Was Abraham Lincoln Gay?

Was Abraham Lincoln Gay?

By Eric Maritato

Was Abraham Lincoln Gay? This is a common question that people have been asking and there is a lot of supporting evidence that he was indeed gay. When Lincoln was a young boy he reached puberty very early at the age of nine. Alfred Kinsey, who was the creator of the Kinsey Scale, which measures homosexuality, said that early maturing boys have a tendency to have more homosexual experiences.[1] Later in Lincoln’s life when he was much older, he had a few relationships with both males and females. He met a friend in Springfield named Joshua Speed. It is said that Lincoln shared the same bed with Joshua for four years, but Joshua later got married and so did Lincoln.[2] Lincoln’s wife was Mary Todd, they had four children, but Lincoln was often remote and unavailable during the relationship. During Lincoln’s presidency there were two men in Lincoln’s life that he admired, Elmer Ellsworth and David Derickson.[2] Both were soldiers, Elmer was shot and killed and it was said that this shattered Lincoln completely. David Derickson was Lincoln’s bodyguard. He was to have gained so much confidence from the president that he frequently spent the night at the cottage when Mrs. Lincoln was absent.[1]

In my personal opinion I think Abraham Lincoln was actually gay, but was confused or was too afraid to come out. At this time in history homosexuality was not something you spoke about. Often time’s people were punished or put to shame if they were homosexual. Saying this Abraham Lincoln was the president of the United States. What reaction do you think America would have given Lincoln if he came out and said he was homosexual? Not a good one that’s for sure. I believe that the people would have lost trust in the president and do anything in their power to get him impeached. I believe that Abraham Lincoln’s marriage to Mary Todd was somewhat a cover up and a way for him to fit into society and show that he was “normal”.  Yes, I am sure Lincoln loved his four children, but there is debate if he truly loved his wife. If I was in his position I would have done the same thing and stayed in the shadows instead of risking public embarrassment. In conclusion I guess no one will actually know if Abraham Lincoln was actually gay. There is plenty of evidence through his writings and his actions, but nothing can be proven.

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[1] Brookhiser, Richard . The New York Times, "Was Lincoln Gay?." Last modified January 9, 2005. Accessed February 27, 2014. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9f05e5d61439f93aa35752c0a9639c8b63.

[2] Rhue , Sylvia . Huffington Post , "Evidence That Lincoln Was Gay." Last modified November 26, 2012. Accessed February 27, 2014. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sylvia-rhue-phd/a-family-history-provides-more-evidence-that-lincoln-was-gay_b_2169482.html.