Edward Carpenter

Edward Carpenter (1844–1929) was an English poet, socialist and gay activist.

During his time as an undergraduate at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, he began to develop romantic attachments for other men. He became a priest in the Church of England, but became disillusioned with the Church and left the ministry to become a lecturer. While living in Sheffield he became very aware of the poor living conditions of the working classes, and became active in the socialist movement. In 1882 a legacy from his father enabled him to embrace the rural life as a market gardener at Millthorpe, Derbyshire. In 1890, having been influenced by Hindu mysticism he travelled to Ceylon and India.

On returning from India, Carpenter began a relationship with a working-class man, George Merrill. They set up house together in 1898, and remained together until Merill's death in 1928. They managed to escape scandal and arrest, at a time when homosexual acts were illegal (and Oscar Wilde and others were prosecuted and sent to prison). The relationship between Carpenter and Merrill is thought to have been the inspiration for E M Forster's Maurice.

Carpenter's The Intermediate Sex was one of the first books to call for the ending of discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation. He also wrote on a number of causes, including pacifism, socialism, vegetarianism, and women's liberation.

Carpenter's life and writings was the inspiration for The Edward Carpenter Community of Gay Men.