Abstract

In a newly discovered passage from an 1810 diary, Yorkshire tenant farmer Matthew Tomlinson considers the notion that homosexual desire is a natural, divinely ordained human tendency, discernible from adolescence and undeserving of capital punishment. Although ultimately inconclusive, his reflections offer tantalizing evidence that historical attitudes towards same-sex love in early nineteenth-century British society could be more diverse and sympathetic than previously assumed. This article contextualizes Tomlinson’s comments by considering his broader views on religion and sexuality alongside other contemporary or near-contemporary iterations of the argument that same-sex attraction is innate and blameless.

中文翻译：

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“天生的热情？” 约克郡农民对同性恋的1810年反思*

摘要

约克郡租户农民马修·汤姆林森（Matthew Tomlinson）在1810年日记中的最新发现中认为，同性恋欲望是一种自然的，神圣的人类倾向，可以从青春期和应受的死刑中辨别出来。尽管最终没有定论，但他的思考提供了诱人的证据，表明十九世纪初英国社会对同性爱情的历史态度可能比以前设想的更加多样化和富有同情心。本文通过考虑汤姆林森对宗教和性的更广泛观点，以及其他当代或近现代的同性吸引力是天生的和无罪的论点，来对汤姆林森的评论进行语境化。