A Swish Bish with the Boys

Charles Leadbeater was both revered and reviled. This talk discusses the sex-scandals of his career and contemporary views of sexuality.

Charles Webster Leadbeater was one of the most influential occultists of the 20th century, lauded by many of his admirers as a “living saint”. Yet there were many who accused him of being a charlatan and accusations of sexual relationships with his boy-pupils (including Krishnamurti, the Indian boy Leadbeater discovered would be the next great “World-Teacher”) followed him for much of his life. In this lecture, Phil Hine will examine the three major scandals of Leadbeater’s career. He will also discuss the extent to which occult theories of sexuality existed, then look at how they related to wider issues of the period, such as social morality, the medical regulation of sexuality, and the growth of the so-called Uranian movement.

Phil Hine is a magician with a strong interest in examining occultism as a cultural formation and in looking at its relationship with other discursive constructions. He is the author of three books on magical practice: Prime Chaos, Condensed Chaos and The Pseudonomicon.

This lecture is held as part of LGBT History Month, focussing on the history of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people. http://www.lgbthistorymonth.org.uk/

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