Well change “almost certainly” to “unknowable, but pretty good evidence”.
Basically
i) He was accused of homosexual acts in Europe, which he denied
ii) Those were made by his political enemies.
iii) On the other hand just because the accusations came from enemies, does not necessarily make them untrue. Indeed, sexual deviancy allegations were pretty common in Europe at the time and the fact he made no real effort to defend himself, but decamped to America is quite interesting.
iv) He is supposed to have had a relationship, with William North; a subordinate. But, North was married and had no other known homosexual dalliance. Benjamin Walker, is another person he is supposed to have had relationships with, although in his case,I think the consensus is that he flattered the Baron hoping to be named his heir, but never intended to reciprocate any affection.
Either way, a sexual relationship would two subordinates would have not been tolerated then (or indeed now) so they would have had to be discrete.
Speaking of gay people in history, I saw an interview of Graham Chapman (of Monty Python fame) who described coming to terms with his sexuality. He decided that the best way for him to really understand his attractions was to ride public transportation and every time that he would see someone to whom he was attracted, he would write it down. After some time, he did the math and discovered that 7 times out of 10, the person was a male.
This is probably the most direct assessment, certainly given publicly, I have ever heard. I don’t think many people are particularly honest with themselves let alone with anyone else let alone in public on this subject.
There’s a big false dichotomy any time someone says something along the lines of “but he was married/had kids/was a skirt chaser.” Literally, in the sense of any shade of bisexuality.
Lincoln could’ve had an inclination which started and ended with Speed and that bed.
Well, when someone like Melville was married, and there was no suggestion of his ever being attracted to men, it would be tenuous to suggest his marriage is proposed to reject possible bisexuality.
Seriously, he might have been a drug addict, a murderer or a card sharp; but until there is the faintest mention of his partaking in these pastimes, there is no shame in declaring his innocence.
When gays in the military was still a big news item I used to take some satisfaction in knowing the von Steuben monument was visible from/a short walk from the White House in LaFayette Square and is probably the gayest monument in D.C..
I’ve got one: Rose Cleveland (Grover’s sister) fulfilled the role of White House hostess before he got married to Frances Folsom. She is listed as de facto First Lady during that interval. She married no man but later in life she took off to Italy with her girlfriend Evangeline Simpson as an explicitly lesbian couple.
Interesting woman. “It was said, ‘Rose Cleveland was a bluestocking, more interested in pursuing scholarly endeavors than in entertaining cabinet wives and foreign dignitaries.’ Rose was an intellectual, and she preferred to lecture rather than entertain, but she made sure to perform her duties as First Lady as a favor to her brother.”
General Washington and Rochambeau
buggering Hessians with the fireside aglow
Spendin’ up their money, drinkin’ up their pay
they’re never gonna win the war this-a-way!
I can’t quite make sense of this. Washington & French allies fought on the opposite side of the Hessians. Unless it’s meant to be deliberately absurd, like mice chasing cats into holes in “The World Turn’d Upside Down.”
He was not “flaming” gay, that is true by all accounts. He may have fingered a few assholes, given the odd reach-around, or gotten on his knees for a blowjob buddy, but I think we can all agree that it was not unusual for the times.
It is neither absurdist nor a war crime; it’s simple rudeness, such as has dominated martial humor since Ugg of the Hedgehog tribe picked up his first rock.
The tune is from Scottish/Irish fiddling traditions according to Wikipedia. It’s had various lyrics written to it including a version by Robert Burns. I can’t find any trace of the particular version cited though. (The only Google reference is to the post in this thread itself.)
You can hear it played by the Holy Modal Rounders, two jokers who nonetheless embodied the folk process in their willingness to adapt traditional songs to their own rude sensibilities.
Whether their words for Soldier’s Joy were ever sung by anyone else is an open question. There seem to be a million versions, this is one of them.
Thanks, Clothes. I recognized the name of the Holy Modal Rounders from the '60s hippie counterculture. Never heard that one before. It makes sense now in terms of culture jamming. (“The World Turn’d Upside Down” was culture jamming 18th-century style. Much in the vein of television’s new jazzed-up version of Ichabod Crane.)
