The First Queer Activist

On 29 August 1867, Karl Heinrich Ulrichs stood in front of the Congress of German Jurists in Munich and urged them not to extend sodomy laws across the soon to be unified Germany.

He was booed off stage, but this stands as the earliest public queer protest in history. Similarly, his definition of his own identity and sexuality serves as one of the first times this was put into words.

So how did Ulrichs define his own sexuality? What is an ‘urning’? And what did Ulrichs believe was behind his attraction to men?

In this episode, Kate is introduced to Ulrichs and his early queer identity by Douglas Pretsell.

*WARNING There are adult themes in this episode*

Produced by Charlotte Long and Sophie Gee. Mixed by Stuart Beckwith.

Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society. A podcast by History Hit.

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