Homosexuality in the Victorian Era

          Sappho and Erinna in a Garden at Mytilene, (5) shows two female Greek poets embracing each other, having the context of the art shrouded in a historical context makes the mainstream society not question it while, queer people embrace the works. (8)

Introduction

          The Victorians had an complicated, yet intriguing relationship when it comes homosexuality. Being considered a taboo to mainstream society, we see underground scene of queerness. Through the arts, we can see how these individuals could express themselves yet still be apart of society, through the vessel of ambiguity.

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Witness The Bride, The Bridegroom and Sad Love (6)

Expression

          Artists such as the artist Simeon Solomon expressed his through classical myths. You may think there was a gradual shift to become more explicit with shift in homoerotic art, but this not the case. Witness The Bride, The Bridegroom and Sad Love above portrays a sad man who gives up his same sex relationship. (8) The man has his hand in-front of his a young angel's crotch, because he is ashamed of his desire, the angel could symbolize the death of his true sexuality, by marrying a woman in this sense, part of himself is dying due to the pressure of the society. While some men and women subdue the desires to have a "normal" life, others marry on the face level, yet pursue their desired partner, or even all of the above. Their spouse may or may not know about this, and they may be doing the same.

          A Restrospect of The Boulton and Park Case, shows Frederick Park and Ernest Boulton, known as Fanny and Stella were arrested. (2) This moment in history showed thousands Victorian civilians there such things as 'homosexuals' among them. (3) The act of cross dressing was a common practice in theater, for men to dress up like women and vice versa. The show of cross dressing reveals that gender roles is performance, an act not a biological behavior.

Social Construct

          During the Victorian era, the realm of sexuality was uncharted territory. Previous eras wouldn't see these such things as identities, but as actions. (4) This era established the idea of binary system homosexual and heterosexual. Interestingly enough, the word homosexual came before the word heterosexual, to be it's counterpart. Since heterosexuality was mainstream, there was no reason to have a word for it. Having this binary system made sense at the time, being a new field study you have to start somewhere. This idea is also problematic due to the binary constructs of the day, if someone is born intersex, they would be forced to under go a sex assignment surgery which may result in death. (4)

Photograph of  Queen Victoria by Alexander Bassano, 1882

Laws

          The laws the during this era targeted gay men, and sodomy laws were still in effect until 1867.(4) Men were subject physical oppression and would often serve jail sentences. In 1885, there was going to be a law put in place to discriminate again lesbians as well, which was also a very common practice at the time. Queen Victoria removed this law because she believed "that such sexual acts were impossible". (4) With this idea going into to law, the government feared in would reveal these acts as a possibility. While this idea, being sexist saying that lesbians don't exist it, sort of protected these women to expressing their love. Due to society being oblivious to the idea, it resulted into no criminal offense in that matter.

 
Bela Lugosi (Dracula) and David Manners (Johnathon Harker ) in 1931’s Dracula

Relation to Dracula

          Homosexuality and it's reception during the Victorian era relates to Dracula in the sense of repression. During this time, homosexual had to repress their feelings for each out of the public eye, and would feel pressure to marry to live a "normal" life and/or to cover any suspicion. Vampires do the same they have blend into society, and need to be cautious about their activities such as feeding around others, so not be exposed of. In Bram Stoker's Dracula, when the vampire brides are seducing Johnathon, Dracula tells them to back away saying that Johnathan belongs to him, as well other undertones throughout the novel supports the ideas gay undertones, suppression and blending in with society.

Works Cited

Cohen, Deborah. “Before Straight and Gay.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 20 Mar. 2018, www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/03/before-straight-and-gay/513812/ (1)

Conerly, Jennifer. “A Restrospect of The Boulton and Park Case” The Cross

Dressing Trial That Scandalized Victorian England, historycollection.co/the-cross-dressing-trial-that-scandalized-victorian-england/. (2)

 Conerly, Jennifer. “The Cross Dressing Trial That Scandalized Victorian England.” History Collection, historycollection.co/the-cross-dressing-trial-that-scandalized-victorian-england/. (3)
 “Queer in the Age of the Queen: Gender and Sexuality of the Mid Modern Period in Victorian England and North America.” Molly Brown House Museum, 24 Nov. 2017, mollybrown.org/queer-in-the-age-of-the-queen-gender-and-sexuality-of-the-mid-modern-period-in-victorian-england-and-north-america/. (4)
 Solomon, Simeon. “Sappho and Erinna in a Garden at Mytilene” The Victorian View of Same-Sex Desire, 5 Apr. 2017, www.bbc.com/culture/story/20170405-the-victorian-view-of-same-sex-desire. (5)

Solomon, Simeon. “Witness The Bride, The Bridegroom and Sad Love.” The Victorian View of Same-Sex Desire, 5 Apr. 2017, Victoria and Albert Museum, Prints & Drawings Study Room, level E, case I, shelf 136, box C, www.bbc.com/culture/story/20170405-the-victorian-view-of-same-sex-desire. (6)

Stoker, Bram, et al. Dracula. Norton, 1997. (7)

Williams, Holly. “Culture - The Victorian View of Same-Sex Desire.” BBC, BBC, 5 Apr. 2017, www.bbc.com/culture/story/20170405-the-victorian-view-of-same-sex-desire. (8)

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