"Was Lincoln Bisexual?" - by Gore Vidal (Vanity Fair)

[scottxyz]

http://www.vanityfair.com/commentary/content/articles/050103roco02

Was Lincoln Bisexual?

In a Web-only exclusive, the author examines C. A. Tripp's long-awaited, hotly contested book, The Intimate World of Abraham Lincoln—and ponders American sexuality a century before Kinsey

By Gore Vidal

The young Lincoln had a love affair with a handsome youth and store owner, Joshua Speed, in Springfield, Illinois. They shared a bed for four years, not necessarily, in those frontier days, the sign of a smoking gun—only messy male housekeeping. Nevertheless, four years is a long time to be fairly uncomfortable. The gun proved to be the letters that passed between them when Joshua went home to Kentucky to marry, while Lincoln was readying himself for marriage in Springfield. Each youth betrays considerable anxiety about the wedding night ahead. Can they hack it?

[CatholicEug]

1. No. But I believe Gore Vidal is. n/t

[scottxyz]

2. Who tipped you off?

Maybe you should work in HumInt for the CIA!

[Az]

3. Lincoln's sexuality has been smoldering for years

I don't know that there is enough evidence to push him either way (or even up the middle). I will just say I wouldn't say absolutely that he wasn't.

[CatholicEug]

5. Smoldering???

Bwah ha ha ha! I have it on good authority from Mary Todd Lincoln that Lincoln was smoldering all right. All. Night. Long.

:) ;)

[Name removed]

6. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[kweerwolf]

4. Gay? Bisexual? Straight? ... pfffffffffft!

I'd be more interested in hearing if he was a top or bottom or if he every asked Mary Todd Lincoln to wear one of those leather fetish ensembles.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

7. who knows...adn why does anyone care?

[scottxyz]

8. In a perfect world, we wouldn't care

But with the Republicans always complaining about gays, it is news to find that a famous Republican had sex with men.

That's why we care.

[chunkylover55]

9. Its pointless to apply the equivalent of today's political labels

to politicians of the 19th century. The Republican party of the 1860s was the equivalent of the Democratic Party today. The platforms of both parties has very much reversed. If Lincoln were alive today he's be a Democratic as his views and philosphy would align much closer with the Democratic Party -- Civil Rights, strong federal goverment, etc.