While Lincoln may never have thought of himself as “gay,” which is a modern concept, the evidence is pretty solid that he enjoyed the company of men. An entire, well-documented book has been published about his relationships with other men, including Joshua Speed, with whom he shared a narrow bed for 4 years (long after there was no economic reason for doing so) and with whom he maintained an affectionate correspondence for years afterwards, and with his military aide, David Derickson, when he was President. Lincoln and Derickson shared a bed on numerous occasions when Mary Todd Lincoln was away from Washington, and there certainly wasn’t any economic need to do that! Also, a descendant of Lincoln’s law partner in Springfield, Illinois has also recently disclosed that her family’s oral tradition is that the two were lovers for 20 years!

In the film it went by fleetingly, but anyone who has read the book describing the relationship between Lincoln and his military aide would have seen Kushner’s reference to Lincoln’s sexuality in the brief scene where he’s sitting on Derickson’s bed at 3:00 in the morning, signing pardons. He engages in some affectionate physical behavior with Derickson, who asks Lincoln if he “needs company.” Lincoln declines (they’re apparently in the White House) and the film moves on.

Dec 5, 2012 at 6:09 pm · @Reply ·