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What Do We Know About Being Queer in Medieval Britain?
There’s a powerful myth that circulates…the one that homosexuality was somehow invented in, oh, about the 19th century.
Queer people have been around for, likely, longer than we have been Homo sapiens.
So, what do we know about what it was like to be gay in Medieval Britain? (note I’m keeping it there because Europe varied a lot).
Most People Don’t Seem To Have Cared
Same sex relationships were mistakenly considered to be the sin of “Sodomy.” (If you actually understand the culture, “sodomy” is actually treating a visitor to your home poorly. But sadly that ship has kind of sailed).
However, for much of the time, nobody particularly cared. While, technically, only sex that could lead to procreation was allowed (“sodomy” could also include heterosexual anal sex, oral sex, and even masturbation), records of confessions (note that the article I’m linking has good research, but problematic opinions and a poor understanding of queer people) indicate that it wasn’t at all uncommon for married heterosexual couples to practice anal (and likely also oral) sex so they could have play time without risking another child.
It’s clear that monks and nuns engaged in sexual activity with each other. Some of this may…