8 Historic Figures That Were Pederasts
By Sami on June 16th, 2008
Pederasty is a sexual relationship, whether or not consummated, between an adult male and boy aged 12-17, and has been considered a scurrilous perversion for centuries. It is a complicated issue – even the Greeks debated the ethics of it and groups like NAMBLA have brought it to attention in recent history. This is a look at 8 historic figures that liked young boys.
8 ) Cheng I
The famous Hong Kong pirate created an even more famous pirate, Cheung Po Tsai, by kidnapping him and forcing him to be his lover. After his death, his wife married Cheung Po Tsai and became one of the most notorious pirates of the era. Eventually, Cheung Po Tsai would eclipse both of them by amassing about 40,000 men and 600 ships under his command during his career as a pirate.
7 ) William S. Burroughs
The author of Naked Lunch – a semi-autobiographical story about addiction – helped usher in the Beat movement and carried on a relationship with a 14-year-old boy while he lived in Tangier, Morocco. One of the central characters in the book, Kiki, is based on him. This information, coupled with leaked Scientology audit documents, paint a confusing picture about how far Burroughs went with Kiki . At the very least, if everything is taken as heroin induced hallucinations, then Burroughs was having sex with the boy. If everything is taken literally, then Burroughs enjoyed getting shat on by Kiki while shooting up heroin.
6 ) Pope Julius III
The pope that funded Michelangelo also took a 13-year-old beggar named Innocenzo under his wing after seeing him fight off a pet ape in the streets. He kept their relationship a secret by calling him his “nephew” until he became pope, at which point he elevated the illiterate boy to the position of cardinal and made him the highest paid man in Europe. They both hosted orgies with other young cardinals until Julius III passed, at which point Innocenzo was whisked away to various monasteries on murder charges.
5 ) James I of England
The unpopular king that followed Elizabeth I passed severe laws against sodomy and pederasty but became involved with a 17-year-old boy named Robert Carr. Carr was known for his good looks and “limited intelligence”, but eventually broke James I’s heart by picking his wife’s bed over the king’s. James I got his revenge when he pushed for a trial following a scandal over Carr’s wife poisoning a friend. Carr threatened to reveal their relationship and during his testimony there were guards standing next to him holding cloaks – ready to muffle him in case he dared.
4 ) William “Big Bill” Tilden
The tennis player that transformed the sport from a “sissy” country-club game to one played by actual athletes saw his life fall apart because of his relationship with a 14-year-old boy named Bobby. Rumors about Tilden’s behavior around boys were widespread at the time, but getting caught fondling Bobby in a parking lot sent him to jail for a few months. Afterwards, he was caught again making advances on a 16-year-old hitchhiker, which lead to more jail time, and his subsequent banning from most competitions. He spent his final years broke, his vast fortune squandered on bad investments, living in a tiny room in Hollywood.
3 ) Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
The Russian composer that is best known for Swan Lake stayed confused about his sexuality his entire life. His sexuality was widely denied by the Soviets for years, and it wasn’t until recently that material was uncovered that showed that he was involved with younger boys. One of them, Eduard Zak, would inspire Romeo and Juliet after his suicide. His longest lasting relationship was with a 12-year-old servant named Aleksey “Aloysha” Sofronov , who remained his lover even after his own marriage. In his last 5 years he became involved with his own nephew, Vladimir “Bob” Davidov, and his final symphony is thought to be a requiem over this love.
2 ) Jules Verne
According to some of his biographers, the father of science fiction was also involved with Aristide Briand, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, when Briand was 15. Briand was a friend of Verne’s son and he would often pick up the young boy without his son. Even though there is no evidence that Verne actually slept with the boy, Verne’s biographers have suggested that the running themes of a love between a man and handsome youth were homages to Briand.
1 ) T.E. Lawrence
The British soldier, better known as “Lawrence of Arabia”, that played a massive role in the Arab Revolt and was involved with a 14-year-old Syrian boy named Selim Ahmed. Lawrence was a celibate that hated being touched by others but this changed after he met Ahmed. He nicknamed him “Dahoum”, wrote about “sweet” embraces in his journal, and even had Ahmed move in with him. While living with him, Lawrence carved a gargoyle based on him and, much to this dismay of his neighbors, placed it on his rooftop.
Sourcing and credit where credit is due: Redditor pwdecker for recommending Burroughs, this Wikipedia list, and the excellent glbtq.
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