Book Review
Title: Bad Gays: A Homosexual History by Huw Lemmey & Ben Miller
Genre: Non-Fiction, Historical, Social Commentary
Rating: 5 Stars
The introduction the Bad Gays actually presented a very interesting viewpoint. Famous gays martyrs like Oscar Wilde brought the idea of homosexuality into the public eye but his lover, Bosie was the one that pushed for Wilde to sue his father which ultimately led to his criminal trial, imprisonment and death has ultimately been forgotten by many. This theme of the so called bad gays being forgotten in favour of those that changed to public opinion is understandable but leaves out a huge portion of queer history which this book is going to look into.
The first chapters looks at Hadrian, the same on Hadrian’s wall is named after. Hadrian was Roman but had a love and passion for all things Greek which would be a reoccurring theme throughout his life. After the death of his parents, he was taken in by a benefactor and later Emperor Trajan where he received an education and began both his military and political careers. Hadrian was intelligent and easy to talk to despite being quick to temper. As he grew he quickly rose the political ladder but this wasn’t without issues as he had a problem with hitting on the boys that Trajan had claimed as his. Time in this didn’t view homosexuality as a bad thing, same sex relationships were encouraged as long as it was between one older man and one younger man. This way of thinking eventually led Hadrian to meet Antinous who would be referred to as the love of his life. As both Hadrian and Antinous become more godlike in the eyes of the people, something happened while they were in Egypt. It is unsure whether Antinous drowned accidentally in the Bile or was sacrificed by Hadrian to Osiris but he did die and not king after Hadrian himself would succumb to his own ill health.
Pietro Aretino is the next subject we look at and he is very different from Hadrian. Aretino has humble beginnings but claimed himself to be a from birth and this frequently led to him getting into trouble and fleeing from the Holy City more than once. However, Aretino was a satirist and an especially good one becoming known as the scourge of princes. He used this to great effort essentially blackmailing those above him to avoid being humiliated in his work. Throughout his life and in his work Aretino championed the idea that sex was something everyone could find pleasure in no matter what form it took and similar to Hadrian we see that gender doesn’t play a large role here as one would assume. Aretino was a man who understood the hypocrisies of the powerful and pious, and used those hypocrisies against them to give himself the good life of friendship and partying he wanted whose work supposedly inspired Shakespeare since the only real life person mentioned by name in his parts was a god friend of Aretino’s.
The next chapter looks at James VI and James I who are the same person. James was the son of Mary Queen of Scots and would become the King of Scotland before eventually claiming the English throne as well upon the death of his aunt, Elizabeth I. During this time of religious unrest, James despite having a Catholic mother was raised Protestant and was known for his love of men. He eventually ended up in a relationship with one of his tutors, Esmé Stewart. This relationship was mutual despite the age difference. It many felt that Esme was reaching above his station and had too much influence in the younger King. Had Esmé not been an ambitious noble, but merely another young man without status, would evidence of their relationship have been a matter of the historical record? James became more focused on his religion eventually published the King James Bible and soon after met George Villiers who loved the King until his death. James would die with George at his side to eventually be succeeded by his son, Charles I.
Chapter four looks at Frederick the Great, a King of Prussia and a legend in German history. Frederick’s chapter isn’t long but it is tragic as he grew up under a brutal father that tried to beat the gay out of him even going as far as to execute his childhood friend and possible lover, Hans Hermann von Katte. Frederick never spoke of Katte again and when he became ruler he was noted as being close to Michael Gabriel Fredersdorf until his eventual death. The King was also friends with Voltaire but did fall victim more than once to his satire on account of his sexuality. Frederick was loved during his time as King but after his death as times changed as did the views on homosexuality, his legacy was changed to fit the German narrative especially in the Second World War and in the German divide.
Chapter five belongs to Jack Saul, a young, poor Irishman who ended up being introduced to the homosexual world through an affair with a soldier, Martin Kirwan. Saul eventually became a rent boy in order to earn money despite having a job with Dr John Joseph Cranny. After losing that job he moved to London where he returned to prostitution as a means of survival but was constantly dragged into various scandals. As the Labouchere Amendment came in making all forms of homosexuality illegal, Detective Frank Abberline the same from the Jack the Ripper case was sent to investigate a brothel where Saul was currently working. Due to this he was dragged into a case where he gave frank accounts of what went on in these places but was ultimately dismissed because of his low standing bringing into question the inequality in the justice system especially where homosexuality was concerned.
Chapter six belongs to Roger Casement, who was a national hero in the United Kingdom, and knighted for his service to the realm by King George V. When he died in 1916, he was infamous as a traitor and a pervert: executed by hanging in Pentonville Prison. He made friends like Herbert Ward and Joseph Conrad early in life but was also drawn in by political movements and colonialism. Spending a lot of time on Africa, Casement wrote about the horrors happening there and worked to change them but his downfall came when he returned home to Ireland. In trying to secure weapons for the Easter Uprising in 1916 Casement was arrested for treason and in the course of the investigation his homosexuality was uncovered eventually leading to his death which he face with pride.
Chapter seven looks at Lawrence of Arabia or Thomas Edward Lawrence. Early in life Lawrence really got into politics and especially fell in love with the Arab nations. In Arabia he met and fell in love with Selim Ahmed, known as Dahoum. He was rumoured to have a sexual relationship with the boy but this was never confirmed. During this time Lawrence was helping the Arab obtain freedom from the Ottoman Empire which was steadily falling to their advances. However, during one attack Lawrence was captured and raped, while this deeply affected him it also awoke something in him which we will see later in life. As the Ottoman Empire fell with Lawrence playing a critical role he understands that the British and French don’t intend to give the Arabs independence. Before leaving he wanted to see Dahoum only to learn he had died in the chaos which seems to have broken Lawrence. Lawrence returns to Britain and joins the Airforce where he developed a BDSM like relationship with another soldier but ultimately died in an accident after leaving the Airforce.
The author then turns his attention to the Bad Gays of Weimar Berlin. This chapter looks at the bad gays present before, during and after the Second World War. These included people like Friedrich Radszuweit and Ernst Röhm, both names are immediately recognisable to most especially history nerds. Rohm rose to a high level of power within the Nazi party but also proved himself on being a masculine homosexuality which was very different to other views at the time. Rohm believed it was a natural way to express masculinity without offending the public and was tolerated by the party even though they published homophobic propaganda. Radszuweit fought against the rise of anti-gay ideas and looked into the scientific reasoning behind homosexuality and transsexuals. However, looking at how Rohm does highlights the truth that his homosexuality was only tolerated while he was off use to the party and when protests against him got too loud he was dealt with accordingly.
Chapter nine belongs to Margaret Mead, an anthropologist who spent most of her life dedicated to looking at sexual practices and cultural in so-called primate cultures. Mead focused her scientific research and advocacy on the description of cultural difference and the use of cultural relativism to combat the rigid hierarchies of scientific racism, and to question the sex-gender system that othered her in her home culture. A known bisexual for most of her life she saw these cultures as a representation of free love and tried to change the Western opinion on them becoming quite famous in the process. By the time of her death in the late 1970’s she was one of the leading figures in her scientific fields but a lot of her work came under criticism after her death.
Chapter ten is looking at J. Edgar Hoover and Roy Cohn. Both names are immediately recognisable to those interested in politics or US history. While both being clearly homosexual they were the biggest enemies to the gay liberation movement happening in the 1950/1960’s. Hoover is often remembered as the founder of the FBI and the cruel hunter of both communist and homosexuals during the Cold War. Cohn like Hoover was a lawyer turned politician who was far more open about his sexuality but many liked the other way because of his influence. In both cases the fact they were homosexuals led to their downfall but it was interesting to see that Cohn denied being gay even when doing of AIDS and although he is remembered as a bully, he is also seen as a victim of the State he helped create.
The next chapter belongs to Yukio Mishima, one the most fascinating, enigmatic, and seemingly contradictory authors of the twentieth century. He lived an isolated and abused childhood which in him formed a bond between his homosexuality, his masochistic desires and his obsession with death. Throughout his life these themes would be present in his writing but it was towards the end of his life that he become entrenched in political wanted to bring back the honour of Japan. This led to a failed coup after which Mishima committed ritualistic suicide forever cementing himself in history for this reason but people commonly forget where he came from and how his ideals were born.
Chapter 12 looks at Philip Johnson, an architect who was extremely influential in bringing in both the modernist and post-modernist styles in America, However, he had a hidden dark side. For most of his life he was fascinated by Germany and racism even becoming quite an outspoken supporter of Hitler before American opinion turned on him during the Second World War. However, even after the war he had the money and connections in order to cover this up and it wouldn’t become widely known until Goa biography was published leading to tension between Jewish coworkers. He spent most of his life as a closeted man but was open within certain circles and eventually brought in his much younger life partner David Whitney. They would remain together until both fell ill and decided to go their separate ways ultimately leaving Johnson to die in his Glass closest of his own design. After his death another autobiography was released now including information Johnson kept buried for most of his life including his racist and fascist views.
The next chapter belongs to an infamous figure in British history, Ronnie Kray. It is unsurprising that the lads turned to crime, given both the poverty of the area and the example they were set. Life in London, particularly in working-class and immigrant communities, was marked by the presence of organised crime gangs. The twins possessing both brains and brawn quickly rose through the criminal ranks to establish their own empire. Ronnie was an openly homosexual young man who had a long time relationship with Bobby Buckley but he wasn’t a one partner man. Ronnie soon learned of the homosexual society in the upper class and how your status could provide protection from prosecution and established many friendships with notable politicians at the time. However, the downfall of the twins could come in the late 1960’s with both being sentenced to thirty years. Reggie spent his time in prison while Ronnie was sent to Broadmoor. When asked about his sexuality Ronnie described himself as a homosexual making the distinction that it wasn’t weak to be homosexual if you retained your manly virtues which matched the changing attitudes to sexuality at the time and mirrored those that came before him.
The final chapter belongs to Pim Fortuyn, who may be less a dismaying artifact of a specific moment in post-2001 gay politics in the West than a preview of its future. Fortuyn process that even in our modern age there are issues in the way we look at sexuality, race and culture even making himself a martyr when he was short dead just before the elections in the Netherlands. His actions gave roar to a wave of Islamophobia throughout the Western world that still exists today. In order to achieve the harmony we seek we need to deal with these issues First both individually and collective since throughout history we have repeatedly failed to see how these issues influence one another.
Overall, I found Bad Gays to be an informative and funny Read taking an alternative look at gay history and challenging the shiny narrative the queer community has built around itself. This book perfectly shows that no one is perfect and everyone has weaknesses and vices that might get them into trouble regardless of how they identify. I would highly recommend this to everyone as it provides an alternative take on history that were don’t get to see often.
Buy it here:
Paperback/Hardcover: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
Kindle Edition: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
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