Abraham Lincoln Documentary Alleges Revealing Relationship
While many argue who the most important American president was (hard not to give that one to George Washington), many can agree on who the best president was: Abraham Lincoln, the man who kept the country together through the terrors and toils of the Civil War. Because he is so important, Abraham Lincoln has been the focus of one documentary after another, enough to make us wonder if there is anything new to say about this legendary figure. Now, the documentary Lover of Men: The Untold History of Abraham Lincoln lays out a convincing case that this former president may have been either gay or bisexual.
Shaun Peterson is the director of this Abraham Lincoln documentary, and he brings some interesting receipts for his very bold claims.
Let’s cut right to it: what evidence does Lover of Men present to challenge our understanding of this iconic president’s sexuality? While the Abraham Lincoln documentary (beginning a limited theatrical run on September 6) examines the title character’s relationship with several different men over the years, the key focus is on his potential love affair with a man named Joshua Speed.
This man isn’t a major historical figure (he was the co-owner of a general store), but Lover of Men covers how he was important to Lincoln because the two lived together and even slept in the same bed for four years.
Shaun Peterson is the director of this Abraham Lincoln documentary, and he brings some interesting receipts for his very bold claims. More than a dozen scholars and other researchers are included in Lover of Men, and while some of what they have to say is well-known, some of it is very fresh and challenges our existing understanding of Lincoln and his life. This includes some never-before-seen photos and some letters from the president, all of which are used to argue that the former president was either gay or bisexual.
Works of fiction have pitted the president against foes like vampires, but Lover of Men argues that in reality, his greatest enemy has always been himself and his dark depression.
A cornerstone of this Abraham Lincoln documentary’s claim is his reaction to the news that Speed would be selling his store and heading back to Kentucky to take care of his mother’s farm. He and Lincoln would no longer live together or share a bed, and the experts in Lover of Men discuss how “Lincoln is devastated” by this news and that the months after Speed left were “the period of [Lincoln’s] darkest depression.”
That depression was apparently suicidal, and Lincoln’s friends took away any sharp objects that he could potentially use to kill himself.
All of these details from this Abraham Lincoln documentary paint a fairly compelling case, but do we know for sure that this iconic president was gay or bisexual? Not really: back then, it was relatively common for men to sleep together, and the culture treated sex and sexuality so differently that two men sleeping together didn’t usually raise any eyebrows.
While Lincoln would go on to marry a woman and father four children with her, Lover of Men ultimately argues that the deep affection for Joshua Speed and the depression over his departure is strong evidence of the two men’s romantic relationship.
Joshua Speed isn’t a major historical figure, but Lover of Men covers how he was important to Lincoln because the two lived together and even slept in the same bed for four years.
Abraham Lincoln has always been a fascinating figure, and this documentary proves that he always will be. Works of fiction have pitted the president against foes like vampires, but Lover of Men argues that in reality, his greatest enemy has always been himself and his dark depression.
In retrospect, we can only be thankful if Speed or any other man provided Lincoln with the light he needed to survive long enough to save the United States during its darkest hour.
