Attention to the sexuality of public figures has been heightened since the gay rights movement in the late 20th century In his 1926 biography of lincoln, carl sandburg alluded to the early relationship of lincoln and his friend joshua fry speed as having a streak of lavender, and spots soft. On the surface, nothing about abraham lincoln's public life suggested anything but a heterosexual orientation As a young man, he courted women and eventually married mary todd, with whom he had four sons Robert, eddie, willie, and tad. Lover of men, which premieres friday, examines abraham lincoln's relationships with four men and why historians are reluctant to label his sexuality.
The untold history of abraham lincoln, out in theaters sept 6, aims to be the definitive documentary about lincoln's sexuality, featuring excerpts of loaded language in letters. Historians have long argued over whether abraham lincoln, revered as one of the greatest american presidents, had romantic, sexual relationships with men. Many historians are quick to say that men shared beds due to a bed shortage and that surely lincoln, the savior of the union, could not have been gay The impulse to make lincoln absolutely heterosexual reflects a discernible societal discomfort with the complexities of human sexuality. During america's civil war, in 1862, abraham lincoln reportedly began sharing a bed with his bodyguard, a soldier named david derickson
