LESSON History in Writing: Historical Gays

[MaryGold]

​

When it comes to writing characters set in the past, the number one rule that most people follow is "lack of technology" or no technology at all. And while it is not a bad rule to follow, it is also not a flawless one. Characters of the past are often different from characters of the present due to the different circumstances and the world around them. This includes queers of the past who had to hide who they were and their "indecent activities".

Hello, and welcome everyone to my new little series where I give people tips, quips, and mini-guides in writing historical characters and the world around them. As someone who loves history and loves writing characters in fictional history, I will be digging into research and providing info and facts that are helpful to framing your character in the past.

Since we are reaching the end of the month of June, and as the title of this thread says, the discussion will be on Historical Gays as myself and many others like to call them. As writers, doing our research is always important to stay within the realms of the facts and support our ideas and concepts as well as steer away from harmful ideals or misinterpretation and misrepresentation. Never feel that research makes you silly for not knowing or that you are too good for it because that would be actual silliness.

When writing queers in a historical setting, it is important to remember, like with every other character type, that they do not all fit into one box or even any of the boxes that were the norm for them of that time. So, when reading these tips and information, know that your character does not need to have all of them apply or even one. But it is important to be aware of what consequences they may face and that the world we live in today is very different from the one they did.

The Language: ​

Homosexuality, bisexuality, homophobia, etc. It is best to avoid using scientific terms regarding sexuality in general unless your characters are beyond the point of the 19th century. ​

​

The earliest date that the term homosexual was used and coined is 1868 by queer writer and activist Karl Heinrich Ulrichs in a letter to his friend. It not only included the term homosexual but the term heterosexual as well. They were made in secret and used in secret, and even then many of the people within the queer community did not use them as they weren't labeling themselves then The vocabulary we use for sex and gender today did exist for them as it does for us. There was no word for their attraction or their repulsion to their attraction. They had to find other ways to express themselves with words in an acceptable manner and many times unacceptably to the objects of their affections.​

​

When writing these broadly defined 'romantic friendships', as many historians used to call them, it is the perfect place to expand your writing in romance. In one of my previous lessons and workshops, we practiced characters expressing love through other means than a simple "I love you". People of the queer community had to do this on the regular with the objects of their affections not only because the idea of same-sex relationships was highly secretive and unaccepted by society, but because again, the way people expressed themselves before the 20th century was different from now. Oftentimes, more affectionate with those they were close to.​

​

You may write your character almost overtly obvious in their affections, or more subtly. This all depends on the elements of your character and their surroundings. As the circumstances differ for them when it comes to time, status, and world. Some of which I will dig into with my final point.​

The Attitudes: ​

Homophobia and internal homophobia were (is) widespread. And it shows in many historical figures that identified as queer in secret or not so secret.​

​

If you look at the writings of many queer literature authors, you will notice a consistent theme of many of their characters' lives ending in tragedy. A lot of it reflects the self-hate the authors feel for themselves for their "perversions". And your character does not need to be an artist of some sort to feel this common issue amongst the queer community. Societal standards force them into a box and not only hide themselves but hate themselves all the while trying to erase their existence.​

​

Sometimes, it is not the fear of societal pressure and punishment but the disapproval of God. Particularly, Christianity being the most far-spread religion that damn them. For a few, it drove them away from God, but for many where it was prevalent in society, it only increased the self-hate. There was the punishment of hell and then the punishment of the law with being arrested and in later years around the mid-20th century, it lead to putting in mental institutions for "curing" with conversion therapy.​

​

However, homosexuality is nothing new and not so well-covered. Just as there are so many who had to cover it up, there are others who did not bother to cover up their sexuality and actions. Kings, emperors, nobles, royals, etc. Prime examples I can name who had same sex lovers are: King Edward II of England, Queen Christina of Sweden, Emperor Ai of Han, Prince Phillippe I Duke of Orléans, and Tsar Ivan the Terrible. These are just a few examples, but there are many more, and would implore you to look up more to add to your inventory of queer knowledge.​

The Events: ​

Always be aware of the happenings concerning the time you are writing your characters. ​

​

This is an excellent rule to follow for historical roleplays in general when you are trying to stay as historically accurate as possible. It should be somewhat emphasized on points when the characters are part of a group or in a specific area that may be directly or indirectly affected. And people of the queer community have been affected by many events. Many of which are tragic and others that are comforting and encouraging.​

​

HIV/AIDS Epidemic: Many homosexual and bisexual men were affected by this crisis in one way or another. Many died from these diseases or had friends who died because of it. There was great discrimination and stigma surrounding people who contracted the disease or who possibly could just based on their sexuality, alongside the government's lack of assistance, all led to activism in not only America but the UK, South Africa, and other countries.​

​

The Lavender Scare: A piece of US history that not many know of, but summarised as interrogations in workplaces regarding people's sexuality to purge them from their positions. This started after the Sex Perversion Elimination Act was made in 1947 and led to the arrest of several queer folks in the 50s.​

​

Legalization of Same-Sex Marriage: For America 2015 was the year that same-sex marriage was finally legalized, but there many other countries that legalized it earlier. The very first country to legalize same-sex marriage was the Netherlands in 2000. And Canada legalized it in 2005, and many Americans traveled there just to get married for that reason exactly.​

​

These are just a few, but major events for the people living in them at the time, listed. You should always look into what the major happenings of that time so that your characters aren't ignorant of the world around them.​

The Culture​

The geography and culture of the place play a huge role, outside of Europe, before Western influence, sexuality was more fluid.​

​

The Greeks, the Japanese, and even the Romans before its transformation, amongst many others, all engaged in homosexuality. Centrally, male-male relationships and sex. It was not something covered up nor to be ashamed of at certain ages. Though, there was a power dynamic of ages and homophobia that they were to grow out of it (and that woman should not be engaging in sex with other women), those ideas still floated about then and was considered the norm. It only later became unacceptable and vulgar as time passed and western influence entered these lands, namely in this instance of examples, Japan. Those were time periods dated back to Edo Japan and what was considered ancient Rome and ancient Greek.​

​

When setting the location and time in these roleplays, consider the culture of the group the characters are part of and how the surrounding would consider it. For many cultures in the past, sexuality and gender were not a set-in-one-box concept. It was fluid and again there was rarely a particular word for what they were and even now some of the labels we have today still would not fit them.​

Each one of these points, could be further explored and further researched. Queer history is rich with so much that many historians did try to keep buried or ignore. With time, however, more are reporting the straight facts of the matter. As always, I encourage everyone to do a bit of their own research, more so if it interests you. I have left links below to videos and pages discussing some of what I mentioned in each point.

As a reminder, historical roleplays are still roleplays and therefore they are fiction. It does not need to follow history to a T, especially if you are diverting it from actual history on purpose. But if you want the characters to fit the setting more, try to remember and implement these points in your roleplay.

Happy Pride!

LINKS:
The Origins of the Word Homosexual
The Publishing of Queer Literature
Early Days of Aids in America
Japanese Male-Male History: Shudo & Wakashu
Gays in Royalty