An analysis of "Lover of Men": The Heart of President Lincoln

The documentary closely examines the 16th U.S. President's life and loves.

The recently released film Lover of Men: The Untold History of Abraham Lincoln explores the 16th president's personal life, including his bedroom.

Was Lincoln a gay man? Lover of Men presents evidence for the growing scholarly and historical conjecture that he was, drawing on the works of Lincoln and his contemporaries (letters, biographies, etc.) as well as analysis from a variety of historians.

The documentary, which opened in a few theaters on September 6, tells the story of Lincoln's challenging upbringing, which included his father's tense relationship with him and the death of his mother when he was nine years old.

In Lover of Men, he explores the sexual and social conventions of the day while concentrating on his connections with four men: Joshua Speed, David Derickson, Elmer Ellsworth, and William Greene.

The documentary claims that all four of the men had romantic relationships with Lincoln at different times and that they all had significant roles in his life. Specifically, Speed is called "the love of Lincoln's life."

One of the experts in the movie, Thomas Balcerski of Occidental College, tells PEOPLE that "I could not conclude in good faith that Lincoln was a lover of men if there were no letters, if there were no records, if there was no documentary evidence." "But we have the receipts."

These are a some of the most unexpected claims and disclosures made in the documentary.

 

Lincoln had little interest in women's company when he was younger:

The program includes comments from letters written by Lincoln's contemporaries expressing his overall dislike of "the girls." Historian Jonathan Ned Katz stated, "There is a lot of documentation showing Lincoln really wasn't interested in women." "There's a surprising amount of comments about that."

Historian Dr. Charles Strozier comments, "I think it suggests Lincoln may have been a virgin at 33," in response to what University of Massachusetts professor Michael Chesson refers to as "Lincoln's avoidance or aversion to young women" and additional evidence that he showed little interest in the other sex during his younger years. That was his age when he wed Mary Todd in 1842, the future first lady of the United States. Together, the couple went on to have four children.

However, Balcerski politely disagrees with Strozier's conclusion that Lincoln may be a 33-year-old virgin. "We don't have any sources that show Lincoln ever being sexually passionate with women before his marriage to Mary Todd," he tells PEOPLE. "I don't see these supposed romances that scholars have held on to for generations, including one fabricated one with Ann Rutledge."

He continues, "You have two theories: either he's a virgin, which I reject, or males were providing for his sex requirements. I've come to the conclusion that Lincoln's bodily demands were satisfied by interacting with other men, and I recognize this as a pattern in his life."

Early in his twenties, Lincoln shared a cot with a male coworker:

When Lincoln relocated to New Salem, Illinois, in his early twenties, he ran upon William Greene, a local general store employee. Lincoln's first significant man, according to the documentary, was Greene, and the two were devoted to each other for a period, even when they were sleeping.

In a letter from 1865 that is included in the program, Greene wrote: "Mr. Lincoln and I shared a cot and worked as clerks together for approximately 18 months." And the other had to do the same when one rolled over."

To put it another way, Chesson explains the sleeping arrangement: "They were spooning, or sleeping close to each other to prevent falling off the cot. If they didn't like it, I don't think either of them could have tolerated sleeping that way."

Lincoln's initial encounter with Joshua Speed was'lust at first sight':

Lincoln came to Springfield, Illinois, in the spring of 1837, having passed the bar and becoming a licensed attorney. While hunting for materials for a bed, he met Joshua Speed, a co-owner of a nearby general store, one of the first persons he encountered there. The document states that when Lincoln claimed he didn't have $17 to purchase a mattress, "Joshua Speed says, 'Well, I have a big double bed upstairs.'" Come upstairs and have a look."

The video claims that one of Lincoln's associates, William Butler, offered him a single bed in his house, but Lincoln chose to share a bunk with Speed. Chesson claims that during the four years that they shared a bed and lived together, "it grew into something far more than lust."

Lincoln became more presidential with speed:

According to Lover of Men, it was Speed—not Mary Todd Lincoln, Lincoln's wife—who actually prepared Lincoln for the presidency. "Who is the actual lady hiding beneath Abraham Lincoln? Joshua Speed "states Balcerski. "The credit goes to Mary Todd. Joshua Speed completed the task.

"Lincoln was a crude rural bumpkin with very folksy speaking patterns and mannerisms. "His pants were highwater," claims Chesson. Professor John Stauffer of Harvard adds, "Lincoln always had a bad-hair day."

He had a drastic transformation thanks to Speed, who made him look more presidential and more metrosexual—a term that didn't exist in the 19th century.

Lincoln's suicidal thoughts were apparent once Speed moved back home:

Lincoln found out at the start of 1841 that Speed was returning to his native Kentucky to assist his mother in managing the family farm after his father's passing. A dark period of "suicidal depression" ensued, during which friends of Lincoln are reported to have "established a kind of suicide watch," concealing all tools of self-harm and sharp items.

After Speed left, Lincoln said, "I'm now the most miserable man living," in a letter to John Stuart, his legal partner. There wouldn't be a happy face on the planet if how I am feeling were shared by the entire human race."

Without Speed, Lincoln and Mary Todd would not have gotten married:

Speed connected Lincoln to Mary Todd, a wealthy Southern family that owned slaves, prior to his return to Kentucky.

As per the documentary, Lincoln initiated a romantic involvement with Todd, which caused Speed great inconvenience. Lincoln got them engaged and then abruptly called it quits. "Lincoln realizes that this courtship with Mary Todd has set into motion an estrangement with his dearest companion, his bedmate and lover," Balcerski says in the documentary. "So Lincoln chose to break the engagement."

Speed got engaged while Lincoln was visiting him in Kentucky, where he first saw the atrocities of slavery up close. According to the document, he wrote to Lincoln to inform him of his marriage's consummation. "Joshua Speed, in that moment, assured Lincoln, for his own wellness, that sex with women was manageable," explains Balcerski.

Following were a string of fervently emotional letters from Lincoln to Speed, each signed "Yours forever" by the future US president. Lincoln had returned to his courtship of Mary Todd by the spring of 1842, and in November of that same year, he wed her.

Stauffer claims that although Lincoln was hesitant to get married, he does so. Lincoln realized he would be a better politician with Mary Todd as his wife, and that greatly aided him. She had a significant role in Lincoln's political ascent."

Lincoln had an affair with a man known as the "Bucktail Soldier" when his wife was gone:

The video references an entry from Virginia Woodbury Fox's diary from November 1862, which describes Lincoln's "emotional intimacy as well as physical intimacy" with his bodyguard Capt. David Derickson. Virginia Fox was Lincoln's assistant secretary of the Navy. "There is a Bucktail Soldier here who is very loyal to the president. He drives with him and sleeps with him when Mrs. L is not home," the writer stated. How ridiculous!"

Historian Dr. Jean Baker poses a rhetorical question, "What stuff?" "How should we consider that? I find it encouraging that Lincoln was confident enough in his sexuality to either have sex with the captain or just have him hold his hand."

Lincoln's law partner and biographer were enamored with his 'perfect' thighs:

Lincoln's contemporary and future biographer, William Herndon, authored a devoted biography of the statesman. Herndon was also Lincoln's law partner starting in the mid-1840s. A paragraph praising Lincoln's physical attributes is excerpted by Lover of Men: "When I first met Lincoln, he was well-formed and firmly built. He had the most flawless thighs a person could have."

Herndon, regarded as one of the best Lincoln biographers, is rumored to have been at odds with Mary Todd. At the age of 72, he passed away in 1891 and was laid to rest in Springfield's Oak Ridge Cemetery, which houses the Lincoln Tomb.