Was Abraham Lincoln gay? A new documentary, called Lover of Men, seeks to shed light on this question.
In the film, Lincoln’s relationship with Joshua Speed is at the center of things. Joshua was a local store owner in Springfield, Illinois, who shared a residence with Abraham from 1837 to 1841 when the former president was an attorney starting out in the field.
It is true that many young adults share homes in today’s society. What makes the relationship between Speed and Lincoln significant, however, is the fact that they shared a bed for four years. Furthermore, Lincoln fell into depression after learning of his good friend and roommate’s plans to move back to Kentucky to be with family.
“I am the most miserable man living,” Lincoln wrote to a law partner in 1841. “If what I am feeling were distributed to the whole human family, there would not be a cheerful face on the earth,” he continued.
“That I shall ever be better, I cannot tell,” Lincoln revealed in his letter. “I awfully forbode I shall not. Now, to remain as I am is impossible. I must die, or be better, it appears to me.”
Abraham Lincoln’s sexuality has been the subject of discussion in academic spaces for years. Some have argued that the sixteenth president sharing a bed with his roommate for four years is all that is needed to conclude Lincoln was at least bisexual. Others, however, have written off the bed sharing as normal for young men during those times.
Lover of Men is designed to be different by applying terms from today’s society to Lincoln and Speed’s relationship. As the synopsis reads, “Lover of Men widens its lens into the history of human sexual fluidity and focuses on the profound differences between sexual mores of the 19th century and those we hold today.”
Those interested in learning about a different side of Abraham Lincoln can watch Lover of Men in theaters on Friday, September 6, 2024.