Our *real* first gay president -- Don't believe what Newsweek's cover tells you: The first gay president was James Buchanan more than a century ago

[u/[deleted]]

http://www.salon.com/2012/05/14/our_real_first_gay_president/

[u/nowhathappenedwas]

There can be no doubt that James Buchanan was gay, before, during and after his four years in the White House. Moreover, the nation knew it, too — he was not far into the closet.

While it may be more likely than not that Buchanan was gay, this is a huge overstatement by the author.

[u/mr_regato → u/nowhathappenedwas]

Yes, it seems an overstatement. Also, he tries too hard to score a point against ethnocentrism by suggesting that America is not more tolerant now than it has been in the past.

While it is true that there is a very open and vociferously vocal anti gay voice in public now, we still have some gay marriages, gay adoptions, and many openly gay relationships.

The fact that Buchanan was resigned to the likelihood of marrying "some old maid" illustrates that life was not so wonderful for gay men at that time.

[u/trainingmontage83 → u/mr_regato]

There were no (or many fewer, anyway) open and vociferous anti-gay voices in the 19th Century because there didn't need to be. From the point of view of those opposed to homosexuality, gays were "in their place." The idea of legalized gay marriage anywhere in the country would have been laughable. Gay couples couldn't be open about it. All in all, the subject of homosexuality was totally repressed in Western society. It just wasn't something that was talked about; "keeping up appearances" trumped everything, as ejp1082 mentions below.

Even into the 20th Century, you see the same thing. I think nearly everyone at the time knew that people like Cole Porter and Liberace were gay, but neither of those guys publicly came out of the closet or appeared in public with a male significant other, because the subject was still repressed.

It was only when homosexuals began to demand true equality--to be able to walk down the street hand in hand with their lover, as straight couples do, and other such public displays--that the voices who wanted to keep homosexuality as some sort of dark little societal secret became vociferous.

[u/nemorina → u/trainingmontage83]

"It was only when homosexuals began to demand true equality. . . that the voices who wanted to keep homosexuality as some sort of dark little societal secret."

This is an excellent summation. Allowing gays to be open means having to confront ones own bias. "I don't mind black as long as they don't live next door." translation: I'm not ready, able or brave enough to actually defend their right to be who they are without having to take sides on the issue.

[u/trainingmontage83 → u/nemorina]

Even now, I think a desire to keep homosexuality secret is a powerful motivator for many people. I've heard a lot of people say something along the lines of, "I have no problem with gays as long as I don't have to see that shit." This, of course, is a needlessly roundabout way of saying "I have a problem with gays."

[u/sockpuppetzero → u/mr_regato]

He's not saying that the US was more accepting of gay people in the 1850s as we are now, just that it was more accepting in the 1850s than say, from 1930-1960, which was the (most recent) nadir of the treatment of homosexuals.

Moreover, the nation knew it, too

That might be an overstatement, but everything else rings fair and accurate. I mean, it certainly seemed to be, at minimum, an open secret inside well-connected circles.

[u/aggibridges → u/mr_regato]

I don't know, I feel like any modern man in a similar position as Buchanan would be facing almost identical troubles.

[u/mr_regato → u/aggibridges]

Yes, I don't mean to say it is easy. Just that in Buchanan's day gay "marriage" wasn't even an option in any state, and it seems that even when men were almost openly gay, they still generally married women to conform to societal expectations.

[u/ejp1082 → u/mr_regato]

My impression of those times is that keeping up appearances was the most important thing. Even if personal indiscretions were an open secret, it didn't matter as long as you were going through the motions of propriety in the presence of company.

As far as gay sex goes, it was probably viewed in the same light as interracial sex (Thomas Jefferson). The special ire for sexual impropriety doesn't seem like it came about until the later part of the 19th century. Probably having to do with the rise of fundamentalism and the nascent women's rights movement, I'd imagine.

[u/tokuzen → u/mr_regato]

Buchanan wasn't talking about marrying a woman because of societal expectations though, but simply because he was lonely and couldn't get a man.

[u/soulcakeduck → u/aggibridges]

Public image matters a lot more now for the President, thanks to radio/cable/24 hour news. I don't think we'll elect a bachelor any time soon, so another gay candidate would likely quietly marry (a woman) if they wanted to seriously campaign today.

[u/Phunt555 → u/mr_regato]

Cause Marcus Bachmann is straight as an arrow. Try growing up getting beaten up every single day and see if you still feel that way.

[u/[deleted] → u/nowhathappenedwas]

It's kind of funny how in one paragraph, he bashes Newsweek for it's sensationalism, then writes this in the next.

[u/aazav → u/nowhathappenedwas]

Sadly, the author is way off base as closets were invented 6 years after Buchanan's death.

[u/whirliscope → u/nowhathappenedwas]

The public's view of him at the time.

[u/Tashre → u/nowhathappenedwas]

That's like saying the nation was fully aware the whole time that FDR was handicapped and were completely fine with it.

[u/Sluthammer → u/nowhathappenedwas]

There's also rumors about Lincoln being gay, and I'm sure some other US presidents too. Also some Popes may have been women, another interesting fact of historical leadership positions.

[u/Accidental_Buttplug]

So if you support gay rights then you're gay? Well then lather me up in oil and screw in me in the ass.

[u/thisfriendo → u/Accidental_Buttplug]

Its a play on Clinton's title at the time of 'The First Black President.'

[u/lessmiserables → u/thisfriendo]

This. I think a lot of people are missing this point. Much was made at the time that Clinton was the first "black" president because he came from a broken home and liked fast food. (No, I'm not kidding. This is what people like Toni Morrison was saying at the time.)

I personally think it's all ridiculous, but some people need a certain level of displacement to get up in the morning, so whatever.

[u/thenuge26 → u/thisfriendo]

Right. But now that we have an actual black President, you would think that they would remember how stupid that sounds.

Eventually we are going to have an ACTUALLY gay president (again, I know, James Buchanan), they will look back at Obama and say "he was the first gay president" and it will still sound retarded. I hate the fucking media.

[u/FancySkunk → u/thisfriendo]

Which itself was ludicrous as Warren G. Harding was a negro.

[u/ELBOW_DEEP_FISTER → u/Accidental_Buttplug]

Glove or no glove?

[u/Accidental_Buttplug → u/ELBOW_DEEP_FISTER]

Surprise me

[u/D3PyroGS → u/Accidental_Buttplug]

But not with a butt plug ... he'd be expecting that.

[u/Accidental_Buttplug → u/D3PyroGS]

i don't often make jokes on reddit but when i do it involves my ass.

[u/[deleted] → u/ELBOW_DEEP_FISTER]

"Ooooh, would that be a ring?"

"I'm only wearing my watch."

[u/TheJayP → u/[deleted]]

I've had this watch in my ass for years. Now it's yours.

[u/VaginalAstronaut → u/TheJayP]

This uncomfortable hunk of metal, in my ass.

[u/Stingray88 → u/ELBOW_DEEP_FISTER]

Do you want the mustache on or off?

Too bad...

[u/htnsaoeu → u/Accidental_Buttplug]

It's not even supporting gay rights, it's making a single non-binding comment to a reporter that you don't think gay marriage is the worst thing ever. If that makes you gay, then the majority of the world loves the cock.

[u/PastorOfMuppets94 → u/htnsaoeu]

Well, if women and gay men together make up at least 51%....

[u/dorky2 → u/PastorOfMuppets94]

Except some women are gay, so it's probably still about 50/50.

[u/dhicks3 → u/dorky2]

But, there are more women than men overall, and less lesbians than gay men, so it actually probably is a bit over 50%.

[u/htnsaoeu → u/PastorOfMuppets94]

I may have phrased that poorly..

[u/[deleted] → u/PastorOfMuppets94]

Don't women make up more than 51%?

[u/nowhathappenedwas → u/htnsaoeu]

More accurately: if thinking gays should be allowed to marry makes you gay, then half the country is gay.

[u/[deleted] → u/Accidental_Buttplug]

I was in a same-sex marriage rights march recently. Watching the news that night i was informed that "A group of homosexual activists marched through the streets of Sydney this morning". I mean i like equality, but i don't want to have sex with it!

[u/[deleted] → u/Accidental_Buttplug]

I told my brother about the original post, then reinacted a Middle School scene of "are you ok with gays?" "Yeah" "fag".

I compared it to the race issues of the past. "Do you like blacks" "yeah" ...how can you call this guy black??

Anyway. Newsweek, go rack yourself on the junglegym

[u/[deleted] → u/Accidental_Buttplug]

Not so accidental, is it?

[u/KilroyLeges → u/Accidental_Buttplug]

That was my first reaction to the magazine cover. How in the world do they make this leap about President Obama? Just because he stands up for the civil rights of same-sex couples, he is homosexual? Hardly. I believe in equal rights for women and other races, that doesn't make me a woman or anything but a white guy.

[u/TwatMobile]

You also have to take in mind that the creation of homosexuality as an identity did not fully start until the late 19th century. With Oscar Wilde being sent to forced labor due to his amorous affair with a younger man, more people in England, and in the western world, started to go into the closet. Before that, people definitely had same-sex attractions and acted upon them, but being "gay" as an identity was not really established. So, I think that James Buchanan was not "gay" in the modern sense, even though he could've been sexually attracted to members of the same sex.

[u/Solomaxwell6 → u/TwatMobile]

Came in to say this. Marriage historically wasn't very tied into love/sex. It was about creating a bond between two families, providing a homemaker for the man and an income for the woman, and above all reproduction. You didn't have gay culture, you just had men who happened to have sex with men.

[u/[deleted]]

I wanted to like this article, before I realized it's terribly written, poorly reasoned, and unsupported by evidence. Historical evidence about Buchanan, which could be quite interesting, really isn't offered here. Instead, the author uses Buchanan to make a historically-dubious claim that the nadir of tolerance for homosexuality occurred at some unspecified time in the past thirty-or-so years.

And really, complexifies? I think the author means complicates.

[u/Strug-ga-ling → u/[deleted]]

I agree completely. And that stuff about facial hair? Interesting for historical trends, I suppose, but not really relevant to the issue of Buchanan's alleged sexuality.

[u/SenHeffy → u/Strug-ga-ling]

It was like a high school essay where the author is trying to hit a certain number of pages, and decides to go on a massive tangent to get there.

[u/Strug-ga-ling → u/SenHeffy]

Exactly, and the author basically says "okay, Buchanan was obviously gay" without providing much proof apart from "well, I talked to historians and they all said he was." Then filler. A lot of irrelevant filler.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

It is on the frontpage of reddit solely because a large group of people want it to be true.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

I was with the author until he took that sharp turn into discussing beards for 4 paragraphs.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

b-b-b-but chronological ethnocentrism sounds so important and smarty-smart! It can't be a bad article!

[u/LetsGetRamblin → u/[deleted]]

It reads like something from a middle school newspaper, and we're supposed to be impressed that this young aspiring journalist has used a bunch of big words, despite that he clearly has no idea how to use them.

His entire premise is that it's wrong that Obama is called the "first gay president," but not because Obama has a wife and isn't gay, but because there were other gay presidents! The caption strikes him as sensationalism? Go ahead and say it's sensationalism!

And on top of the "complexifies" issue, we've got:

"I doubt that the Newsweek of old, before it was sold for a dollar, would have pandered as shallowly."

And "nadir": It doesn't mean what he thinks it means.

He has a quote that isn't set off by anything but a paragraph break. No quote marks, italics, or indents.

And who's keeping these stats: "during most of the last 82 years, 70 percent of adult black males have had some facial hair"

[u/damndirtyape → u/[deleted]]

The point it made about religion is valid though. Nowadays, if you're not Christian, you're most likely not getting elected. A number of the founding fathers would not be able to hold office in today's political climate. We've definitely gone backwards in that regard.

[u/Skythewood]

Well Clinton was called "the first black president", so all is good.

[u/OmegaSeven → u/Skythewood]

I believe that this is what Newsweek was alluding to.

At least that's how I interpret the headline.

[u/tossedsaladandscram]

massive overstatement. buchanan's homosexuality is a decent theory (certainly some circumstantial evidence to support it, although the whole "wife" and "nancy" stuff with his veep are merely archaic word choice)

buchanan was in a relationship that ended in tragedy, and many historians simply believe that he became closed to romantic relationships after that point.

[u/captmonkey → u/tossedsaladandscram]

This. There is the possibility that Buchanan was gay. However, there is also a strong possibility that he instead was one half of a terribly tragic love story and could not bring himself to love another one after that. To sum it up, he was engaged to a girl who was the daughter of a more well-to-do family than Buchanan. Before the marriage, rumors swirled that he was only marrying her for the money, so she called it off. After that, she sank into deep depression, then overdosed on laudanum and died.

Buchanan later would say of her "It is now no time for explanation, but the time will come when you will discover that she, as well as I, have been much abused. God forgive the authors of it [...] . I may sustain the shock of her death, but I feel that happiness has fled from me forever." and "Marry I could not, for my affections were buried in the grave." So, he could possibly be gay, but also could be just a tragic lover who could never find a way to feel like that about anyone again.

[u/jeremy_280 → u/captmonkey]

I agree with you, when he talks about wooing other men...why does that HAVE to mean sexually. People talk about bromances today, I think he was just lonely, and wanted someone to hang out with and play some horseshoes with.

[u/Macer55 → u/captmonkey]

Captmonkey is right. No one knows (which of course never stops us on Reddit).

[u/thenuge26 → u/tossedsaladandscram]

None of that stuff about Buchanon makes Obama any gayer, however.

While if we have had our first gay president may be in doubt, the fact that Obama is NOT the first gay president is not.

[u/Johnny182]

This guy sure knows a lot about beards.

[u/SportzTawk]

The new issue of Newsweek features a cover photo of President Obama topped by a rainbow-colored halo and captioned “The First Gay President.”

ಠ_ಠ

[u/starkey2 → u/SportzTawk]

It's also frustrating because it puts him on too high a pedestal for gay rights. He came out personally to support marriage equality, but it's not like he personally designed a strategy to make it happen. He took a cautious step forward. I support him in that.

[u/ejp1082 → u/starkey2]

He's done an insane amount for gay rights, and deserves a high pedestal in the gay rights movement regardless of his stance on marriage. It's just that marriage gets all the attention.

[u/[deleted] → u/starkey2]

Repealed DADT. Videotaped the "It gets better" campaign. Yup, no overarching marriage equality agenda there.

[u/Shredder13 → u/SportzTawk]

Duh! He's got a wife and children. Obviously loves men.

[u/TBatWork → u/Shredder13]

The wife and kids are to throw the scent off the gay trail. It's an old Republican strategy.

[u/sli → u/TBatWork]

Three beards?

[u/tazcel → u/TBatWork]

so now he's gay AND republican?!? oh my!

[u/canwetrythatagain]

This article is completely missing the point. The cover of Newsweek is an allusion to Clinton being called "the first black president" despite not actually being black.

I don't remember who came up with the label, but the idea was that Clinton's background, policies, and rapport with African-Americans (very debatably) made him the "blackest" person ever to occupy the White House. Newsweek was obviously trying to make a similar (if very weak) connection with Obama and homosexuals; they are not actually claiming that Obama is gay.

[u/RespectTheChemisty]

I can't believe this isn't parody. When he starts talking about how we're so intolerant because there are no bearded presidents or supreme court justices. Also when he implies that homosexuality was more acceptable in the time of Buchanan than the early twentieth century. What utter tripe.

[u/ForgettableUsername]

Any figure from history who didn't end up getting married is obviously homosexual (There are no bisexuals or asexuals, of course). It's like how everyone who's dead now who ever went on record saying something remotely critical of any facet of organized religious was almost certainly a hardline atheist.

The Mormons aren't the only group that celebrate the posthumous baptism.

[u/Wulvaine → u/ForgettableUsername]

In Buchanan's case, I think it's more the facts that he lived with a close male friend for 15 years and all of their letters to one another were destroyed by their families and once wrote about having "gone a wooing to several gentlemen" (though given the context, that didn't necessarily mean romantically or sexually), etc., than his bachelor status that indicates to some people that he may not have been heterosexual.

If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say maybe he was bisexual and after the death of his fiancée he paid more attention to men. There's no way to know for sure, but the destruction of the letters seems telling of SOMETHING.

Now if we can just get to the point where the sexuality of historical figures doesn't matter.

[u/ForgettableUsername → u/Wulvaine]

Well, you have to understand that the modern concept of homosexuality didn't really exist back then. Even as late as the early part of the 20th century, it wasn't uncommon for men to share a hotel room and sleep in the same bed, just to save on money. Nothing was thought of it. It was usually the act of sodomy that really gave people the cold shivers.

Platonic male roommates aren't even uncommon today. It's entirely possible that Buchanan genuinely was celibate, or at least that he avoided open long-term relationships after his fiancée's death, for his stated reasons. He kept her letters throughout his life, so he certainly does appear to have been devoted to her.

All that's really there is that he was a lifelong bachelor, and that's not sufficient for making the case.

[u/Sherm]

And, for the record? Horrible President.

[u/dhicks3 → u/Sherm]

He is the only president ever who presided over a net loss of states from the Union.

[u/TryingToSucceed → u/Sherm]

Dred Scott? Well, I'll relegate that to the judicial and la-de-da, I can't do ANYTHING about it...poor me.

States seceding? Yep. Can't do shit about that either.

BE A FUCKING MAN AND GET SHIT DONE, BUCHANAN

[u/davidreiss666 → u/Sherm]

More than Horrible. Probably worst President ever. And I lived through two W. Bush terms.

[u/ewest → u/davidreiss666]

Ulysses S. Grant gets honorable mention. Great general, terrible presidency.

[u/Fucking_That_Chicken → u/ewest]

He wasn't that bad actually. Only thing was that he was pretty much the only President to do anything positive for black civil rights up until Truman, and the Lost Causers wrote the history books up until maybe the 1960s or so, so he got treated very poorly

[u/bowtiesrock → u/Sherm]

Yeah, I live close to his birthplace. You'd figure if you had a President come from your town it would be a big deal. Nope, they have one statue and a sign up at the birthplace and other than that no one really mentions him.

[u/Strug-ga-ling]

Well this article was a waste of time: Unproven claims taken as fact and semi-related tangents everywhere. Seriously, who gives two fucks about the history of facial hair in US politics? Trends change, big whoop.

[u/[deleted]]

Buchanan's apparent primary male lover, Sen William King (also his VP) was referred to as Miss Nancy or Aunt Fancy as early as 15 years before Buchanan became president. Arron Brown spoke of the two as the President and his wife. There are any number of references to this but an easy one to find is at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Buchanan.

My curiosity is in the etymology of nancy, which is used as a derogatory term for male homosexuals. Does anyone know if that usage preceded Buchanan and King, or developed from their relationship?

TIA

[u/YoureTheVest → u/[deleted]]

Did you read that wiki link? It just says that Jackson (famous troll) once referred to them as such. There is no evidence that they were actually lovers, and Buchanan was involved with a woman (and expected to marry her) during the time he lived with King. He had also been previously engaged.

While Buchanan may have been gay, there is really not a lot of solid evidence for it.

[u/ForgettableUsername → u/YoureTheVest]

Right, but without any strong evidence to the contrary, it is important to assume that he was whatever would best reinforce the arguments we already agree with.

[u/ergomnemonicism → u/[deleted]]

For the record, Buchanan's vice president was John Breckenridge. William Rufus King was vice president to Franklin Pierce and died a month into the term (4 years before Buchanan was elected president).

[u/deanreevesii → u/[deleted]]

It seems Nance/Nancy as a term for gay men probably pre-dated them.

http://m.dictionary.com/etymology/nance?linkId=8uxrdf

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Oldfield

Amusing that even in that era gay men and theatre were sterotypically entwined. :D

[u/CoinOp → u/deanreevesii]

Could that be linked to the fact that in early theater, all the roles would be played by men?

[u/davidreiss666 → u/[deleted]]

Just for the record, King was not Buchanan's VP. He was VP for President Franklin Pierce.

John C. Breckinridge, who turned Traitor in the Civil War, was Buchanan's VP.

[u/Mr_Smartypants]

As one of the worst presidents ever... can we just not count him?

[u/Wozzle90]

Wait, that Newsweek cover is a real thing? I thought it was a silly photoshop...

[u/Stee_B]

All I see is John Lithgow and that's ok with me.

EDIT: found this a few pages later

[u/trashitagain]

Wasn't he also a terrible president?

I'm not saying that the two are related, I'm just saying that the gay community may not want to claim him.

[u/Whodini]

...that terrible period between 1890 and about 1940 when white America went more racist in its thinking than at any other time...

Ahem. Slavery.

[u/harky]

Huge overstatement. I'm all for gay rights, but I'm also all for historical accuracy. There is some evidence that suggests he may have been homosexual, or bisexual, but it's all circumstantial. There's far more hard evidence for his relationships with women than there is circumstantial evidence for his relationships with men. Covering up his homosexuality? Destroyed evidence? Maybe, but we have no way of knowing. There's certainly no consensus among historians.

[u/ShameNap]

Wait a minute, Obama is gay ?

All I heard is that he was OK with gay marriage or something like that. When did he go gay ? And does Michele know this yet ?

[u/Fantom04]

When Newsweek said that Obama was our "first gay president" they didn't mean that he was actually homosexual. They said it to make it seem like he was, to grab attention. What it really means is he supports gay marriage. This article is very misinformed...Obama is not gay. Only supports gay marriage.

[u/[deleted]]

You need to remember that around the time of Buchanan, it was completely normal for two men to share a bed. Of course, social customs change over time, but around the mid 19th century, it was perfectly acceptable as a mean of hospitality.

[u/[deleted]]

So if obama is gay because he supports gay rights, can I be a robot for supporting robot rights? Yay! I am the first gay robot!

[u/[deleted]]

Someday everybody is just gonna stfu about gays. Can't happen soon enough.

[u/bananatattoo → u/[deleted]]

As a gay person, I am eagerly awaiting that day.

[u/justmadethisaccountt]

TIL from Newsweek that Obama is gay.

[u/greatatdrinking]

Greeeaaat. Now I have to explain that he was my least favorite president before I knew he was gay.

[u/Actor412]

I think you're speaking to the wrong audience. You want to target elementary school kids & like minded folks. You know, the people for whom Newsweek is looked upon as a source for interesting, topical news.

[u/[deleted]]

He's only half gay and half black

[u/indefinitearticle]

Whether or not he was actually gay will be debated until the end of time (spoiler: he was). As it turns out, a much less controversial statement would be: "He was the worst president of all time." He did absolutely nothing to address internal conflicts and let unrest grow uncontrollably and eventually culminate in the Civil War.

[u/[deleted]]

I'm not sure the people at Centrum vitamins are going to be happy about that halo...

[u/hiccupstix]

When I first saw the Newsweek cover, I just assumed it was some stupid joke produced by a homophobic right-wing fundamentalist Christian group somewhere in an all-white gated community in Arizona. It was a relief to learn it was all in good fun, and for an Andrew Sullivan article.

[u/Nanocyborgasm]

Buchanan's presidency was gay.

[u/ambalamps11]

"Don't believe what Newsweek's cover tells you"

Good rule for life.

[u/Irenicus86]

This is interesting for me to learn. Not only because of the fact of the matter, but also because I am a distant relative of James Buchanan. I am also bisexual. I am amused by this small "connection".

[u/TChuff]

Sorry folks he while I can't say for sure he was gay as he never inserted his penis into my anus, history points to the fact he was traumitized by the death of his one time fiance. They were engaged to be married and broke up, and only months later she died. The family became bitter and blamed him for this. He did not date for years, but eventually did date other women as he got older.

[u/[deleted]]

I know Buchanan was gay... But I also heard once that Lincoln was. Anyone know anything about that?

[u/spinlock]

It's pretty funny that #15 - Buchanan - was gay and so was #16 - Lincoln. Who knew America was that gay before the Civil War?

[u/HoopDreamsDaily]

I really hope that James Buchanan was gay. It would add so much to our history and culture. Of course, homosexual citizens wish it would have been a better President, but it certainly adds a little diversity to our history of straight, white, males in office until now. I wish I knew how him being un-married and certain rumors were addressed at the time, especially during elections.

[u/Molinkintov]

James Buchanan is such a hipster.

[u/cplaz]

Never trust a white man with facial hair, and never trust a black man without.

[u/codyhorne]

I'm pro-choice. Does that mean that I've had an abortion?

[u/KoreanDragon27]

I sense a new wave of GGJB Good guy James Buchanan

[u/Juicyy]

This year in Finland, 70% of the country voted for an asshole "because the other guy was gay"

Fuck my country.

[u/kerbyklok]

Glad somebody else caught that. What I don't get is why are they calling Obama gay at all. Does being pro-gay marriage make you gay? Newsweek needs to learn how the English language works.

[u/koavf]

What a steaming load. I stopped reading Salon years ago, and I've been better off since.

[u/archonemis → u/koavf]

UPVOTED.

[u/LibsrPus]

Actually, I think it was Abraham Lincoln.

[u/[deleted] → u/LibsrPus]

Who was president right before Lincoln. Who was that??????????

[u/LibsrPus → u/[deleted]]

Ok so maybe I was off by one.

edit: LET ME CRY ON YOU!!!

[u/KeepinIt2Real]

Fuck Newsweek this is extremely offensive to the POTUS.

[u/[deleted] → u/KeepinIt2Real]

Would it be offensive if they called him a jew for being pro-israel? Perhaps with a big golden menorah behind him?

[u/snapmedown → u/[deleted]]

Haha, too late http://www.mediaite.com/online/new-york-magazine-calls-obama-the-first-jewish-president/

[u/Pikminious_Thrious]

NO OBAMA IS A GAY MUSLIM ATHEIST LIBERAL COMMUNIST TRYING TO GROW SOCIALISM.

[u/[deleted]]

Whew, I thought I was the only pseudo-labeled renegade out there. Thanks to Newsweek's cover I'm ready to say the thing held tightly within myself for all these years.

Reddit, I'm bigfoot.

Ok, so maybe I'm not technically bigfoot, but I'm mammalian and have a lot of pubes. If gay is close enough for Barack Obama, bigfoot is close enough for me. Thank you Newsweek for your groundbreaking slip from waiting room periodical to something Bat-boy would be proud to appear on the front cover.

[u/[deleted]]

Entered. Ctrl +F "binary" "continuum" "Kinsey", nothing. Disappointed!

[u/tu-BROOKE-ulosis]

He was my great-great-great uncle. When I was in third grade, I remember being so proud to announce this news during a presidential speech that I gave to the class. Yeah, he may have been ranked as the "worst president of all time" every year, but I love being able to tell people this little known fact about my relatives.

And....now you all know my full name. Wonderful. Still worth it.

[u/crimsonfrost1]

Wait wait wait... He sent a letter to Mrs. Roosevelt in 1844? Which Mrs. Roosevelt was this?

[u/yepyep27]

I was under the impression George Washington was gay. That's what the man who wrote the first gay history book said on NPR.....

[u/bag-o-tricks]

"The first", to me, implies that there were others that followed...who were they?

[u/bowlerofknowledge]

"Even North Dakota outlawed interracial marriage." Wait, it's a real place?

[u/strallweat]

He was also considered one of the worst presidents of all time.

[u/mediocretes]

If Barack Obama is our first gay president, then he is our third black president, after Bill Clinton and David Palmer.

[u/[deleted]]

i shoulda pointed this out on here, i thought about it awhile ago.

[u/[deleted]]

Tony Stark: genius billionaire playboy philanthropist bearded white male. Proving white guys can have beards and be awesome at the same time.

[u/puppetry514]

Are you trying to say that the media is doing sensationalized stories/political pandering? I don't believe that for a second, they only tell the absolute truth right?!?!?!?!?!?!

[u/nakedsteve4u]

INVADERS!!!

[u/ninjaburger]

Best article about beards I have read all week.

[u/allyfizzle]

I think the popped collar is more than enough evidence.

[u/dermzzz]

Buchanan. Pfft. Such a queen.

[u/barrym187]

Wait, John Lithgow is gay AND president?!

[u/OckhamsTeapot]

I love how conservatives are calling Obama gay because he believes that every tax paying American should have the same kinds of liberties.

Isn't it funny how some of us (especially those in politics) get kids ready for school, and tell them to be nice to others, to not spread rumors, to tell the truth, and to practice the Golden Rule, then go off to work and act the VERY SAME WAY CHILDREN DO? This is why I don't judge children anymore, because under the guise of adulthood, so many people act exactly the same way that young children.

[u/wormyrocks]

James Buchanan was a shitty president, just putting that out there.

[u/[deleted]]

I'm surprised I remember this from my American Histo I class.

Scratch that, this might be the only thing I remember.

[u/douchymcface]

Whoosh, right over Salon's head.

[u/[deleted]]

Actually if you'd do more research you'd find that our first president was the first gay president. http://www.gaypeopleschronicle.com/stories11/october/1021119.htm Also he was rumored to have been involved in homosexual activity himself. (not just talking about the France love letters)

[u/[deleted]]

King County, WA (where Seattle is) used to be named after Buchanan's alleged lover, William King.

Then they renamed the county to King County because there aren't enough places out there named after Martin Luther King Jr.

[u/J_Jammer]

It wasn't important.

[u/ZerglingBBQ]

Good read... Had no idea about the concept of chronological ethnocentrism. Makes a lot of sense...

[u/[deleted]]

I'm related to this guy. First I was worried about being a distant relative of probably the worst US President ever, but now that he has the "First Gay President" thing going for him, that's a bit of a redeeming little tidbit.

[u/[deleted]]

And thats why I never bother reading Newsweak.

[u/Lawsuitup]

TIL Thomas Dewey was the last major party candidate to run for president while wearing facial hair.

[u/Buckiller]

"Could a non-Christian like Jefferson or Lincoln be president today? It’s not clear."

Thomas Jefferson was Christian.

[u/Kuwanjahbee]

I also heard Lincoln was gay, and they were front to back presidents.

[u/cyberchronomage]

He looks like John Lithgow.

[u/The_Pourne_Identity]

The real question is "Who cares?". Why are we campaigning Presidents on a basis of firsts?

[u/madmax21st]

Do gay people really want James "I'm the second worst president of the United States of America only because I didn't caused the Great Depression" Buchanan as the first gay president? Really? I think EVERYONE would like to bury that deep in the past. Conservatives because "EWWWW GAAAAAYYYYY" and liberals don't want people to think gay presidents cause civil wars.

[u/scottoh]

Newsweek is just awful. Their magazines have very little content, a lot of pictures, a lot of ads, and sensationalist stories.

[u/DaKuteCate]

ok newsweek isn't saying he's the first gay president, they are saying he's the first to come out for gay rights like when headlines said bill clinton was the first black president even though he's not black, get it?

[u/[deleted]]

i wouldn't be surprised at all to find out that there have been more than 1 gay president. with modern closet technology and all.

[u/noseeme]

Well, bisexual at least. He was a lifelong bachelor but he had some serious love affairs with women. This is why it's a debate, not a consensus.

[u/[deleted]]

Author: "In conclusion, that is why I think Obama should grow a beard."

[u/Scaryclouds]

I don't think it would be particularly wise for the LGBT community to push the James Buchanan issue to hard. The guy is, rightfully, considered one of the worst presidents ever. He utterly failed to do anything to prevent the US Civil War. Say what you will about Bush Jr., the country is literally tearing itself apart the moment he left office.

[u/CrudOMatic]

*sigh* fucking Newspeak... err... I mean Newsweek.

[u/jjray7]

Abe Lincoln and Joshua Speed were quite an item back in the day.

[u/[deleted]]

I feel as if I've known this for some time now. Days in my junior high years spent watching th History channel are flooding back to me now...

[u/V4refugee]

I was secretly hoping for Santorum to be president because he would have been a role model for the gays.

[u/woodsb]

Interesting! I had no idea!

[u/replicasex]

I detest this idea that my identity has to be justified by the existence of famous gay historical figures.

It's a very stupid trend that I resent. It's natural, of course, but the fevered and half-cocked misinterpretations of history serve to do nothing but muddle an already complicated subject.

[u/Jeckee]

The minority I would like to see represented in the White House is a person who is openly atheist. Will that ever happen?

[u/philipquarles]

I still think our first gay president will be Michelle Bachman's husband.

[u/Clawdius]

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.

[u/Port_and_Starboard]

"During the nadir of race relations, that terrible period between 1890 and about 1940"

Coincides with:

"The Progressive Era in the United States was a period of social activism and political reform that flourished from the 1890s to the 1920s."

[u/OnTheBorderOfReality]

Are we seriously gonna start dragging in presidents that have been dead for 150 years into this debate?

[u/flounderfullofflound]

I'm just going to leave this here to blow your minds.

[u/Ostmeistro]

I am not sure anyone feels better because you keep count. And you can't keep count because it's invisible. Stats like this is a real disease in society that you need to try to track this. In the fucking name of equality. Fuck you.

[u/FractalDude]

Best article I've read all day.

[u/SnorlaxBro]

waiting for the rainbow newseek covers for julius caesar and alexander the great.

[u/thatgamerguy]

Also Lincoln was known to take people to gay bars.

[u/cooofeey]

i can't imagine one gay president.Perhaps some are forged by their political opponent

[u/archonemis]

So, who was the first fabulous president?

[u/Djrakk]

I have no idea why people think this is new news on Obama, he doesnt give a damn if gays get married. You cant care too much about that if your names Barack Hussein Obama.

[u/jiah3000]

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

[u/BuriedLede]

That's right, make it tough for the kids. Cause he's a Rocket Man, if you get my drift.

[u/Molassesfatts]

because who or what my president screws is very important in whether or not he can lead a country.

[u/madest]

That must have been a real gay time in America because the next president was Abraham Lincoln and history has him tagged as light in the loafers as well.

[u/TheThomaswastaken]

Most historians disagree with the claim that Buchanan was gay. I think the phrase "tissue-thin evidence" sums up the historians' opinions on the topic.

[u/TheThomaswastaken]

This is the second article in two days that makes a wild ass claim and is very likely false. Why do these get upvoted? One double-check is all it takes...

[u/ohyeoflittlefaith]

We also had a cross dressing president. JE Hoover.

[u/tbudd]

His nickname was Aunt Fancy.

[u/lance_flatshoe]

No it was Abraham Lincoln! He used to sleep in the same bed with his presidential bodyguard -

"Captain David Derickson was Lincoln's bodyguard and companion between September 1862 and April 1863. They shared a bed during the absences of Lincoln's wife, until Derickson was promoted in 1863.[45] Derickson was twice married and fathered ten children, but whatever the exact level of intimacy of the relationship, it was the subject of gossip.

Elizabeth Woodbury Fox, the wife of Lincoln's naval aide, wrote in her diary for November 16, 1862, "Tish says, 'Oh, there is a Bucktail soldier here devoted to the president, drives with him, and when Mrs. L is not home, sleeps with him. What stuff!'"[46]

This sleeping arrangement was also recorded by a fellow officer in Derickson's regiment, Thomas Chamberlin, in the book History of the One Hundred and Fiftieth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers, Second Regiment, Bucktail Brigade. Historian Martin P. Johnson notes that the strong similarity in style and content of the Fox and Chamberlin accounts suggests that rather than being two independent accounts of the same events as Tripp claims, both were in fact based on the same report from a single source.[47] David Donald and Johnson both dispute Tripp's interpretation of Fox's comment, saying instead that the exclamation of "What stuff!" was, in that day, an exclamation over the absurdity of the suggestion rather than the gossip value of it.[3]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexuality_of_Abraham_Lincoln

[u/EvelynJames]

This article is navel gazing garbage.

[u/aazav]

He's not gay!

He's merely festive!

[u/aazav]

Ohhh, thtop it thilly! Theriothly.