Lexi Powner and James Lewis’s debut feature documentary, Out Laws, explores how far Britain has come since the Buggery Act of 1533 and the first execution under it. Yet, for all our progress here at home, the legacy of that act continues to threaten our brothers and sisters across many Commonwealth countries.
Many will argue that decolonisation is the process by which a country that was previously a colony gained political independence. In the case of the British Empire, this would mean that most of the countries it ruled were decolonised between 1945 and 1965, with Hong Kong the Empire’s final breath in 1997. However, colonisation leaves scars that often last for decades, and countries that were once colonised often face new waves of colonisation (both visible and invisible) long after independence is achieved. Therefore, the process of separation between the colonial ruler and the country they once controlled is never simple, nor is it quick. Unpicking this lasting legacy in relation to the LGBTQ+ community in a single 79-minute documentary was never going to be easy. Still, Lexi Powner and James Lewis’s debut feature provides a thoughtful, urgent and personal journey into colonial legacy, human rights, and history.
Powner and Lewis’s documentary opens with activist Friedel Dausab mounting a legal challenge to the anti-gay laws in Namibia, one that puts him in danger in a country where many LGBTQ+ people live in fear of violence and where the state actively oppresses and condones homophobic and transphobic hate. Dausab is nervous, but he knows his actions could, finally, end years of discrimination, murder and hate, and see LGBTQ+ people gain the legal high ground, even if the social and community change needed takes more time. Like many African nations, Namibia’s colonial history is embedded in its laws. But unlike some nations, Namibia’s colonial history is not purely British. Namibia was a German colony until the First World War, then became a South African colony, itself a British dominion at that time, following a League of Nations mandate.
Therefore, Namibia’s colonial-era laws in relation to LGBTQ+ people likely stem from German, South African and British influences. However, as Friedel Dausab travels to London in the run-up to an appearance at Pride in London alongside two fellow activists, Raven Gill, who campaigns for equality in Barbados and Rosanna Flamer-Caldera, who advocates for equality in Sri Lanka, it’s a highly influential Tudor law that Powner and Lewis explore: The Buggery Act of 1533.
Henry VIII’s shadow has loomed large over Britain. From religious institutions to the dissolution of the monasteries, the creation of the Royal Navy and the expansion of parliamentary power. But for the LGBTQ+ community, it was the Buggery Act that would lead to over 400 years of persecution before decriminalisation in 1967. But while Britain dismantled its Empire, created a Commonwealth, and slowly tiptoed toward LGBTQ+ rights, many countries forced to follow Britain’s lead as part of the Empire retained the laws introduced under colonisation. As a result, their LGBTQ+ communities continue to suffer 59 years after decriminalisation in the UK.
In Out Laws, Lexi Powner and James Lewis, alongside Friedel Dausab, Raven Gill, and Rosanna Flamer-Caldera, explore the ongoing battle in many Commonwealth countries to decriminalise and uphold the human rights of LGBTQ+ people by rejecting laws influenced by a 493-year-old British manuscript. Out Laws is a documentary about the power of the written word in dismantling human rights and the argument that decolonisation is far more than a moment of separation and independence.
However, at times, it struggles to explore both subjects due to its limited runtime. For example, there are fascinating insights into the silent yet powerful American colonisation of Africa through evangelical religion, and the power that religious transformation has had in upholding archaic laws. Yet, this discussion, while fascinating and urgent when exploring the LGBTQ+ experience, never receives the time it needs. Equally missing are discussions on the intersections and differences between colonial experiences at the hands of multiple European powers.
However, those criticisms aside, Out Laws finds its powerful voice in the strength, resilience, and determination of Dausab, Gill, and Flamer-Caldera as they prepare for their Trafalgar Square speech at Pride in London and reflect on the journeys they have taken and the risks they have accepted in bringing about change. The fact that Pride in London sits at the heart of the documentary speaks volumes.
Pride in London, no matter your opinion of its transformation over the years, is a celebration of diversity where no one has to fear being themselves as London comes alive in a blaze of colour. It demonstrates just how far we have come from the Buggery Act of 1533 and the first execution under that act, in 1540 (Walter Hungerford). Yet, for all our progress here at home, the legacy of that act continues to threaten our brothers and sisters across many Commonwealth countries. The strength of Dausab, Gill, and Flamer-Caldera, among others, lies in their urgent call for us to stand in solidarity as they demand change that has been decades in the making.
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