Books: All the President's Men

• Share

(2 of 2)

Most of Tripp's evidence is of a similar standard. He does demonstrate the fierce attachment between Lincoln and Speed, quoting letters in which Lincoln wrote of his distress over their physical separation, habitually signed with "Yours forever." But Anthony Rotundo, author of American Manhood: Transformations in Masculinity from the Revolution to the Modern Era, says that such intimate communication was not unusual for men at that time. Rotundo says it was socially acceptable for men before marriage to enjoy "romantic friendships" that involved sex only about as often as do male friendships today. "These were not relationships people had to hide," says Rotundo. He also points out that 150 years ago, the notion that someone would identify him- or herself as homosexual had not yet developed, making it difficult to retroactively shoehorn a 19th century man into a 21st century definition. "There was a spectrum of relationships," explains Rotundo. "You didn't have to say, 'I'm on this side or that,' as you do today."

And what if Lincoln was gay? Does it illuminate anything about his decisions as President? Tripp admits that even if Lincoln did hide his sexuality, we cannot assume it made him sympathetic to outsiders, thus that it was a factor in his decision to free the slaves. But he argues that Lincoln is "too central a figure in history to keep obscuring basic facts of his life." Unfortunately, Tripp's attempt to show Lincoln was gay does little to set the record straight. --With reporting by Andrea Sachs/New York