Page:Edward Prime-Stevenson - The Intersexes.djvu/88

 consideration of the offence, violence, pandering, scandal, or unless a legal minor be debauched; or unless the offence is committed with the active participation of more than merely one youth. In Norway and Sweden, in Denmark, Russia, and in certain Balkan States, in all of which homosexualism is in frequent social demonstration, the penalties are imprisonments for relatively long terms, two to ten years, or with deportation, loss of civil rights and so on. The same penalties exist in modern Greek legislation. It may be noted here that in or out of Greece, the modern Greek is extremely given to homosexual intercourse. Athens is a center of it; especially pederasty.

In Italy, except when the offender is a soldier in military actual service, or if violence be used in the acts, or when public decency is outraged or when minor children (under sixteen years old) are debauched, there is no legal opposition to hf similisexual satisfactions. In Holland, in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, in Belgium, in Portugal, Spain, the Principality of Monaco, and in Turkey, there is no legal position taken against similisexual passion, except when it is a rape, or is exhibited in a way offensive to public decency, or is corruptive of youthful morals.

It should be noted that the phrase "public decency" is often construed in a general sense by the criminal courts of the countries concerned. Also the age of minors is variable; usually the boundary being fourteen years; but under some conditions twelve years, sixteen years, or even more.

In Mexico, there is no penalty for similisexual relations except when under the conditions of actual rape, publicity, or age, as set forth above. The same rule holds in Latin South-America in general.