Gay pirate
Gay Pirates and Gay Aristocrats
Despite vast differences spanning some 400 years, the 17th century was in some ways like today in the 21st century. Kings and aristocrats, lower class male youth, and pirates all seemed to consent homosexual acts without the extreme aversion characteristic of the mid-20th century. Lgbtq+ pirates, or rather 17th century pirates who participated in male-male sexual acts, were not an unique phenomenon.
I recently read Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island (1883) for the first time. I should hold read it as a boy. All the alike , it is a treat.
title page, Treasure Island; antique edition by Henry Altemus publishers, illustration © 1899.
In spite of his 19th century prose and the peculiar dialect of some of the dialogue, Stevenson is very lucid in telling his tale. At first I was perturbed that the upright Captain Smollett has not been better remembered than the deceitful and manipulative Lengthy John Silver. But one must admit that on top of Silver’s physical appearance with one leg missing and a parrot perched on his shoulder, his psychological dexterity in calculating his advantage in shifting circumstances makes him the most interesting
History of Gay Pirates
I had set out to record a light hearted story about gay pirates this week; however, along my journey, I found out some pretty horrible knowledge about pirates. This is my warning: while this story sounds very humorous, and has some entertaining moments, there is a discussion of sexism and prostitution. Be mindful of the difficult topics this article includes.
The best way to begin this article is by establishing the social context for the time. Same sex relationships were highly stigmatized on land and illegal in most places. Piracy however was known for rejecting societal standards and expectations. Some pirates went as far as baptisms in sea water, new names, and completely leaving behind their past identities.
Queer relationships at sea were not uncommon during the Golden Era of Piracy (1650-1730s). Relations between men was often encouraged. At the time, men on ship knew more about their crew mates than even their wives and children on land. This drew in a lot of queer men to piracy.
Pirates had their own build of civil union called matelotage. These unions could range in meaning (fraternal, platonic, romantic, etc.) but were respected among most pirate crews.
But I don't think this answers the question. Pirates were referred to at the time, as "Gaye Fellowes". What's up with that? Why is the pos so often used?
The proof is, pirates WERE homosexual. They were NOT homosexual.
The secret here is that words change in sense, and the word "Gay" has changed a lot since it came into the English language.
When I write this - that words change in essence - I can almost hear someone shouting, "No, they don't! Words signify things. They always represent the same things. Just look in a dictionary!" Yes, I know, the idea that language isn't always the same is disturbing to some people. But language NEEDS to change, to keep up with our changing planet. And if you uncertainty me, get a reproduce of the Oxford English Dictionary, which gives the history of the sense of each word it contains, and start reading up on how the meanings of some words has evolved.
Sometimes new words come
READING HISTORY
On 28 December 1720, a court was convened in Spanish Town, Jamaica, whose audience bore witness to one of the Golden Age of Piracy’s penultimate acts of defiance. The final verdict decreed that the prisoners: ‘go from hence to the Place from whence you came, and from thence to the Place of Execution; where you, shall be severally hang’d by the Neck, ‘till you are severally dead.’ A single moment later, the prisoners played their trump card, claiming that they were both pregnant, and so the court was brought to a standstill. By ‘pleading their bellies’ as it was called, both women could not be hanged for their piratical crimes, and so they were granted a stay of execution, characterizing a unique moment in the wider history of piracy. The two women in question were Anne Bonny and Mary Study, now known the earth over as the steal queens, or the Hellcats of the Caribbean.
As we have previously explored in Pirates Legends III, Bonny and Read’s story represents one of the Golden Age of Piracy’s most notable acts of defiance. In their challenging of the norms of their age in such a spectacular way, they sustain to epitomise the social rebellion view of pira
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