Roger Casement - The Black Diaries and Casement's Sexuality

The Black Diaries and Casement's Sexuality

The Black Diaries are a set of diaries, claimed to have been written by Casement and covering the years 1903, 1910 and 1911. If accepted as genuine, the diaries would portray Casement as a promiscuous homosexual sex tourist with a fondness for young men. In 1916, after Casement's conviction for treason, photographs of the diaries were circulated by the British government to individuals urging commutation of Casement's death sentence. At a time of strong social conservatism, not least among Irish Catholics, the Black Diaries undermined or at least suppressed support for Casement.

The question of whether the diaries are genuine or forgeries has been much debated. However, a detailed forensic investigation in 2002 concluded that the diaries had indeed been written by Casement. The diaries were declassified for public inspection in August 1959. The original diaries may be seen at the British National Archives in Kew.