Prosecutions
As a result of the vagueness of the term "gross indecency," this law allowed juries, judges and lawyers to prosecute virtually any male homosexual behaviour where it could not be proven that the defendant had specifically engaged in homosexual anal intercourse, also known as sodomy or "buggery". The sentence was relatively light compared to the penalty for anal sodomy, which remained a separate crime.
Lawyers dubbed section 11 of the Criminal Law Amendment Act 1885, the "blackmailer's charter".
Read more about this topic: Labouchere Amendment