Editing Wolfenden report (section)

==Committee==
The committee of 15 (4 women and 11 men) was led by Sir John Wolfenden (1906–1985), a former headmaster of both [[Uppingham School]] and of [[Shrewsbury School]]; and who in 1950 was appointed Vice Chancellor of the [[University of Reading]].{{sfn|Lewis|2016|p=6}} He later became Director of the [[British Museum]].

In addition to the chairman, the committee members were the following:
* James Adair, former [[Procurator Fiscal|Procurator-Fiscal]] for [[Glasgow]]{{sfn|Lewis|2016|p=7}}
* Mary Cohen,{{sfn|Lewis|2016|p=7}} vice-president of the City of [[Glasgow]] [[Girlguiding UK|Girl Guides]] and chairwoman of the Scottish Association of Girls' Clubs
* Desmond Curran,{{sfn|Lewis|2016|p=7}} senior [[psychiatrist]] at [[St George's Hospital]], London, and psychiatric consultant to the [[Royal Navy]]
* [[V.&nbsp;A. Demant]], [[Anglo-Catholicism|Anglo-Catholic]] priest serving as Canon of [[Christ Church, Oxford]], and [[Regius Professor of Moral and Pastoral Theology]] at the [[University of Oxford]]{{sfn|Lewis|2016|p=7}}
* [[Kenneth Diplock, Baron Diplock|Sir Kenneth Diplock]], [[Recorder (judge)|Recorder]] of [[Oxford]] and [[High Court judge (England and Wales)|High Court judge]]{{sfn|Lewis|2016|p=7}}
* [[Hugh Linstead|Sir Hugh Linstead]], [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] (MP) for [[Putney (UK Parliament constituency)|Putney]], [[barrister]], and pharmaceutical chemist{{sfn|Lewis|2016|p=7}}
* [[Peter Kerr, 12th Marquess of Lothian]],{{sfn|Lewis|2016|p=7}} a [[Foreign and Commonwealth Office|Foreign Office]] minister
* Kathleen Lovibond, chairwoman of the Uxbridge juvenile [[magistrates' court (England and Wales)|magistrates' court]] and member of the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] women's organisation<ref>[https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=W9IxDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT58&lpg=PT58&dq=Kathleen+Lovibond,+chairwoman+of+the+Uxbridge+juvenile+magistrates%27+courtand+member+of+the+Conservative+women%27s+organisation&source=bl&ots=limMatbl1a&sig=ACfU3U3DI0FMZMnDnsPujJEuHYoDltKNdA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiYqdW9hLGDAxUWgv0HHbaBAiM4ChDoAXoECAIQAw#v=onepage&q=Kathleen%20Lovibond%2C%20chairwoman%20of%20the%20Uxbridge%20juvenile%20magistrates'%20courtand%20member%20of%20the%20Conservative%20women's%20organisation&f=false Google Books website, ''Politics, Society and Homosexuality in Post-War Britain: The Sexual Offences'', by Keith Dockray]</ref> who became Mayor of [[Uxbridge]] in 1956{{sfn|Lewis|2016|pp=7–8}}
* [[Victor Mishcon, Baron Mishcon|Victor Mishcon]], solicitor and [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] member and chairman of the [[London County Council]]{{sfn|Lewis|2016|p=8}}
* [[Goronwy Rees]], Principal of the [[University of Wales, Aberystwyth|University College of Wales, Aberystwyth]]{{sfn|Lewis|2016|p=8}} (resigned from the committee in April 1956)
* [[Robert Scott (moderator)|R.&nbsp;F.&nbsp;V. Scott]], [[Presbyterianism|Presbyterian]] minister of [[St Columba's Church, London]] ([[Church of Scotland]]){{sfn|Lewis|2016|p=8}} (resigned from the committee in March 1956)
* Lady (Lily) Stopford, ophthalmologist and magistrate{{sfn|Lewis|2016|p=8}}
* [[William Wells (1908–1990)|William Wells]], Labour MP for [[Walsall North (UK Parliament constituency)|Walsall North]] and barrister{{sfn|Lewis|2016|p=8}}
* Joseph Whitby, [[general practice|general practitioner]] with psychiatric experience{{sfn|Lewis|2016|p=8}}

The committee first met on 15 September 1954 and met on 62 days, 32 of which were used for interviewing witnesses. Wolfenden suggested at an early stage that, for the sake of the ladies in the room, they use the terms [[Huntley & Palmers]] after the biscuit manufacturers&nbsp;– Huntleys for homosexuals, and Palmers for prostitutes. Evidence was heard from police and probation officers, psychiatrists, religious leaders (who in those days were at the forefront of homosexual [[law reform]]<ref>{{cite news |last=Bedell |first=Geraldine |author-link=Geraldine Bedell |date=24 June 2007 |title=Coming out of the Dark Ages |url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2007/jun/24/communities.gayrights |url-status=live |newspaper=The Observer |location=London |publisher=Guardian Media Group |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130831130526/https://www.theguardian.com/society/2007/jun/24/communities.gayrights |archive-date=31 August 2013 |access-date=10 March 2018}}</ref>), and [[gay]] men whose lives had been affected by the law.

The estimated cost of preparing the report was £8,046 of which £735 represented the estimated cost of printing and publication. The secretary for the committee was W.&nbsp;C. Roberts (Home Office) and his assistant was E.&nbsp;J. Freeman (Scottish Home Department).

Getting gay men to give evidence proved to be very difficult for the committee: Wolfenden considered placing an advert in a newspaper or magazine, but the committee instead decided to locate three men willing to give evidence: [[Peter Wildeblood]], [[Carl Winter]], and [[Patrick Trevor-Roper]]. Wildeblood had been convicted and sent to prison. Winter was director of the [[Fitzwilliam Museum]] and Trevor-Roper was an eye surgeon and brother of the historian [[Hugh Trevor-Roper]]. In order to protect their identities, Trevor-Roper was referred to as the "Doctor" while Winter was referred to as "Mr White".{{sfn|Higgins|1996|pp=41–42}}