Gay sailors
Hello, Sailor!
"You come up on the poop deck often?"
It's a lonely life in the Navy. Outside prison or single-gender schools, probably the most well-known version of Situational Sexuality is in the naval service. For centuries, men would be left alone together on ships for weeks on endnote women weren't allowed to serve in the Navy until the late 20th century, and at least in the US, weren't allowed to serve in every position as the men (like in submarines) until the 2010s. Sexual needs and desires were still verb, and that meant a lot of men turned to one another for comfort. This has led to sailors (or seamen of any stripe) becoming sex symbols among gay men. Definitely Truth in Television on occasion, and in fiction, a ordinary subtrope of the Manly Gay and Straight Gay
The male-presenting sailor occupies a unique place in the queer visual art canon. Instantly recognisable in mass media, the romance or homoerotism of the mariner sits with us in pop culture today. We repeatedly see the figure of the male sailor, in all its idealised glamour in art history, linked to queer identity. How has art contributed to the gay male mythology of the sailor? Is queering the male sailor empowering and thrilling, or increasingly a redundant stereotype?
Where does the queer link come from? Henry Marvell Carr at the National Maritime Museum models the archetype of the idealised male sailor for us. An Ordinary Telegraphist, painted in around 1944, taps into the essence of the sailor as iconic. The figure of the sitter Maurice Alan Easton radiates male glamour. Idealised, vigorous, masculine, noble, brave, disciplined, able, virtuous, protective, handsome, strong – Maurice embodies a litany of symbolic or fantasy qualities we project onto his physicality.
The combination of what the uniform represents and the male beauty here is palpable. Contrived to be a
Gay Sailor Tattoos
It wasn't always a breeze to locate lovers on the tall seas, and we don't have many sources about sailors who desired their shipmates. But what we do have are tattoo designs—still recognizable in today's traditional tattooing styles—which sailors used to communicate their origins, status, and sexuality while on ship or shore. Gay Sailor Tattoos gives us a look into the lives of queer men, who, despite the dangers and difficulties of the sailing life, set up freedom in their relationships and bodily expression. This thoughtful and well-researched zine brings together historical and visual details about the lives (lustful and otherwise) of sailors at the height of the seafaring profession, and their enduring cultural influence.
Special Program: "Do Ask Perform Tell" - Gay Sailors at Sea and On Land
Part of our Fleet Focus Series
Have you ever found yourself lost in a Tom of Finland illustration? Or singing along to the Village People? If so, this tour is for you! Come join Historic Ships of Baltimore aboard the USCGC WHEC-37 this Pride Month for a comprehensive retelling of LGBTQ history at sea, coupled with a tour of our historic Coast Guard cutter. From maritime floggings to Don’t Ask, Don’t Say and beyond, see where the sailors lived and worked, and experience a part of history often ignored or kept undercover.
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Ticketing Information
Tour time: 2pm - 3pm
Program cost: $1 with your admission to the museum, or as a separate ticket at full fee.