"Until my dying day, I will look back with pride that I found the courage... the courage to deal the initial blow to the hydra of public contempt."
― Karl Heinrich Ulrichs
Karl Heinrich Ulrichs was a German lawyer, jurist, journalist, and writer, who lived from 1825 to 1895. Today, he's regarded and celebrated as a pioneer of the modern gay rights movement, and sexology--the scientific study of human sexuality.
In 1864, Ulrichs published five essays as a collection titled, Forschungen über das Rätsel der mannmännlichen Liebe (Studies on the Riddle of Male-Male Love), explaining such love as natural and biological. In 1867 Ulrichs became one of the first homosexuals to speak out publicly in defense of homosexuality when he pleaded at the Congress of German Jurists in Munich, urging the repeal of anti-homosexual laws.
Ulrichs would go on to write and publish prolifically, creating many more works, including his twelfth and final book of his, Forschungen über das Rätsel der mannmännlichen Liebe, in 1879.
This week's questions:
Ulrichs's work and activism played a monumentous role in begining to change the way people thought about same-sex love.
-Do you think literature is still capable of changing the minds of people today? Have you read a book or story that you feel greatly influenced your perspective on a subject?
-Have you ever read or written any lgbt+ themed stories? Which are your favorites?
We also welcome any other discussion or comments about Karl Heinrich Ulrichs or his works.
If you have another author you'd like to see a discussion on, please leave it in the comments below for a chance to be featured in a future chapter!
Resources: