# Isaac Newton probably NOT a virgin **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [December 28, 1999, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isaac-newton-probably-not-a-virgin/415 "1999-12-28T04:33:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RobRoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7ba0ec/32.png) [@RobRoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobRoy)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 1999, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isaac-newton-probably-not-a-virgin/415/1 "1999-12-28T04:33:00Z")
[http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a4\_208.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a4_208.html) While he may not have lost it to a woman, the question still remains open as to whether he might have lost it to a man… [http://www.britannica.com/bcom/eb/article/7/0,5716,115657+2+108764,00.html](http://www.britannica.com/bcom/eb/article/7/0,5716,115657+2+108764,00.html) (scan down to “International Prominence”) Read between the lines the account of his friendship with a certain “Fatio”. None of this is conclusive, but we must ask after all this time what does it mean when a reasonably good looking, well appointed genius eschews offers of romance from the beauties of his day and suffers an emotional breakdown over the separation of a male friend? Couple that with the fact that if he was (sshhhhh) g-a-y, it certainly wouldn’t be spelled out in bold letters for us today. While I’m not a radical fearie proponent that all geniuses were actually gay (in fact an anachonistic designation), and also recognize that in a less homophobic (if only by virtue of a mind set that pretended it didn’t exist) time, not all intense male-male friendships were erotic, nonetheless, sometimes what it looks like is just what it is… ---
**Author:** ![Cooper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@Cooper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cooper)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 1999, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isaac-newton-probably-not-a-virgin/415/2 "1999-12-28T05:49:00Z")
Regardless of the truth, it is clear the writer of this article believes their relationshiop was intimate. The world will never know. I for one would prefer to believe he had known love and lost then never loved at all… ---
**Author:** ![JoeyBlades](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a87d85/32.png) [@JoeyBlades](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoeyBlades)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 1999, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isaac-newton-probably-not-a-virgin/415/3 "1999-12-28T15:06:00Z")
RobROy writes: > [@](#): > > Couple that with the fact that if he was (sshhhhh) g-a-y, it certainly wouldn’t be spelled out in bold letters for us today. I disagree. In today’s society, that is just the sort of thing that the purient, scholarly mudslingers would revel in. For instance, it’s no secret, today, that Alan Turing was homosexual. This is a well known fact and well documented. The fact that we don’t **KNOW** Newton was gay suggests that there is not a shred of evidence to support this theory. There are a number of letters between Newton and Fatio that do not seem to indicate anything other than a great friendship… ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 1999, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isaac-newton-probably-not-a-virgin/415/4 "1999-12-28T16:12:00Z")
But Turing lived in the 20th century - of course there’s more known about his personal life. A much better parallel could be found in Chris Marlowe, who, although the term is anachronistic, could fairly be called gay today. But Marlowe probably flaunted it. A ‘gay’ man who wanted to keep it a secret back then could have done so easily, and there would be no more than circumstantial threads of evidence for us today. A man who preferred men seems more likely to me than a man who was asexual. ---
**Author:** ![JoeyBlades](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a87d85/32.png) [@JoeyBlades](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoeyBlades)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 1999, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isaac-newton-probably-not-a-virgin/415/5 "1999-12-28T19:11:00Z")
> [@](#): > > A man who preferred men seems more likely to me than a man who was asexual. To you, but do you think the Pope would view the probabilities similarly? Of course, if you believe that Newton could keep a homosexual affair a secret, why not a heterosexual affair? Perhaps he was in love with a girl that, for various possible reasons, he had to keep that relationship a secret. Alternatively, perhaps he had some sexual disfunction. He was clearly an emotional basketcase in many ways. Or maybe, knowing that he was the type to get completely absorbed in scientific study and couldn’t devote an appropriate portion of his time to kids, he decided to insure that he never did to anyone what was done to him. I think the fact that Newton and Fatio lived in separate cities, particularly once Fatio became ill, is a pretty good sign that they were not lovers. Not conclusive, of course. ---
**Author:** ![RobRoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7ba0ec/32.png) [@RobRoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobRoy)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 1999, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isaac-newton-probably-not-a-virgin/415/6 "1999-12-29T05:12:00Z")
Intelligent comments here. The obsession with his scientific work or a sexual dysfunction seem to be plausible explanations as well. The heterosexual affair is a possibility - but I would expect some evidence to surface after a few years - this from an age of titled bastard heirs and attitudes about fidelity that shock us even know. As far as the Pope’s opinion on it… I think there are celibate religious, but the numbers of actively homosexual men in the orders is probably great judging by the press that does surface. It is interesting that one respondent above picked up what I did as well. The writer of the Britannica piece seems to be hinting. This is similar to a show by the classical music afficionado I heard once where he talked of the “special relationship” between Bernstein and Copeland… Copeland? I always knew about Bernstein, but Aaron Copeland. Well a friend of mine was not surprised and commented on the commentator in this case as well… There are vast numbers of closeted and not so closeted famous people in history - probably no more or less than in the general population. That leaves the question where are they? Even the exhaustive lists that run from DaVinci to Wilde and Hawthorne (yes Hawthorne was Melville’s main squeeze - torrid letters to prove it), Whitman, etc. don’t adequately illuminate the truth. Not to mention the curious lack of homosexuals in modern times, especially, ironically, in Hollywood and amoung African Americans. It is common knowledge that Billy Strayhorn was gay, but be careful what you say about the Duke… ---
**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 1999, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isaac-newton-probably-not-a-virgin/415/7 "1999-12-29T16:17:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Of course, if you believe that Newton could keep a homosexual affair a secret, why not a heterosexual affair? Perhaps he was in love with a girl that, for various possible reasons, he had to keep that relationship a secret. For what it’s worth, that’s exactly what happened with Sir Arthur Sullivan. Until the 1980’s, most 20th-century biographies assumed he was gay. Then his diaries were finally made available, and it turned out that he had been having a long-term affair with a married woman. * * * John W. Kennedy “Compact is becoming contract; man only earns and pays.” – Charles Williams ---
**Author:** ![dlv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f9b8f/32.png) [@dlv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dlv)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 1999, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isaac-newton-probably-not-a-virgin/415/8 "1999-12-30T04:53:00Z")
This reminds me of the gossip that sourrounded Hardy, the famous number theorist. He was never tied romantically to either boyr or girls. This led some folks to claim that he was a “non-practicism homosexual”. I don’t see the logic of it. He was plain asexual. Many mathematicians are this way. ---
**Author:** ![dlv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f9b8f/32.png) [@dlv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dlv)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 1999, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isaac-newton-probably-not-a-virgin/415/9 "1999-12-30T04:57:00Z")
Make it “non-practicing homosexual”. Also Leonardo da Vinci was _not_ gay. ---
**Author:** ![suiyobi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8e8cbc/32.png) [@suiyobi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suiyobi)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2000, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isaac-newton-probably-not-a-virgin/415/10 "2000-01-04T02:58:00Z")
well, i think we can all agree on one thing at least: Isaac Newton was HOT-- let’s weave this up with the great debate over the best swimsuit: newton in a dental floss monokini, now _that’s_ a good thread. ---
**Author:** ![RobRoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7ba0ec/32.png) [@RobRoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobRoy)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2000, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isaac-newton-probably-not-a-virgin/415/11 "2000-01-06T19:19:00Z")
To be honest - for his time (in his youth) he had the “look”, not that it would work now… ---
**Author:** ![suiyobi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8e8cbc/32.png) [@suiyobi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suiyobi)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2000, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isaac-newton-probably-not-a-virgin/415/12 "2000-01-07T05:56:00Z")
sweet validation! thank you, RobRoy. ---
**Author:** ![Rodd\_Hill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3ab097/32.png) [@Rodd\_Hill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodd_Hill)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2000, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/isaac-newton-probably-not-a-virgin/415/13 "2000-01-07T23:49:00Z")
dlv said: > [@](#): > > He was plain asexual. Many mathematicians are this way. Then how do they multiply? Thank you, you’re beautiful, I’ll be here all week. Please try the fish. * * * **Launcher may train without warning.**