"Beyond the Law"In nineteenth century England, sodomy was punishable by death; even an accusation could damage a mans reputation for life. The last executions for this private, consensual act were in 1835, but the effort to change the law that allowed for those executions was intense and precarious, and not successful until 1861. In this groundbreaking book, Beyond the Law, noted historian Charles Upchurch pieces together fragments from history and uses a queer