Catalogue Number
NMLH.2020.5.269
Object Name
badge
Title
SM VALIDITY EQUALITY LEGALITY
People
Countdown on Spanner
Events
Operation Spanner
Description
"Black circular badge with white text reading ""SM"" at the top, and underneath are black text on white highlights reading ""VALIDITY"", ""EQUALITY"", ""LEGALITY"" in three rows.
The similarity of fonts and design to other badges suggest it was created by campaign group Countdown on Spanner. Operation Spanner was a criminal investigation into same-sex male sadomasochism, led by Londonâs Metropolitan Police. For three years from 1987, approximately 100 men were questioned by the police, resulting in 43 men named in the final report. 16 men were convicted for charges such as actual bodily harm or unlawful wounding, relating to consensual, private sadomasochistic sex between 1978 and 1987. Two activist groups, Countdown on Spanner and the Sexual Freedom Coalition, were formed to protest the charges and support the men affected. "
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