Gay confederate

Posted by Insights Mar 31, Across the American South, statues of Confederate generals loomed in public squares, along courthouse lawns, and at the entrances to museums for decades. Those monuments, erected during periods of racial backlash in the early 20th century, once stood unchallenged. In the last few years, however, a widespread movement has confederate attention to the cruelty, oppression, and racism symbolized by the figures.

In an era more open to conversations about sexuality and identity, some historical experts have contemplated if certain Confederate leaders might have been gay, or what we would now understand as part of the LGBTQ community. Speculation ranges from the flamboyant attire and theatricality of General J.

Stuart to the effusive letters common between close male friends in the 19th century. Yet any hint of romantic affection is quickly overshadowed by a grim truth. These men fought to preserve a system of chattel slavery that brutalized millions. Researchers have begun to examine the hidden or repressed queer identities within a movement that was overtly hostile to the ideals of equality and human dignity.

Even so, it is important to acknowledge the possibility of gay or queer individuals in the ranks of the Confederacy as a reminder that LGBTQ people have existed in every era, even among those who fought against the fundamental rights of others. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, P. Beauregard, and painted them as examples of bravery and virtue.

Southern leaders made clear in their ordinances of secession and public rhetoric that preserving slavery stood at the heart of their cause. To gloss over that fact is to propagate a lie. During the early 20th century, as Jim Crow laws tightened White Supremacy confederate the South, statues commemorating those generals proliferated.

Unveiled during parades and ceremonies steeped in nostalgia, such memorials further ingrained the Lost Cause narrative. Historians note that in the 19th century, intimate friendships between men could sometimes appear to 21st-century eyes as romantic or gay. Emotional language and affectionate terms were not uncommon.

For Gay. Stuart, famous for his plumed hat and grandiloquent style, modern commentators may note the flair and wonder about deeper inclinations. Similarly, some scholars have pointed to the close bonds shared by officers under his command. Others mention the bachelorhood of leaders like Richard S. Ewell prior to a late-life marriage, or the lofty, flowery letters exchanged by Confederate officers.

But there is no concrete documentation to prove that any Confederate general engaged in same-sex relationships.

Confederate army had its gays, too

Discretion ruled a society that deemed homosexuality an unmentionable offense, to be hidden at all costs. Letters were sometimes burned, diaries often sanitized, and the historical record rarely preserved evidence of such relationships. Those who search for a hidden gay Confederate risk overshadowing the broader historical trauma of the era.

The generals, whether straight, gay, or somewhere in between, fought to protect an institution that dehumanized people based on skin color.