Fanny & Stella: Brought To The Book

In 1870, two tatty-looking girls were hauled before Bow Street magistrates court and charged with "the abominable crime of buggery". After a night in the cells, with wigs slipping and stubble poking through, it was pretty clear to the packed and panting courtroom that the two tarts were actually young men. Their names, according to the charge sheet, were Ernest Boulton and Frederick Park. To their friends they were Stella and Fanny. And in the newspapers, where they now became front-page fixtures, they were known as the He-She Ladies...

Guardian review of Fanny and Stella: The Young Men Who Shocked Victorian England by Neil McKenna.
Spoiler alert: Fanny and Stella were found not guilty, a verdict that was greeted by cheers from the jubilant crowds. This is such a wonderful story - good to see the book getting so much coverage.