The British Society for the Study of Sex Psychology (BSSSP) was founded in 1913, "to advance a particularly radical agenda in the field of sex reform, based on the writings of gurus such as [Edward] Carpenter and [Havelock] Ellis."[1] Magnus Hirschfeld, the famous German-Jewish sexologist, was also a co-founder.[2] In 1931, the Society was renamed the British Sexological Society.[3] It seems to have continued until some point in the 1940s.
The society was particularly concerned with homosexuality, aiming to combat legal discrimination against homosexuality with scientific understanding. Members included George Cecil Ives,[3] Edward Carpenter, Montague Summers, Stella Browne (a founder of the Abortion Law Reform Association), Laurence Housman, Havelock Ellis, Bernard Shaw, and Ernest Jones.[4]
The society had established a number of contacts in the United States, including Margaret Sanger, who gave a speech to the group on the issue of sexual continence.[5] The BSSSP had planned to form an American branch.[6]