Ellis was a supporter of eugenics. He served as vice-president to the Eugenics Education Society and wrote on the subject, among others, in The Task of Social Hygiene:
In his early writings, it was clear that Ellis concurred with the notion that there was a system of racial hierarchies, and that non-western cultures were considered to be "lower races".[14] Before explicitly talking about eugenic topics, he used the prevalence of homosexuality in these 'lower races' to indicate the universality of the behavior. In his work, Sexual Inversions, where Ellis presented numerous cases of homosexuality in Britain, he was always careful to mention the race of the subject and the health of the person's 'stock', which included their neuropathic conditions and the health of their parents. However, Ellis was clear to assert that he did not feel that homosexuality was an issue that eugenics needed to actively deal with, as he felt that once the practice was accepted in society, those with homosexual tendencies would comfortably choose not to marry, and thus would cease to pass the 'homosexual heredity' along.[14]
In a debate in the Sociological Society, Ellis corresponded with the eugenicist Francis Galton, who was presenting a paper in support of marriage restrictions. While Galton analogized eugenics to breeding domesticated animals, Ellis felt that a greater sense of caution was needed before applying the eugenic regulations to populations, as "we have scarcely yet realized how subtle and far-reaching hereditary influences are."[14] Instead, because unlike domesticated animals, humans were in charge of who they mated with, Ellis argued that a greater emphasis was needed on public education about how vital this issue was. Ellis thus held much more moderate views than many contemporary eugenicists. In fact, Ellis also fundamentally disagreed with Galton's leading ideas that procreation restrictions were the same as marriage restrictions.[15] Ellis believed that those who should not procreate should still be able to gain all the other benefits of marriage, and to not allow that was an intolerable burden. This, in his mind, was what led to eugenics being "misunderstood, ridiculed, and regarded as a fad".[15]
Throughout his life, Ellis was both a member and later a council member of the Eugenics Society. Moreover, he played a role on the General Committee of the First International Eugenics Congress.[14]
Like some other members of the Fabian Society, Ellis was a supporter of sexual liberation. His personal experiences, including his unsuccessful marriage, love for another woman, and his own sexual problems, led him toward intense interest in human sexuality. In his first major work, Studies in the Psychology of Sex, Ellis explored sexual relations from a biological and multicultural perspective. Ellis was mostly interested in typical heterosexual behavior, but he also wrote on homosexuality, masturbation, and other sexual practices. He tried to demystify human sexuality. For example, he described masturbation as something normal, and assured his readers that it did not lead to serious illness.
The second volume of his Studies in the Psychology of Sex—Sexual Inversion—was the first English medical text book on homosexuality. In it Ellis described some 80 cases of homosexual males, both men and boys. Ellis did not consider homosexuality to be a disease, immoral, or a crime. He assumed that same-sex love transcends age as well as gender taboos, as seven of the twenty one examples in the book were of intergenerational relationships.
Although the term “homosexual” is attributed to Ellis, he wrote in 1897 that “homosexual is a barbarously hybrid word, and I claim no responsibility for it” (Ellis 1897).
Studies in the Psychology of Sex stirred serious controversy; it was much too liberal for the conservative Victorian society. Ellis even faced a trial for obscenity, which he eventually lost. His book was banned from publishing in Britain. However, an American publisher released the book with a slight change. The Evolution of Modesty, originally written after the Sexual Inversion, became the first book in the series while the later book was published as the second volume.
ARTICLE BY IVAN CROZIER (PDF FROM RESEARCHGATE)
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