The Dutch penal law and homosexual conduct

The history of changes in Dutch penal law regulating homosexual conduct since the 18th century are traced and their effects on homosexual behavior described. Changes in policies and practices regarding enforcement are reviewed. The article discusses the Dutch criminal code of 1886, the criminalization of homosexual contacts involving minors in 1911, the criminalization of male homosexuality from 1941 to 1945, and the progressive relaxation of the law since World War II, resulting in the decriminalization in 1971 of homosexual contacts involving minors and the draft in 1981 for a bill that would prohibit discrimination against homosexuals.