The Curious Case of M. Butterfly
Some hoaxes are accidental and may take on independent life if a misinterpreted act or prank roils
out of control.Â
In the curious case of the real-life M. Butterfly (a lurid tale of transgender love, intrigue, and...
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The Curious Case of M. Butterfly
Some hoaxes are accidental and may take on independent life if a misinterpreted act or prank roils
out of control.Â
In the curious case of the real-life M. Butterfly (a lurid tale of transgender love, intrigue, and
espionage) the deception perhaps began artlessly but turned deliberately deceitful. In the end a
civil servant's reputation (because of his own unwillingness to accept truths about himself and about
someone close to him) lay ruined, and an elaborately malicious imposture went unpunished.
He/She
Homosexuality today (when compared with much of recorded history) is generally tolerated and
does not carry the stigma it once did.
In the early 1960s, however, being known as a "Nancy boy" or "sissy" (in the vernacular of the day)
could ruin one's career; in some more extreme cases imprisonment was possible (up until the late
1970s many states in the US carried such "sodomy" laws, punishing with incarceration same-sex
intimate relations).Â
Closeted
Less