A new documentary somewhat explores the claim that President Abraham Lincoln was a secret homosexual who cavorted with men.
Released Wednesday, “Lover of Men: The Untold History of Abraham Lincoln” ostensibly explores the former president’s sexuality by speaking with scholars, historians, and so-called experts.
Watch the film’s trailer below:
Lover of Men. Official Trailer. Learn the untold history of Abraham Lincoln’s intimate relationships with men.
Movie coming soon nationwide. Follow for updates.
“When you put together all of the evidence, it’s really startling”#LoverOfMen #LGBTQ #Equality #AmericanHistory pic.twitter.com/Zv4dlgLlnA
— Lover of Men Movie (@loverofmenfilm) July 10, 2024
The film only somewhat explores the claim about Lincoln, in that most of the film appears to be a propaganda flick designed to promote homosexuality, judging by its synopsis.
“Lover of Men examines the intimate life of America’s most consequential president, Abraham Lincoln,” the film’s synopsis reads. “As told by preeminent Lincoln scholars and never before seen photographs and letters, the film details Lincoln’s romantic relationships with men.”
“Lover of Men [later] widens its lens into the history of human sexual fluidity and focuses on the profound differences between sexual mores of the nineteenth century and those we hold today. The film fills in an important missing piece of American history and challenges the audience to consider why we hold such a limited view of human sexuality,” it continues.
The film seems like it’s designed to promote homosexuality more so than explore Lincoln’s sexuality, no?
Responding to the film, many members of the public couldn’t resist making jokes.
Look:
No he didn’t, he was a heterosexual vampire slayer
— Eldris (@EldrisArt) July 12, 2024
There are rumors he liked to get blown by guys in theaters.
— Hollaria Briden, Esq. (@HollyBriden) July 12, 2024
Of course he was. Biden and his dad saw Lincoln and his boyfriend kissing on the street.
— Social distancing champ (@LadyGriz) July 12, 2024
More like Gaybraham Lincoln pic.twitter.com/3KYfgK1cOF
— Baron Von Grimm (@baronvongrimm) July 12, 2024
This is true. In fact there is one known photo of Lincoln and his lover together
It’s very rare though so please don’t share this pic.twitter.com/3i8enV7FNv
— Elon’s Musk (@andItoldyaso) July 12, 2024
As for the idea of Lincoln being gay, it was originally explored in a Salon column published decades ago in 1999.
The column begins with a description of an alleged encounter between Lincoln and his lifelong friend, Joshua Speed.
“The 28-year-old traveler was tall, with rough hands, a chiseled jaw, and unforgettable, deep-set, melancholy eyes,” it reads. “He arrived in town, his worldly possessions in two battered suitcases, and inquired at a general store about buying some bedding. But the price was far beyond his budget.”
“The strikingly handsome 23-year-old merchant took pity on the man and invited him into his own bed, free of charge, which happened to be just upstairs. The traveler inspected the bed and, looking into the merchant’s sparkling blue eyes, agreed on the spot. For the next four years the two men shared that bed along with their most private fears and desires,” it continues.
Evidently, this happened in 1837 in Springfield, Illinois, and according to the late gay screenwriter Larry Kramer, it was the beginning of a sexual relationship between the two men.
“There’s no question in my mind he was a gay man and a totally gay man,” Kramer told Salon in 1999. “It wasn’t just a period, but something that went on his whole life.”
After Lincoln eventually got married in 1842, the two men “corresponded affectionately for decades, chronicling their most personal internal conflicts — including their abject fear of marriage, which they ominously refer to in their correspondence (always emphasized) as forebodings.”
Still, none of this has been enough to convince everybody of Lincoln’s alleged homosexuality. After all, it was commonplace for two to three men to sleep in the same bed “for purely economic reasons,” Salon notes.
“It was very common for men to share the same bed in the 1800s — especially in taverns,” Lincoln biographer Gene Griessman said. “We know that Lincoln had a long, affectionate friendship with Speed. He deeply loved the man, but to go beyond that fact is to go beyond any evidence I have seen.”
Douglas Wilson, another Lincoln biographer, staunchly agreed.
“It sounds like this might be a case of taking a 19th-century event and giving it a 20th-century context,” he said.
Bingo.
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
V. Saxena is a staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University. Saxena also contributes to BizPac Review.
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