9 Indicators That Abraham Lincoln Might Have Been Gay

      In the recent documentary "Lover of Men: The Untold Story of Abraham Lincoln," a group of scholars asserts that the 16th President of the United States may have had sexual relationships with several men throughout his life.

      Here are nine historical pieces of evidence highlighted in "Lover of Men."

      **But First**

      Abraham Lincoln on February 9, 1864. Library of Congress – Credit: C/O

      The following evidence is drawn from letters written by Lincoln and those close to him, many of which can be accessed publicly at the Library of Congress.

      "Lover of Men" focuses on four men with whom Lincoln shared particularly close friendships, and possibly romantic relationships. These are his coworker from the general store, Billy Greene; army officer Elmer Ellsworth; Lincoln’s bodyguard David Derickson; and his closest friend, Joshua Speed.

      There is no concrete physical evidence suggesting that Lincoln engaged in sexual acts with men. While some historians contend that he was gay or bisexual, others strongly disagree. It is important to note that Lincoln was married to Mary Todd Lincoln for 22 years, with whom he fathered four children.

      We present these letters for your consideration.

      **Billy Greene**

      William G. Greene depicted in "Lover of Men," Amazon – Credit: C/O

      First, we have William G. Greene, known as Billy Greene. Lincoln was employed alongside him at a general store owned by Denton Offutt in New Salem, Illinois. During this period, Lincoln and Greene shared a small cot.

      Greene detailed their sleeping arrangements in an 1865 letter: “Mr. Lincoln and I clerked together for Offutt for about 18 months and slept in the same cot. And when one turned over, the other had to as well.”

      Some scholars argue that sharing a bed with another man was common in the 1800s due to the high cost of mattresses and the scarcity of beds.

      However, proponents of the theory that Lincoln and Greene had a romantic relationship suggest they likely could have arranged for separate sleeping quarters if they had wished to avoid sharing such a narrow cot, roughly two and a half feet wide.

      “There was almost certainly an option not to share the cot,” historian Dr. Thomas Balcerski, author of "Bosom Friends: The Intimate World of James Buchanan and William Rufus King," mentions in the documentary.

      **‘His Thighs Were as Perfect as a Human Being Could Be’**

      Albumen portrait of Abraham Lincoln, taken in Washington at Alexander Gardner’s studio on August 9, 1863, Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons – Credit: C/O

      Another remark made by Greene in an 1865 letter further suggests a potential erotic aspect to their companionship.

      “The first time I saw Abraham Lincoln, he was then well and sturdily built. His thighs were as perfect as a human being could be,” Greene noted.

      **Joshua Speed**

      Joshua Fry Speed as a young man, Filson Historical Society, Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons – Credit: C/O

      "Lover of Men" also posits that Lincoln's well-documented friendship with businessman Joshua Speed transcended mere platonic bonds. Some historians even claim Speed was the love of Lincoln’s life.

      The two met when Lincoln sought lodging in Springfield, Illinois and entered Speed's store looking for a room to rent. Due to limited funds, he accepted Speed's proposal to share a bed.

      While this might have initially stemmed from economic constraints, the two men cohabited and shared a bed for a total of four years, maintaining this arrangement well after Lincoln began earning a lawyer’s salary.

      In fact, during an 1875 conversation between one of Lincoln’s friends, William Butler, and Lincoln’s private secretary John Nicolay, Butler recounted inviting Lincoln to stay at his home:

      “Now I want you to come down here and board here and make my house your home,” Butler extended. Yet, Lincoln opted to continue living with Speed instead.

      **‘The Fatal First’**

      “Hon. Abraham Lincoln, Republican candidate for the presidency, 1860” – Lithograph by Leopold Grozelier, Chicago Historical Society, Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons – Credit: C/O

      Lincoln and Speed's cohabitation concluded when Speed returned to his family's plantation in Kentucky.

      Lincoln referred to January 1, 1841—as the day he discovered in a newspaper that Speed had sold his general store and was relocating—as “the fatal first.”

      The loss of Speed plunged Lincoln into a state of depression, something he articulated in a letter to his law partner John Stuart in 1841:

      “I am now the most miserable man living. If what I feel were equally distributable to the whole human family, there would not be one cheerful face on earth. Whether I shall ever be better, I cannot tell. I awfully forebode I shall not. To remain as I am is impossible. I must die or be better