Contents:
- THE GAY LIFE OF LORD BYRON
- THE EARLY GAY RIGHTS MANIFTO THAT LORD BYRON (PROBABLY) DIDN’T WRE
- GAY PROJECT
THE GAY LIFE OF LORD BYRON
Fna MacCarthy, Byron's latt bgrapher, distguish herself om the more than 200 who preced her by argug that he was sentially gay, rather than merely sexually omnivoro, which has been the prevailg view, and that women served as a distractn om his te sir, which unr the Brish laws of the time were punishable by public hangg. Byron's tortured acunt of that cint set the pattern for a lifetime of doublpeak, providg a rich che of secret msag for a clever bgrapher to 's hard to put much stock the theory that Byron was really homosexual, rather than bisexual, given the hundreds if not thoands of women he sced. But restg Byron as gay do give 21st-century rears a set of h clichés wh which to reanimate the by now rather tired legend.
Though more admirg of Byron than two recent bgraphers, Bena Eisler and Phyllis Grosskurth, she has a fondns for termistic explanatns -- she claims, for stance, that Byron's homosexualy was ''nate'' -- that would leave any lser figure fatally dimished. Around the turn of the century, Atria, Pssia, Rsia, and Tny had abandoned pal punishment for homosexualy; France, meanwhile, crimalized entirely.
“A Free Examatn to the Penal Statut” appeared soon after, but s plea for leniency punishg homosexualy did not sway members of Parliament. The poem—a sprawlg manifto of more than 50 pag—ed Byron’s personal experienc to argue favor of Parliament droppg the ath penalty, makg the then-radil claim that homosexualy was normal. In fact, the thor—posg as Byron—ed “Don Leon” to exriate supporters of punishments for homosexualy for their tolerance:.
THE EARLY GAY RIGHTS MANIFTO THAT LORD BYRON (PROBABLY) DIDN’T WRE
At pots, “Don Leon” levels direct attacks on policians who have prevly endorsed harsh punishments for homosexualy.
Referrg to Colonel Richard Mart, who fought agast animal celty but was supportive of the ath penalty for gay men, the thor cri, “Mart has mercy—y, for beasts, not men. Homoerotic Poems by Lord Byron. Lord Byron at age 25 (1813 portra by Richard Wtall)Homoerotic Poems.
GAY PROJECT
The first two poems below appear The Pengu Book of Homosexual. Gay Lerature, ed.
Louis Crompton, Byron and Greek Love: Homophobia 19th-Century.