been no felony committed. The ignorant, trembling victim is made to think so. In any case, either by the cynical prostitute himself or by an accomplice, the screw is turned. Much male prostitution is solely for an opening for blackmail. By demands for greater or smaller sums of money, threats, terrorizing letters or visits, week by week, month by month, year by year, can be applied the outrageous art of "bleeding" the victim. Sometimes the extortioner is skilful enough to avoid disclosing in his procedures exactly what was the fact to give him such a hold on the victim. The latter knows it; that is enough. Generally the extortioner has some sort of evidence in hand; a note, personal possessions stolen from the victim; or has ready the assertions of third parties, with true or false witness.