The Uranian, or Urning; His General Physical and Psychical Diagnosis: Types and Biographies.
Definition of the Uranian.
An Uranian, or Urning, a member of the Intersex previously set apart from the major sexes, may be defined as a human being that is more or less perfectly, even distinctively, masculine in physique; often a virile type of fine intellectual, moral and aesthetic sensibilities; but who, through an inborn or later-developed preference feels sexual passion for the male human species. His vita sexualis reverts, now vaguely, now with vigourous definiteness to the sex to which he seems naturally to belong but does not fully belong, by strict psychological classification. His sexual preference may quite exclude any desire for the female sex; or may exist concurrently with that instinct.
The term "Uranian" or "Urning" has been explained as to its classical derivation. It is not a new terminology, at least the use of the word "Urning" is not. "Urning" came into definite psychologic use in the middle of the nineteenth century, through the pamphlets on the topic of similisexualism, by Karl Emil Ulrichs, a homosexual German advocate. Ulrichs's studies of the sexual problem attracted much attention. Though lacking literary method and adequate self-poise, they have been of pionering importance in the topic. Ulrichs reaffirmed and demanded recognition and freedom for the platonic, Uranian sexual passion, in our modern social life.
Ancient Queries as to the Number Human Sexes.
The existence and characteristics of the Uranian and of his feminine complement, the Uraniad, have already been referred back to the mysterious question of Intersexes between the distinctly male and female ones. This is, no recent query. Plato declares in "The Banquet" that a third sex, hermaphroditic in type, had existed; but had lapsed. Aristotle in his "Ethics" indicates a notion that there was at least one other sex; as part of the premises when Aristotle reasons of sexual manifestations, including love of one man for another. Yet even such comprehensive reasoners, when touching on similisexual love in men, fail to set up an extant, continued Secondary Sex. The early philosophic Latin thinkers on psychology, of the. type of Lucretius and the natural philosophers, even the most profound of the classic speculatists of Borne, did not for a long time affirm in so many words the basis of an existing intersex as the explanation of man's intersexual instincts. Later writers hint at its existence. Thus Alexander Severus, in writing of depravities of his cousin, the grotesquely effeminate Heliogabalus, speaks of such men as Heliogabalus as "a third kind of human being". Dion Cassius, also, declared Heliogabalus a blending of man and woman. In the Scriptures there is an allusion that may refer to such an Oriental theory: where in the First Book of Samuel, Chap. XX, v. 30) Saul throws out the scornful allusion to Jonathan (beyond doubt a homosexual young man) as being the "son of the perverse, rebellious woman", a phrase which has a peculiar underlying sexual bearing.
Why the Nature of the Uranian has not been more Freely Distingui- shed.
The theory of the Urning, or Uranian, as a third sex, or at least as not being responsible only to masculine sexual instincts for his passions, would undoubtedly have been earlier current, had not the error been made of thinking that sex while it is qualified by intellectual characteristics must be determined by the body, and its organs instead of by the sexual instinct. A more correct idea places even an athlete, or a soldier, or a porter, six feet high, built like a Hercules, virile enough in every muscle and nerve, as a creature apart from strictly male human beings, if his sexual desires and admirations incline him to man, not woman. Not fully a man, not fully a woman, he is an Uranian or Urning. In like manner a brilliant jurist, philosopher, physician, ecclesiastic, a prince of finance or of trade, a titanic worker in the literary or aesthetic professions, if strictly-classed, may be semi-male. His sexualism demands completeness of his individuality through a man. His passional admirations, his physical instincts, draw him to men, not to women, and so define him as Uranian, or Urning.
Racial Statistics and Distribution of the Uranian and Uranism.
Of the racial distribution of the-Uranian, in relation to "normal population whether at past epochs of social history, or now, there are conflicting ideas. One is likely to think that in ancient social epochs, with their open showing of the uranistic nature, especially in Greek and Roman civilizations, there were more similisexual men than nowadays, in proportion to normal. This idea is constantly met as especially an English conventionalism. But the notion cannot be well sustained. The Orient is not more or less similisexual now than of old. The Latin races certainly are now not less Uranistic than long ago, in classic and Renaissance periods, when the impulse was less hid. The concealment of homosexualism, by fear of social disgrace and legal punishment does not mean its being now a whit less common, the world round, as a human instinct, invincible and inevitable; especially in connection with esthetic, military and nervously-sensitive peoples. We cannot make it definitely the cause of national decadences, of a general decline of intellect, morals and virility in a people, though its worser characteristics are likely to coincide with that decadence.
The proportion of Uranians is largest in what can be called the "Philarrenic"—or male-loving—Zone, a belt of several races and populations, topographically reckoned together. The statistical proportion is still largest in the East. In Turkey, Persia, part of Arabia, and so on, there has been set a rate of one Uranid in 60; with this proportion made larger through the Oriental tendency toward bisexualism—or similisexualism in men not distinctly Uranian. In modern Italy, where dionian-uranians are peculiarly a type—in all classes racially, one may say—in Italy, the proportion has been set at one in sixty-five: but in Italy bisexualism of the erotic impulse, an instinctive liking for now the male now the female in the sexual act, is an important aspect. In Germany, it is put at something near to two per cent. In France, it is reckoned at less than one per cent. In England at one in the hundred, or less. In Austria at one in seventy; in Kussia at one in seventy-five to eighty (a low estimate); in Spain and the Spanish-settled countries, at one in sixty-five; and in the United States of North America at one in about eighty-five.
A physician, long busied with practice in neurotic diseases and sexual studies, a Bavarian, tells the writer that he has in his list of clients some "fifteen complete Uranians" that is to say, those who are wholly similisexual; also four who though heterosexual for most part of their impulses, nevertheless are "given to sexual relations with men also". An Italian consulting physician, a writer on neuropathology states to me that he has "more than a dozen" thorough Uranians among his clients, two of them married; but has traced bisexualism in constant recurrence. A German doctor who was himself uranistic, mentions knowing of one hundred similisexual men in his city, a town of about twenty-seven thousand inhabitants. The number of Uranians of all shades and characters, from the honoured, aristocratic citizen, to the male prostitute of the lowest type, in such capitals as Paris, Brussels, Berlin, Munich, (where similisexuality is rampant even more openly than in Milan, Lisbon or Naples) in Vienna, Rome, London, New York and so on, can be set, in each place, at thousands. The vulgar and repulsive evidences of this fact are before the eyes of the observant traveller. Contrary to what might be expected, there is a large (Uranistic population in rural life; though part of it is not thoroughly similisexual. In France, Italy, Spain and Austria, the peasantry are strongly homosexual.
As for the similisexual instinct in the more or less barbarous and primitive races of the world today, we have already discussed the inborn tendency to it. A statistical measure can not be established here. A concurrent fact is that three races of the world, constantly in near relations to one or another people and civilization but often little affected by such environments, the Jew, the Gipsey and the North-American Negro, are all excessively similisexual. The Jew, always erotic in temperament, is so frequently Uranian, or uranistio, that there is a sort of psychiatric proverb—"so many Jews, so many similisexualists ". The Gipsey makes no distinction as to sex when his passion is excited. He is especially given to pederasty. The North-American negro, whether on the plantations or in the cities, gives way to the impulse freely, although the striking laxity of female morality in the race would appear to counteract such an inborn instinct.
Degrees of Ura- nianism in Men: The Complete U- ranian, Dionian-U- ranian, & Uranian- Dionian, Graded.
Between fully Uranian nature and its less perfect phases there are at least two important degrees. A complete, an absolute Uranian feels sexual attraction only to But there also is the type who, while he is strongly similisexual still feels sexual admiration, often most vigorously and romantically, for woman. He seeks, with a greater or less passion and satisfaction, sexual relations with her, even to marrying for love; not to speak of casualities. In such a type, two impulses exist: for the normal man and male sex certainly is approached, yet not fully reached. This type, "uranistic" but not Uranian, has been categorized by psychiatry as the Dionian-Uranian, or "Virilized Uranian". It is a subtly bisexual phase. It is constantly met. The next degree goes further toward a complete manliness of sex. It is represented by the individual almost wholly male in sexual instincts, who as a rule, turns with aversion from relations of the kind with masculine types; but who now and then "lapses" toward the male, surrenders to infrequent similisexualism. These lapses occur either with particular individuals, to whom he is mysteriously attracted, or with others (more impersonally) during special periods—bisexual currents of his life. The thoroughly masculine instinct, the man out of any sort of similisexual tendency, usually is termed Dionian, Dionid, or Dionist. Hence the use of such qualifying phrases in speaking of modified Uranians. The psychiatric literature of the time makes many finer distinctions. In fact it has set forth rather confusing "subdivisions", according to the nature and force of the individual similisexual tendencies. These minuter grades can be dismissed by the average reader as needlessly precise. The complete Uranian, the Dionian-Uranian and the (similar) Uranian-Dionian cover all essential grades between intersex and entire masculinity. They take in all the degrees of similisexual love and its physical expression, in hundreds of instances of complete or partial uranism. Such types are Alexander the Great, Martial, Beethoven, Rafaello, Oscar Wilde. Robespierre, William Rufus, Nero, Lord Byron, Sir Isaac Newton, Gilles de Rais, David, Jonathan, Pope Alexander VI, General Tilly, Prince Eugene of Savoy, Henri III, Shakespeare, Platen, Cellini, Heliogabalus, Jérome Duquesnoy, St. Augustine, Molière, Frederick the Great, Michel-Angelo, Charles XII of Sweden, Peter the Great, Montaigne, Pausanias, Beza, Tschaikovsky, Grillparzer, Erasmus, Bishop Atherton of Waterford, Winkelmann, Servetus, Gonsalvo de Cordova, Socrates, Hölderlin, Abu Nuwas, Hadrian, the Caesars, Alexander I of Russia; innumerable other indisputable instances of the emotion among, especially, notable minds and men; met under all environments, in all professions and social standings. Some have been Uranians in toto. Others are but partially uranistic; with the admixtures of Dionism, of normal masculinity, in a firmer or weaker balance, as the countercheck. Thus in Heliogabalus, in Henry III of France, in the gifted poet August von Platen, in the mighty genius of Michel Angelo, in the brilliant intellectuality of Frederick the Great, in Hadrian, we have complete Uranians. Their sexual desire was only toward the male. In Lord Byron, Nero, Benvenuto Cellini, Alcibiades, Julius Caesar and Charles XII we have a strongly masculine sexualism, but mixed, illogically, with powerful similisexual instincts. In such cases, the individuality seems to be fairly split into two. Now one sexual instinct comes forward, now the other. In examples of almost complete and normal manliness of sex-instinct (but not wholly so) we have the third, or Uranian-Dionian group. One race, the Italian seems to be particularly impartial in sexual pleasure, inclining to masculine or feminine; uranian without effeminacy, to an idiomatic, a racial, extent.
Analysis of the Typical The Ura- nian Physique.
Nothing in the Uranistic physique necessarily differs in the least from the normal man. What is more, a magnificently masculine physique often conceals the sex—the intersex—from observation. The Uranian is frequently athletic, robust, virile in powers and movements. A considerable proportion of Uranians whether complete or dionistic, are professional athletes, circus-gymnasts, acrobats, riders, equilibrists and so on. The sexual organs are, as a rule, wnolly normal; often of special virility of aspect. The sexual powers of the Uranian are not to be assumed as in any way less vigorous than in all men of good bodily health. The physical desire for satisfaction of the sexual instinct is strong, often especially if in suppression, it is turbulent. There is no prevalence of bodily hermaphroditism in the Uranian, though that ridiculous idea is a rooted popular one. Your athletic neighbour and friend who bathes with you in the stream, displaying his perfect masculinity of form and of organs may be wholly Uranistiс in his sexual life.
Certain Departur- es From a Quite Masculine Type.
There are, however, certain minor bodily peculiarities that belong in a greater or lesser frequency and number to the Uranian. Some of them meet in one instance, but not in another one; while occasionally an individual presents nearly all to the psychiater's notice. They are not all to be expected, nor do many blend in one type, but they all have been found to coincide with the presence of the instinct. They include delicacy of the osseous structure; breadth of buttocks and pelvis; conical thighs; and a general roundness and softness of the corporeal outlines. Grace rather than strength is noticeable. The breast tends to curve, after the feminine mould; there is often a decided contour to the bosom suggesting female breasts. The fore-arm and the lower arm are cylindrical, even when strong, rather than flat. The hands and feet and ears are small. The skin is fine and frequently less hairy than the normal man's skin. Another rather more frequent skin-idiom is the absence of the masculine odour which characterizes almost any man's skin, especially when a man is nervously or sexually excited, is warm or taking hard exercise. The growth of scalp-hair and beard, or absence, are not significant. The throat is rather round and graceful than massive (a peculiarity that has given rise to the idea that an Uranian neither swallows nor expectorates saliva as easily as the normal man) and the "Adam's-apple" does not project as in the average mature man's throat. The voice of the Uranian is emphatically a trait: being low and full and agreeable, rather than with the metallic, coarser ring of manlier types; not seldom it has a persuasive sweetness. The ability to sing with a soprano quality, or at least higher in the vocal scale than most men, is not infrequent; but this is not a distinctive trait, contrary to another false notion. The uranian head is often small, and the features fine and regular, rather than coarse and square, and it frequently has the quality common to Greek beauty of being transferable to a female figure, with some slight reduction in the size of the features. A particular trait in the Uranian anatomy, though not distinctive to it, is the eye; likely to be remarkably brilliant, full, expressive of softer emotion and aesthetic sensitiveness, rather than sharp and commanding. In the military Uranian this trait is not so striking. The especially penetrating glance of the Uranian is a mysterious "faculty" about which German psychiatry has written a good deal. Undeniable is the fact that one Uranian can often guess at the nature of another Uranian, in any part of the world, by the exchange of a passing look. There is much of this quality in any expressive eye; but there also exists here a constantly verified Uranian trait. The gait of the Uranian is easy and graceful, occasionally too short-stepping, rather than bold, or with a strong stride. The general constitution of the adult uranistic race, by the by, is vigorous, at least not more subject to disease than the normal male one. The Uranian physical and intellectual powers last out their time well, often strikingly long. There is a tendency toward longevity; with strong sexual inclinations, till late in years.
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The Intellectual, Moral, Tempera- mental and Ner- vous Individuali- ty of Uranians. High Intellectual and Esthetic Tendency Com- mon.
When we examine the intellectual, moral, mental and temperamental, nervous traits of the Uranian, we have further indices. No class of humanity makes a finer intellectual showing, example by example, of one grade or of another. But we detect a deficiency in robustly originative intellectualism, where the mind must deal with the abstract and practical, rather than with the more concrete, or with the aesthetic and emotional. Many exceptions point out the rule. The Uranian is less likely to be successful in philosophy, in mathematics, abstract mechanics, and so on, than in letters, arts, and lighter applications of science. He is often highly appreciative of what goes on in these fields, yet not productive in them. But in the more aesthetic professions his work has been the wonder of the world since it began. The practicing physician, consulted by similisexual clients, hoping to understand their own abnormalisms better, or to be treated for them as for a disease, is continually meeting the man of letters, the artist, the sculptor, the musician, the architect, the actor and singer, or instrumentalist. Numberless are homosexuals whose gifts, business or professions keep them busy in occupations where they deal with practical aesthetics, or with distinctly aesthetic results; not the sterner mind-work. The intellectuality of the uranistic type is brilliant. It has dazzled the world forever with its genius. But it often wants elasticity, and brunt-force in initial conceptions and in hard applications of reason and analysis.
The Uranian's Widely-Graded Moral-Nature.
The nature of the Uranian varies greatly. It ranges from the finest moral and spiritual feelings and practices to the feeblest sense of morals of any kind; much as is the case with the Dionian man. There is no truth in the idea that the similisexual is necessarily morally bad, or feels even the least indifference toward religions. Too many lofty types of all philosophies, all creeds, too many respected officials and model private citizens have lived and died uranistic, for this error to stand. But the fact is proved every day in society, that the more sensuous the Uranian and the more circumscribed his mental horizon, just so weakened or debased is his moral sense. His distinctively similisexual instincts, when his general equipment otherwise is sound, seem to have uncertain bearings on his conduct; while the converse is true of the less fortunate and respectable Uranian. Socrates was similisexual. Not readily can we dismiss the idea that Christ was such—and saints many have been Uranians. But so were Philippe of Orléans, Caligula, de Sade; so is the blackmailing catamite that prostitutes himself for a shilling, incidentally to rob, to murder, to ruin socially some unlucky victim. The reader has seen that he must throw away the unscientific idea that the homosexual, in loving the male with his sexual love, in seeking to satisfy his passion physically, necessarily is committing offence against Nature or an individual morality. He acts absolutely according to Nature, simply working out his fixed, legitimate, sexual sentiment and necessity, exactly as the dionistic man seeks female society to the same end. In the most conclusively Uranian-type homosexuality is inborn; with its concurrent utter sexual indifference to women. Frequently there is an utter horror of such intercourse, a distressing nervous inability toward it. Uranianism has its own excuses for existing, the general ethical furnishment of the man often is analyzable much or wholly apart.
The Wonderfully Complex Nerve- Build of the Uranian.
But it is in the nervous fabric of the Uranian that we find more striking data. The uranistic nature, as a German writer has admirably pointed out, is the most sensitive, fine-strung, exquisitely emotional one yet known. We find the homosexual turning emphatically to the aesthetic professions, with alert senses to all that is beautiful. His vivid impressionability, his creative powers are so supreme, that one may say that the world of poetry, the graphic and plastic arts, most especially music (that most neurotic of all arts) and belles-lettres of all sorts are richest by the distinctively similisexual genius. Here he is ever inventive, originative. History, biography, every psychiatric physician, can confirm this. Its chief contrast may be thought, by some, to occur with the fact that the soldier is so notably similisexual; that so many great military men have been Uranians. But the military profession is really one that is highly aesthetic and nervous, as well as one that throws the Uranian into intimate, exclusive, and admiring relations with men. It fosters philarrenism, frequently dignifying it. Aesthetics are to the Uranian the breath of life. No wonder that we find him as authour, painter, sculptor, composer, singer, actor; whatever demands nerves and concentrated idealism, pouring forth his genius from one epoch of the world to the next. Genius and madness are old allies. We need not be surprised to find that the Uranian often confirms that painful mystery.
Characteristic Traits, Types, Tastes, Tempers, etc. of the Uranian.
In part associated with the nervous organization of the Uranian, in part more of his general temperament, are also these matters. The Uranian shows a marked tendency to support illnesses more readily than most other individuals, with a feminine ability to bear physical pain. Mental anguish works with severity on him. Outward surroundings are of importance to him; they affect his nervous status keenly. He is usually orderly, often has feminine tastes more or less developed, such as cookery, needlework, and the like. This fact is curiously combined in military individualities, an odd "inconsistency". The Uranian is likely to be passionately fond of children and animals; they are frequently surprisingly attracted to him, as if by some mystic understanding. But the Uranian is to be counted a creation not far aloof from the eternal World-Child. (As indicated, the best type of Uranian is not typically pederastic.) He is spontaneously benevolent, tender-hearted, and pacific; with a large and philosophic or other tolerance. His instinct for the aesthetic side of paganism is strong. He is often intensely fond of Nature, even to adoration of her most sombre phases; as if in solitary walks and life with her he harks back to some great and elementary sympathy between Nature and his instincts. He is generally, but not typically, a tasteful and even "finicky" dresser. He is fond of jewellery and ornaments, beautiful and valuable or not such, according to his aesthetic education. It is significant in him, that while as a type, he tends to avoid giving pain to anyone, or seeing it, he is (another indication of the feminine texture of the uranistic psychos) often passionately interested in the deliberately brutal sports. He can love the bull-fight, the boxing-ring, the cock-pit, the fierce sort of foot-ball struggles so common in the United States of North America; he is found haunting even guillotinings and hangings: this, along with an almost childish pleasure in simple, trivial, wholesome things. The uranistic temperament is especially mercurial; now wildly gay, now sombre, easily changed. Though great statesmen have been Uranians, in all grades, the quality of patriotic feeling is likely to be lacking. One part of the world, one race, is almost as acceptable as another, even the native one, with great adaptiveness to foreign environment. Ever, too, occurs the tendency to excess of emotion, to unbalanced moods, to sentiments ill-grounded, to effects lacking causes, to traitorous impulses. Manly will is largely absent.
The Sexual Nature of the Uranian.
But when we approach the distinguishing Uranian. sex-element of the Uranian, especially of the 'absolute', inborn type—what shall one say that adequately analyses, or at least describes, this profound problem? Its traits have been outlined in a preceding chapter. The psychologic singularities of such temperaments are hard to put before the average reader in a clarity positive enough, if he be hostile to any such topic. Perhaps the clearest descriptions come when we tell the reader to take any and every phase of admiration, of attraction and sexual love, which a normal, amorous man feels for a woman, and to translate that into the uranistic passion; into sexual love for a man or youth, on the part of a man. There is the same impressionability to the outward beauty. There is the same sense of swimming in a sea of it daily, of letting it play on the eyes, the ideals, the sexual nerves. There is the same falling in love "at sight", vehemently or lightly, worthily or unworthily; the same loving in constancy or in inconstancy. There are the same ripenings of calm interest and vague friendship into vivid passion and physical desire. There are the same struggles, hopes, fears, self-sacrifices, workings for good or ill on the nature of the lover; the same joys, jealousies, despairs; and too often (as we shall see) the same tragedies of slow or of fiercely swift culmination. All, all, are to be "translated" from their normal relations in distinctly masculine natures, into the sexually feminine instincts and experiences of the male-loving Uranian heart.
The "Curse". The Uranian's Neces- sary Concealment of his "Unnatur- al" Tastes. The "Mask".
But, alas! between conditions kindly or adverse that meet the normal man in love, and which the Uranian encounters, exists one terribly significant difference; tyrannic during modern eras of faiths, morals and laws. It may be called the curse upon the Uranian. For, the 'normal' man can speak without shame of his passion to the woman who inspires it. Even if she reject it, she is not insulted by it, if it be worthy; spiritual enough and sincere in her eyes. The woman-lover can demand the sympathy of his confidential friend, he can receive such sympathy if he will. He can be the object of sympathy to even the outside world; for his secret can be guessed by it without disgrace on any ground of "unnatural" emotion. But the Uranian must often "go through" the most overwhelming, soul-prostrating of loves, finding his nerves and mind and body beaten down under the passion, his days and nights vivified or poisoned by it, all without his doing anything so persistently as to hide his sentiment forever from the object of it! To hide it from his closest friends, from suspicion by the world! Hide it he must. Accounted a diseased human thing, an outcast from men, a beast, if his secret be probed; hopeless often of its toleration for an instant by the being that, often under the name of friendship, he loves with all the fire of intersex; fighting the emotion in himself in bewilderment or shame; perhaps living, side by side with some stranger that is more than any mere friend to him; playing his part like a man, frequently without one human confidant in the wide world, so can pass his social life! Ever the Mask, the shuddering concealment, the anguish of hidden passion that burns his life away! Not always; for sometimes, as if by a Divine grace, the Uranistic love is accepted; or at least its psychical side is pardoned and tolerated by the man to whom it goes out. But this pre-supposes either a peculiarly deep regard and broad-minded nature in the dionian object—if he be decidedly dionistic, as is likely to be the ease in the finer grades of uranian loves; or else he is (most luckily for the Uranian) imbued with an uranistic element himself. Fortunate then is the Uranian, or half-fortunate! He can at least be honest. For he can at least receive sympathy and brotherly pity—human respect and regard. Perhaps he wins more, and so becomes unspeakably blessed. But often he is hopeless as he is helpless, and wears his mask with the smiling hypocrisy of anxious self-protection. He sits in his club and hears similisexualism, not merely in gross and unworthy forms but in manly ideals, mocked as infamy. He listens to the coarsest jests, at the expense of the Uranian nature, when some accident brings a "case" to public notice. He must deny his ability to "understand how a man can fall in love with another man". Particularly, as one invaluable sham, must he take pains to appear sexually interested in women, to be intimate with women, to seem to relish open, and frequently obscene, sexual talk about women. This last is much in his programme for hiding sexual indifference or downright physical aversion to women. The Mask, ever the Mask! It becomes like the natural face of the wearer.
What this "masking" of his real self is to any Uranian temperament naturally expansive, emotional, unfriendly to checks, one can imagine. It is astonishing that it is so successfully worn, sometimes all through life. It begets in the uranistic type that bitter humour, ironic wit, self-mockery, that are often so entertaining to those who do not know what is covered.
The Dionian as Attracetd to the Finer type of Uranian: Their Affection Someti- mes Stronger than the Dioni- an's Horror on 'Discovery'.
The "normal" man is likely to be drawn specially and even tenderly to Uranians of the finer individuality. He is even won to the rather feminine types, as a friend; unaware or the subtle intersexual magnetism. It is very often precisely the hidden femininity of psychos in the Uranian that wins the virile Dionian. The Dionian friend is unabfe to explain why his feeling for the Uranian is so sentimental, so tender. Deep and lasting dionian friendships with Uranians are many; whether the Dionian "understands" them or not. And although often the dionian friend, when some unguarded moment or false hope betrays the secret, turns in horror and disgust from the Uranian, this is not always the end. Often the friendship survives the psychologic shock. "I cannot understand what you confess to me! I never shall understand it! I shudder at it!" sometimes exclaims the Dionian in such an hour, "but I cannot break our friendship! Let us never speak of that again! Help me to forget it. Let us go on as if that never had been spoken or known". Occasionally the uranistic love calms into friendship on both sides, at last. So comes a peace enduring. But often the passion grows, and must be borne as best the Uranian can bear it, hidden in silence.
The Uranian by Nature not Constant.
It has often been noted by psychiaters that the uranistic nature is emphatically inconstant. This is most true of the Uranian whose passionate attachments are more physical than spiritual. He loves easily and loves many. He readily recovers from unfortunate episodes. He is feminine in "loving love". But the more idealistic Uranian often abides faithful to one passion through life, to a sentiment borne with him into his tomb.
The Bewildered Question: and Answer.
"Why am I? What am I? Outwardly as a man, inwardly in so much a man! Able to keep my character and sex as a man before the world and yet with this sexual nature of a woman in me. Why am I cursed thus? What ails me? Am I sick, mad?" So cries some 'inborn' Uranian, bewildered and wretched, when he is alone and can throw down the Mask. So demands he of the confidential physician, if he has decided to visit one, hoping to be "cured" of his psychologic disorder. Too frequently the doctor, ignorant but confident, talks to him as were he indeed "diseased", "to be cured"; often advises marriage. But any doctor, really anxious to lead the querist not to feel himself solitary, or morally depraved because of his mysterious sexual nature, can give no better reply in most instances, than—"Friend, you are, what you are—an Uranian, one of the Intersex-race. You cannot be cured. You are not alone. There are thousands, tens of thousands, of you. Fear man, if you must: but fear not to face God who has made your kind as it is. Strive to be the best mortal being that you possibly can be".
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Various Prelim- inary Examples of Types of Uranian Natures and Experiences in Everyday Life.
Succeeding chapters of this book will offer classified observations or Uranians. Examples of a more general sort are the following. The first is a good instance of complete and inborn uranistic intersexualism. It is furnished from the memoranda of an American physician. The outward social relations with the feminine world are to be noticed.
"B. R—, thirty-one years of age, unmarried, of American and English education, by profession an original designer for a firm of silversmiths, came to consult me with respect to his sexual condition. R— is the son of a father of whose sexual nature R— knows nothing more than that his father was extremely potent, and in early life "very fond of women", and was a nervous, high-strung man, of excellent disposition. R— does not think that he had special nervous weaknesses, though this R—does not know. He died eight years ago. R—'s mother, who still lives, is a sufferer from general nervous weakness, is much confined to her room, spends a good deal of time in health-resorts for the nervous, complains of insomnia, and during the first years of her marriage with R—'s father had hysterical attacks. There were three children; two other sons died early. R— has no pathologic data as to his grandparents. One aunt, on the mother's side, suffered during the early part of her life with paranoia, but R— says that she has entirely outgrown them, being now a (married) woman of about fifty-three. R— has heard it said that his mother was disappointed that he was not born a girl; but his mother has always told him that this feeling "never was the case" In outward aspect R— is thoroughly manly. He is tall, muscular, without being specially athletic; he fences, boxes, shoots and bicycles much. He is fond of outdoor sport in moderation, along with his vivid interest in aesthetics. He is of'course, practically artistic by temperament and profession. Also is musical, plays the violin well, and is member of a prominent singing-club; has a fine baritone voice and a speaking-voice of round, pleasing quality but entirely masculine, like everything else external to the patient. Wears a full moustache, and has worn the so-called "Greek beard" occasionally. The facial hair grows fast, requires daily shaving. Thick hair on head. Skin otherwise, except the pubes, almost hairless. Figure, bearing, general appearance, etc., normally manly. Genitalia entirely normal. Strong potency affirmed.
"Ever since R—was a boy, and much under puberty, he was sexually drawn to boys and men rather than to the other sex. Was fond of girls, and as he grew older always took much pleasure in female society; goes out socially a great deal now. He is much liked by women (R— dances well) and has intimate friendly relations with them, but feels entire disinclination to sexual interest in women, which in the case of those of immoral life and lower intellectualism amounts to great aversion. Has several times, in early life, attempted coitus cum mulieribus, but either could not become sexually excited at all, or with difficulty and with not the least enjoyment accomplished the act. During at least ten years has not tried it again, having an instinctive horror corporis puellae. Dislikes kissing women, even relatives, embraces from them, etc. Otherwise R— feels himself, and is, perfectly normal toward women.
"As a boy, R— admired pictures and statues of men, handsome men, much more than pictures of pretty girls and beautiful women. Fell in love passionately, at nine, with a handsome rather refined young groom in his father's employ; used to be kissed, embraced, etc. by this young man, with "indescribable pleasure"; and was sexually much excited by such contact. The groom himself was heterosexual (a man of twenty-six or twenty-seven years) and was sent away from the place because of his intrigues with a woman-servant, that had lasted months. But nevertheless the groom also was sometimes excited when caressing R—, so that once or twice there was masturb. mut. between them with ejacul. on the part of the older participant. Once, after looking at a photograph of a famous male statue, R—, does not recall which one, he "could not sleep for several nights" on account of thinking of the picture and longing to have it; was affected by his vague sexual ideas of embraces, kisses, etc. from such a type of man. At a little beyond thirteen, R— was sexually potent, he is sure; when fully fourteen was extremely so. Constant excitement as to male beauty, dreams of sexual sort, ejaculatio and the like. Never as to females. At sixteen, when home from hoarding-school one summer, he had another violent flame—for a young physician in attendance on his mother. He could not eat or sleep, haunted the street where the physician lived, and so on. But he had learned by this time to hide carefully his feelings, because he heard such sentiments laughed at, and called "girlish", "perverted" and so on, by schoolmates. At fourteen, R— was sent away to a school, where he stayed three years. It was the same story with him in this school. He had several intense friendships that were first and last strongly sexual. He was always cold to the talk about girls among his mates, and was constantly brooding rhapsodically over what it would be to have such "friendships" as he learned about from classical books, and miscellaneous reading. He found in this school one friend who was as similisexual a lad as himself, though quite manly otherwise, and had such ideals of masculine "friendships". He formed a close tie with R— including sexual intercourse (masturb. mut. et coit. inter femora, sed non in an. et non irrumatio) R— says that, like most schools, this one was "a regular forcing-house" for early similisexualism. E. g. the "relation" between one of the tutors and one older student was so well known to the pupils that nobody could understand why it was not broken-up by the head-master. After the friend mentioned left school, R— was inconsolable, though he had grown alert as to hiding his feelings. A new pupil came, with whose good-looks, talents and character R— was fascinated, and with whom he was able to form a new, enthusiastic "friendship". He then was "cured" of his sentiment for the first youth. The new friendship however gave R— deep wretchedness; for though it was close and affectionate, young X— was not homosexual "enough", and so R— nearly lost his intimacy by venturing too far in that direction. With difficulty R— removed the impression, and thereafter hid its real passion. He hid it the better because of other similisexual relations with good-looking schoolmates, more or less of his own nature, at same time".
"In the art-school abroad, to which R— was sent for professional study, he became more and more alarmed about his sexual mystery, his utter indifference to women in "that" way, and his "susceptibility" for the male type. He had been troubled, even terrified, at this state of things before, as he realized its abnormality, and had heard what such a feeling was considered by men about him, had learned of the criminality of it in law, and so forth. He heard much more about it in the European city where he now was studying; enough to know that there was a vast deal of it in the world, even if it was spoken of as disgusting and unnatural. It was at this time, that R— made most attempts, by frequenting women, to bring himself into heterosexual order; but with no success. About this time, in deep trouble, he formed a friendship with a fellow-student who was "like himself". The sympathy and the sexual relation between R— and this student (coit. inter femora, and occasionally onan. buccal.) made R— more tranquil physically and mentally for awhile. The friend was perfectly satisfied with his own psychic organization. He told R— that he was "foolish to worry ", that "thousands of men were so", and that it was only a question of concealment and custom. R— was, however, morally more and more in unrest, believing himself vicious, criminal, and also dreading the reactions that came: fearful of the mystery of his increasing horror femin. etc. He had intense pleasure, however, in all the sexual acts with his friend. The latter went to Italy some months before R— had finished his art-course, and there W— lives. The friendship is still warm though they only occasionally meet, and it remains also sexual. In all sexual roles, R— is temperamentally rather active than passive. Coit. analis, actively or passively, is usually disgusting to him".
"While abroad, and since returning to the American city where he lives, R— saw more or less of male prostitution, including juvenile, but always was disgusted with it. Only once, since returning to America, has he had relations with such a type; abstaining not only because he dreads scandal, blackmail etc., but in real sexual loathing. Once his physical repression led him to make such a "connection"; it gave him more sense of shame and physical and moral disgust than relief. In fact, all R—'s impulses so far as one can infer are of the most moral, decent and refined sort. He also says that "very seldom" in his life has he been able to maintain a sexual passion for any length of time when his intellectual and moral interest in the man has failed ".
"On his return, R— became at once very busy and successful. He has a fine mind, and he was always a superior student in other than his art-education. He was quite unhappy sexually, and in constant nervous excitement, till he came into touch with a respectable element of American similisexual life, and made a sexual intimacy with a young jurist of the city. This friend was considerably dionian, though he was sufficiently uranistic also to be on sexual terms with R—, and had some idea of the general temperament of R—'s, kind".
Unfortunately, at this same time, in spite of the relationship mentioned, R— fell into a state of violent similisexual love for another individual whom he met; a young foreign musician visiting the country professionally. This passion has been the most intense and nerve-shattering in its course and consequences of any that R— has ever known. The affair was the cause of his confiding his condition and history to me. He was by this time past his twenty-sixth year. He fell in love "at sight" with the musician, who is really remarkably engaging in person and manner. R— soon could not eat or sleep. He made the acquaintance of the young foreigner and being a good linguist, as also a most attractive companion, R— soon became his most intimate American friend. Unluckily the musician was not morally at all what he should have been. He imposed on R—s kindness, which extended to generous pecuniary and social help, treated R— with systematic insincerity, and (though half-uranistic), being himself not at all homosexual as to R—, he worked on R—s interest in him with gross selfishness. He understood perfectly the nature of the sentiment he had excited. After R—'s disclosing his sentiment, he encouraged R— to believe that it was returned, and that there were merely hesitations of a delicate, romantic sort, till R— would enjoy the fullest sexual relations desired. The unfortunate R— presently found out that the musician's plans were wholly false to any such idea; that he, R—, was not in the least beloved; that the musician was using R—'s money and social aid toward carrying on a sexual intrigue with another man in the city; and also had an intimacy, not free from sexual relations, with a woman. R—'s discovery of the trickery and moral worthlessness of his new friend almost destroyed his reason. Violent scenes and a rupture came, of course. But R— could not "get over" this really grande passion. He had hid the undercurrents of the affair, of course, and they were known to only the musician and himself and one friend. R— made efforts to go about his work as usual and to be active in lively society. Pressently he broke down completely in nerves, became sleepless and was ill in bed for weeks, the excuse being prostration from overwork. The matter told on him desperately. He went to a sanitarium. While there he attempted suicide, but failed because a drug was too weak. At last by extreme efforts toward self-control, he pulled himself together, the musician having gone back to Europe, and the sense of the rupture being somewhat dulled. R— resumed his work and social life. He says that, so far as he knows, only one person, that one person being an elderly (married) lady with whom he has always had a specially warm and sympathetic friendship, suspects the nature of his nervous break".
"This affair is relatively recent. R— is not by any means "well" of it. Between hatred of his nature, disgust at life and dread of (as he frankly says) not only the past but the future, as well as through his too uncertain ideas as to his nature, he made up his mind to ascertain what a nervous specialist would make of his "case"; would give as advice, toward getting rid of it—if it could be got rid of at all".
"R—, as intimated, has played perfectly his rôle in outward life as a man. He takes assiduous part in all sexual talk about women, and is in such intimate relations with two or three of them that what is only an intellectual relation is supposed to be sexual. He has been urged to marry; by many friends. He would marry if he were not now certain that there would be no sexual help in the tie. He fears marriage would only be a melancholy error, bringing great disappointment and worse. Several times he has had reason to know that he has been loved by women whom he would have been glad to marry "if marriage were only an intellectual bond" in its duties and expectations. The horror feminis is too intense now for him to think of such a step, even with his dearest female friends".
"R— smokes and drinks the milder spirituous liquors very moderately. He has intimate friends whom he values as "merely friends". That is, he feels closely attached to them, but without sexual emotion. He is a member, since early boyhood, of a Protestant church; but he has now no dogmatic religious belief of any sort; the less because he says frankly that he has tried to overcome his sexual nature by religion and has found religion of no help. In fact, R— has lost religious sentiment from the effort. He makes the impression of a perfectly upright, high moral nature, and of strength of character in general."
"I could advise him only against any idea of marriage as an artificial attempt at changing his inborn similisexual nature; against losing faith in himself as to being morally depraved, etc., on account of his misfortune and the secret unhappiness it entailed; against allowing himself time to brood; urging him to as much intellectual and physical distraction as possible, to strong efforts toward sell-control; and suggesting other generalities".
Separator
Such is one interesting instance of the uranistic passion. It affords the reader good opportunities of "translating" the abnormal andsimilisexual love into the workings of the 'normal-sexual' sort; or vice-versa. In the chapter on "The Uranian in Military Life" will be found a case quite as suggestive.
Continuing the examples, may follow four memoranda, of the eminent Austrian psychiater, lately deceased, of the University of Vienna, Dr. Richard von Krafft-Ebing, a man whose work for a juster view of similisexual tendencies has been invaluable; and who probably was consulted previous to his retirement from his labour by more eminent uranistic sufferers than any physician in Europe. The instances are of congenital, complete uranism in highclass natures.
Instance.
"Mr. N—, unmarried, born of a marriage between blood relations. His parents were sound types, but a brother of his father was in an asylum for the insane. The brother of Herr N— was exceedingly heterosexual. At nine years old, N— felt himself sexually drawn to his boy-friends. At fifteen years and onward, mas. mut. et coitus inter femora with boys. At sixteen, began a regular love-relationship with a young man, which developed just as normal love between a man and a woman develops. Only young men of from twenty to twenty-four years attract him. He feels himself rather in the feminine role in such sexual intimacies. He believes that from earliest childhood he has had a more feminine than masculine nature. Later than childhood he has had no pleasure in masculine sports, nor in drinking, smoking, etc. In his unsettled sort of life occurred one episode in which he was a cook, in service in a foreign country, giving excellent satisfaction as such; he lost his place because of entering into a love-affair with the son of his employer. After 22 years old, N— realized that he was of an abnormal sexual life. He was disturbed by this discovery, sought by forced visits to brothels to correct himself, but had only disgust. (Nulla erectio). One day, in despair as to his sexual situation, and the discovery of his disgrace by his family, he attempted suicide. Cured of his wound got in this attempt, he again travelled in foreign countries, ever feeling unhappiness, at odds with himself, and repudiated by his family. The only hope now left him has been that with his advancing life he will lose his sexual desire toward men. For the sake of "honour and peace", N— begs aid in his case. He declares that he will either go into a cloister, or else castrate himself. I advised a suggestion-treatment. In physique this unfortunate man is thoroughly virile (genitalia normal) in type of the secondary sexual characteristics".
Instance.
"Mr. M—, forty-four years old, a business-man by occupation, believes that his parents were healthful types; but his brother is epileptic and idiotic. His sister, of sound health, is married. From early childhood M— has been intensely attracted toward men and never has felt sexual interest in women. At his puberty, and afterwards, masturb. et irrumat. (passive). His sexual dreams always have been about men. Several times M— has tried coitus cum mulieribus, but has found himself impotent in it and wholly unmoved sexually by women. During some years he has had a lasting sexual intimacy with a (married) man. M— cannot say that in it he is more active or passive, but thinks that he is rather the feminine in such relations. M— has never had any taste for the masculine sports, is no drinker nor smoker. As a youth, he used to "dress up" in women's clothing, with pleasure. Is of the secondary sexual type, psychically and physically. Genitalia normal.
Instance.
"Mr. H—, thirty years old, of upper middle-class rank, is a descendant from a neuropathic mother. His sisters are suffering from nervous disorders, and he himself, since his puberty, is constitutionally neurasthenic. Even as a boy, H— felt himself attracted sexually to his schoolmates. When he was fourteen, coitus analis with an older schoolmate. He passive, and allowed it willingly, but afterwards felt great "remorse", and never has given way to such an impulse since then. When grown up, masturb. with others, instead. With his increasing neurasthenic tendencies, it has been enough to make him ejaculate sexually when merely embracing another person of his own sex. This remained the method of his sexual satisfaction. He never has felt any sexual attraction toward the female sex. He became conscious of his abnormalism, and after his twentieth year he made energetic efforts to have sexual intercourse with prostitutes, in order to bring his desires into a healthful!er state. Up to that time he had believed his abnormal inclinations were only a youthful confusion of impulses. He tried coit. cum mulier. but felt wholly unsatisfied, by it, and so returned to his relations with men. He inclines to young men, from 18 to 20 years old. Older men are not sympathetic. He finds his social situation painful. He constantly fears the discovery of his perversion, and he asserts that he could not long survive such a shame. Nothing whatever in his aspect or demeanour betrays the contrary-sexualist. Genitalia normal; particularly no signs of degeneration. Mr. H— does not believe that there is any possibility of his changing his sexual abnormality. The female sex has not the slightest interest for him".
Instance.
"Mr. E—, thirty-one years old, is the son of a father exceedingly potent sexually. Otherwise there is nothing that signifies hereditary traits in the sexual instincts of the family. Mr. E— grew up in a solitary village. When he was six years old, he felt special pleasure in being with bearded men. After he was eleven, he used to blush when he met handsome men, and did not trust himself to look at them. In the company of women he was wholly unmoved. Till E— was seven years old, he was dressed in girl's clothing. He was unhappy at having to lay it aside. At this time, too, his favorite amusements were helping in the housekeeping-matters, in the kitchen, etc. His school-days passed calmly. Now and then he had a deep but not lasting sentimental interest in a fellow-pupil. By night, he used to dream rather often of men "with blue clothes, and mustaches". Growing up, Mr. E— went into the gymnastic classes, so as to be with men, and for the same reason he attended balls, not to look at the girls who were wholly a matter of indifference to him, but at the male participants, imagining himself in their arms. He continued to feel that he was lonely, unsatisfied, and little by little he realized himself to be unlike other young men. His whole thought and aim became the finding-out, somewhere, a man that would feel love for him. When he was seventeen, a man induced him to permit masturb. mut. But the reaction for E— was a mixture of pleasure, shame and distress. He knew now the abnormalism of his sexual feelings. He was at first depressed, and thought once of suicide; then he accepted the peculiar situation, continued to long for men, etc., but by his girlish timidity he passed years without such relationships. (Masturb. solit. as a physical resource, but not often, being really not so strongly inclined to physical desire). It has been a pain to him, in the utmost degree, when a girl showed her preference for him, as was not seldom the case. When E— was 26 he came to the capital to live, and therewith he had ample opportunity for homosexual relations. He lives now, since some time back, with a man of like age, the two keeping house together as "man and wife". He is happy in.this, and is rather in the feminine role in it. (Masturb. mut. et coitus inter fern). E— is a valued workman, noted in his calling, in demeanour and aspect thoroughly manly, with normal genitalia, without signs of degeneration. He informed me that his younger brother who is a "woman-hater" is also externally manly and yet feels himself homosexual. It is a striking fact that two sisters of E— who died early were masculine in their tastes, preferring stable work (!) etc., to female occupations.
Instance: Uranistic Dionian Type.
The problem of a nature strongly heterosexual, seeking relations with women eagerly, but intermittently similisexual, has been touchedon. In the following narrative, which is given me by an English medical friend, the type is illustrated.
"H. O—, aged thirty-four, architectural assistant, married, and the father of a son of seven years of age, came to consult me partly on account of his own nervous troubles (insomnia, violent headaches and general neurasthenia) and because of certain signs of nervous and sexual abnormalism in his young son that he lately had remarked. After two or three interviews, Mr. O— became more explicit, with the result of enabling me to make the following notes of his sexual history:—
The father of O— was exceptionally given to sexual relations with women, and was very potent. Otherwise O— knows of no peculiarities of O— senior's vita sexualis, but does not think he was ever in the least similisexual. O—'s mother is a robust, strong-nerved woman of over sixty. The parents married early. They still live, in a German capital. One uncle was homosexual, so O's father once told O—, and was mixed up in a blackmailing affair in Dublin some twenty-five years ago. One aunt suffered from religious excitement and was two or three times in a sanitarium, where she finally died. O— has three sisters and a brother, all married; he cannot give any information as to their sexual traits, but believes them normal. They all have families and live apparently happily. Outwardly O— is of fine and entirely virile aspect, much more than of any secondary type; athletic formerly, takes much exercise now; and smokes, uses liquors, though not to any excess. Wears full close beard, and has handsome features, not in the least feminine. Genitalia normal and large. He speaks of himself as uncommonly potent.
In early boyhood O— was attracted to girls sexually; as early as ten years attempting coitus with them, and (sine ejaculatio, of course) took pleasure in it. At fifteen found opportunity to get into sexual relations with girls older than himself, was potent and remarked by them on account of it. Strong sense of female beauty, and always much libido as he matured. At eighteen, O— nearly got into serious scandal from the pregnancy of a young woman in his city, who claimed that she was enceinte by him, after numerous rendezvous one summer; the case being turned away from O—, on O—'s father's finding proof that O— was not the only youth with whom she had misconducted herself. During his university course, and afterwards O— had frequent relations with prostitutes of good class; also several sexual intrigues of more "exclusive" sort. He believes that he is the father of a child by a woman of superiour social position in the city of X—. He always had great libido in normal sexual conditions. He really has fallen in love two or three times with young women, not very deeply, rather sensually than intellectually; admiring their physical beauty, sexual suggestiveness, and so on. He says that he married his wife during such a frame of mind, she being a very beautiful young actress when he met her, because he "could not possess her otherwise"—as she insisted. They have lived happily, except as to the fact that «occasionally (of late much more frequently) O— has been dull toward his conjugal duties, for the reason following:
O— has always had a most vivid sexual admiration for male beauty, along with all the foregoing normal enthusiasm and libido. When a boy of eight or nine years, took great pleasure in secretly watching men or lads bathe, as an opportunity to observe their genitalia, and was excited strongly. Great susceptibility for photographs, pictures, statuary and so on of handsome males. At the same time that O— was attracted so prematurely to girls, he was in love (at least there was a powerful sentimental and sexual emotion) with a boy-companion. On several occasions, at puberty, he and this friend had relations which he himself sought. They gave O— great satisfaction. (Masturb. mut. et pen. in os). Then when about fifteen, he went to a circus in the town, and became so enamoured of a young rider that he forgot for the time all his normal, if boyish, amours. He managed to get a photograph of the circus-rider, kissed it often, and finally used to masturbate with the portrait in bed with him. During his nineteenth year, O— went to France and Germany with his parents; while there his two-sided sexualism was rather increased than lessened. He met in Munich a painter of similisexual tastes, was sentimentally struck with the man's looks, and became sexually intimate with him. At the same time, he was in normal intrigues at least twice. Leaving his parents in Germany, O— came back to England by way of Italy. In Home he felt for the first time since his early youth a distinctly pederastic passion. He fell in love with a young waiter in the hotel where he was stopping, a lad of about eighteen of uncommon beauty. O— managed to get into sexual relations with him, the waiter coming up to O—'s room "several nights in the week". (Coit. in anum, et inter fern.) On such occasions O— states that he is preferably in the masculine role, only; in fact as to coit. analis he cannot be otherwise. It is noteworthy, that in his sexual intercourse with women, O— has not the least inclination (so he says) to any abnormal methods. O— was so enamored of this Italian youth that he nearly induced the latter to come to England with him as his servant. Returned to London, O—, however, forgot the whole adventure, for he became busy professionally, as an architect's assistant, and also socially. Had now several normal love-affairs with women. In the course of a year or two, he met and married the young actress now his wife, as mentioned, a matter that has made considerable disturbance in O—'s relations with his parents and others in the family. He has been almost wholly normal in his sexualism till within a year. He met in his club a gentleman somewhat older, of attractive personality, and of interesting intellectual character, who fascinated O— in the old "unaccountable and sexual" way. O— finally confessed himself, to discover that the gentleman was homosexual. The result is an intimacy, existing to-day, which, as has been indicated, has made trouble for O— with his wife, who thinks that O— is intriguing with some other woman. O— and his friend have been convinced that their intimacy must be broken off. They have several times tried to give it up. But O— as yet cannot resign himself to a separation or to a colder relation, and has induced the prolonging of the matter. (Coit. in anuin, with O— again in the active role; also onan. bucc.) Lately O— feels the effect of either over-indulgence in this, along with his efforts toward not wholly neglecting his marital duties to his wife. O— still strongly admires her sexually, though now he is sensible of her intellectual uninterest for him, to a depressing degree. This has made O— extremely neurasthenic. He also has noticed signs of contrary sexual instincts in his son. Affection and solicitude for the boy have troubled him more than any preceding causes. He has never felt any worry over the mystery of his "dual sexualism"; at least, never seriously, for he saw early "how many more people were like him". The matter became soon one of concealment and of "watching opportunities". O— gives one the impression of a man of fully the average moral character, is distingué, refined, distinctly intellectual and aesthetic, etc.".
Two further examples of the mixture of contrary and similisexual instincts in the same individual, I take from Dr. Krafft-Ebing's observations:
Instance.
Uranian-dionian Similisexualism. Mr. H—, an official, forty-two years old, dates his contrary sexualism from a rape on him, by a schoolmate, when he was ten … He came to feel the greatst enjoyment in sexual relations with a schoolmate two years older, then later kept up the practice with other young men. From his puberty, onward, as a growing youth, H— has felt far too much sexual inclination for young men, especially if waiters (!) When he was twenty he recognized his abnormalism of his vita sexualis; made sexual approaches to young women but felt repelled by the act and was hardly potent iii it. He succeeded in refraining from homosexual relations, along with those with the other sex. At twenty-four he came to know a ballet-dancer, was charmed with her, and in coitus was perfectly potent; had the greatest satisfaction, etc. The same sort of success in the following year with other women. But with the thirtieth year of his life, this normal period of sexual feeling vanished. He continued to lose his normal libido, and since live years he makes no heterosexual approaches. Masturb. mut. with males, from 17 to 20 years old; strong desires, great sexual satisfaction, etc. Became mixed up in a blackmailing affair. Lately his sexual act is expressed in kissing, embracing, etc. Orgasms and ejaculation follows. The psychical personality of Mr. H— is abnormal, he is intellectually limited, and trivial. Of his (deceased) parents he knows nothing of importance in his case. He was an only child. Build of body and outward appearance thoroughly virile.
Instance: Uranian-Dionian.
Mr. J— an official by profession descends from a father who was most neuropathic. The four sisters also are very nervous in their type. A cousin seduced him (masturbat, mut.) when J— was hardly seven. At eight years, his greatest enjoyment was opportunities of looking at nude men. He grew up in a country boarding-school, and till he was sixteen had no opportunity to be with the female sex. Had intense passions for his schoolmates. At twenty-six, he was initiated into the mystery of homosexual love. Several sexual relations with men, actively and passively; but in pederasty no enjoyment. His (rare) sexual dreams turned to men. He was not wholly unimpressionable, however, to the other sex; but held back from coitus femin. by his fear of sexual disease, two of his relatives being diseased so. Since his twenty-seventh year, he has grown neurasthenic and has gone about to many sanitary resorts. Since then libido et erectio lost. Three years ago he had a passing heterosexual episode: he became enthusiastically in love with a young lady. But soon after, he was captivated by a male friend, with whom he still remains in sexual intimacy. But he now feels discontented with this. For lately he has become interested in another lady, and is considering the idea of a marriage with her. But his courage fails. He does not believe that he could dispense with homosexual relationships when a husband, but believes that he can keep on with them, when once married, "like so many other of his married acquaintances". He presents the physical and psychical secondary sexual characteristics of manhood. Genitalia normal.
In the "Psychopathia Sexualis", which is rich in personal observations, occur other cases of this dual sexualism; some of them of extreme vehemence and morbidity-to which the reader is referred.
A further example of the uniting of dionism and uranism is the following from an American observer of the phenomena of contrary sexualism. It is striking in the dionistic aspects of the subject.
Instance: Uranian-Dionian.
C. T— thirty five years of age. American by birth, of no profession since giving up commercial interests of active kind. Married several years ago, but no children. Consults me as to his sexual status, which he finds burdensome, though not as a new matter. Main facts are as follows: T— comes of a father of exceptional mental ability, a rich merchant; who became deranged just after retiring from business and passed the time between his fifty-fifth and sixtieth year in a private asylum, was ocasionally violent, and died insane. The father was rather a potator, fond of "good living", and was extremely given to sexuality, prior to his marriage. T—'s mother is a very highly organized woman; aesthetic, and for many years a sufferer from chronic nervous disease. Of the grand-parents, T— has no information that is of bearing on his case. He is a most virile type, full, athletic figure, manly and handsome features, strong blond beard, and strong voice. Skin is fine and, on the body is hairless, apart from the pubes, which are fully haired. Genitalia large and normal. All his demeanour masculine. There is one brother who is a potator and has been till lately, on his marriage, a constant frequenter of women. The only sister is perfectly normal in intellect, and of fine physique, with no traces of neurasthenia, etc. and is married and has four strong, healthful children.
T— was inclined to similisexual feelings as a boy of eight or nine. He used to watch a certain serving-man of the family undress—with vivid pleasure, and (he thinks) with strong erectio. In school, he was led by two older students into the usual sexual practices among lads. (Musturb. mut. et penem in os mut, with intense satisfaction). His puberty was early, and he was potent at thirteen. But when in school, he had frequent sexual relations with a female servant, with thorough enjoyment. Also visited, when he was sixteen and later, a brothel, and had great libido. During his college-course, T— kept a young woman as his mistress, or at least was one of a set of two or three young men who supported the same puella. But T—'s feeling for masculine beauty, and his sexual liking for handsome men, older or younger, did not leave him, in spite of normal instincts and satisfactions. He fell vehemently in love with a fellow-student of athletic beauty, at this same time. The matter came to a disclosure. The result was a strong friendship, instead of a rupture between T— and this college-friend, who was not at first at all similisexual but became so with T—. From then T— lost interest in the puella, and gave over visiting her. Intense pleasure in his sexual intercourse (coit. inter fem. et penem in os, mutually) with his male friend. He and the friend however became troubled as to their instincts, and the friend went to a physician, who warned them of dangers in it; and also held out the certainty of their losing their emotions if they would seek normal satisfactions. They followed the advice; the friend "recovered"; but T— did not. The result was a time of great unhappiness for T—, as his friend was sexually "lost" to him, though their friendship swung back to its old unsexual plane, and so was not broken. After college, T— went into business with his father, conducting soon an important branch-office of it in a distant city, and with great success. He is an excellent organizer, and is very practical, despite aesthetic traits, such as his fondness for music, pleasure in fine-arts in general, in elegant literature, etc. When in the town of Z—, there came about a clandestine normal intimacy for T— with a society-woman, that was of much pleasure to him; again strong normal libido and complete satisfaction. The lady leaving town with her husband, T— for a time frequented brothels, then grew tired of that, and the more as he contracted a gonorrhea that gave him much trouble to cure. He was sent to Europe on business, and met in Brussels a Bavarian physician who was similisexual, and with whom T— travelled for several weeks, in constant similisexual relations that "drove him nearly wild with pleasure". In London, this episode being over, he met the young lady also a traveller and a compatriot, in whom he fell in love, and who became his wife. T— and she have lived happily. But T— is by no means faithful to her as regards avoiding homosexual relationships; as to others he is wholly so. Mrs T— however is not strongly sexual in temperament, and so T— is freer to indulge his incorrigible desires for males. He has two friends in the city with whom he has such relations; what is more, he often goes to certain baths, saloons, and other localities where homosexuals of various grades congregate, and where there are more or less opportunities for their practices; running risks of blackmail and other trouble from such similisexual adventures. He meets often men with whom he has much delight in the sexual acts (especially penem in os). He has occasionally taken pleasure in distinctively pederastic intercourse (coitus analis) but only with adults, can suffer that only if himself in the active role. He has not the least sexual interest in immature youths, etc. Some weeks ago, T— had a meeting with a young man, a stranger in the city, and now remote from it again, in which he contracted what he has feared was a disease in his mouth, of sexual sort. (It is not such however.) After hesitation, he came to me for treatment. He has become candid as to his case. He would be glad to change it, the more as he sees that it brings him in peril, socially and legally, that his health suffers from his adventurous excesses, and also because he thinks that with an improvement in the health of his wife (to whom he is warmly attached, and with whom he "has great pleasure" in the sexual acts) he may need a thorough recruiting and care of all his sexual forces. He is glad that he has no children, as they would be a worry to him, lest they should display sexual abnormalities. His wife is not supposed to be at all incapable of bearing children. T— guards against the possibility of offspring with her, under various excuses. He has been a father more than once, he is sure, during some preceding irregular sexual intimacies".
In the late Otto de Joux's study of uranianism entitled "Die Enterbten des Liebesglücks", a book which despite its tendency to a romantic accentuation and even to ill-placed levity contains useful matters tor lay-reading, the authour gives the following sketch of an Uranian's "love at sight". The narrator is spoken of as a young scion of a noble family of the Continent; and the object of his passion a is German or Austrian army-officer.
Instance: Typical Case of Uranistic "Love and Sight".
"I have absolutely nothing feminine in me as to my looks; my bearing indeed is noted for its genuine masculinity. But, for all that, I have a soul like a woman's. I am a man: but I love another man, burningly, passionately, to death itself. I know too it is a mad hopeless struggle that I have kept up against my all too-tender nature, since my boyhood's years. So I have given up struggling against my fate.
"I was young, free, rich but not happy … I fell in love with a man whose name I did not know. It came over me like a flash of lightning when I saw him for the first time. It was in a café; my eye caught sight of a dignified officer. He had an illustrated paper before him, but his glance was far from it; visibly he was sunk in deep thought. My first idea was of what preoccupied him … the noble profile with lines so strong and definite; everything about him suggested intellect and will-power … Finally he got up and went away; and I followed him, compelled by an irresistible force. How is it possible that one human creature can exert such a violent influence over another of like sex? I had never had any experience like this. The fresh air brought me to my senses: "You are a fool!" I said to myself, and went home. But from that evening he and I met often, in the street, in social life; though the stars went against me, for I could never find any suitable opportunity to get into a nearer relation with the man—even if I did get his photograph … I believed that he was an Uranian-sufferer, as was I. We greeted one another at times. By my way of looking at him, he must soon have known that he was unspeakably dear to my heart".
"At last we were at a brilliant ball, and in the same quadrille … We came to the figure "Trenis", where the men, so to say, embrace; in order to turn about in a circle, while the ladies on their side do the same. I would have said something different to him; instead, I could only murmur.—"This is the best moment of the dance"! He answered, "Be still, be still, dear fellow!—we will get away from here at once! "I could hardly wait till the quadrille ended. Ceremoniously I left my glittering partner. What was Hecuba to me? I hurried to the dressing-rooms, for my fur-coat. He came upon my heels and put on his cloak. We left the vestibule, got into the same carriage, and fell into each other's arms. Neither of us could utter a word. At last God had given me a friend to my soul!… He and I have lived together now more than three years, like a married pair. We have never had one quarrel. Rudolf is somewhat jealous, but is kindness and thoughtfulness itself. When he goes to the annual military maneuvers, I follow him; if he should be stationed elsewhere I shall go with him to the end of the world—to the Esquimaux!… We are happy without misgivings or remorse. There is a happiness that knows no end".
The Strength of the Tie of Dionist- ic Friendship with Uranians.
The warmth of feeling for the Uranian on the part of his unsuspecting dionistic friend has been mentioned. "Jack, I could not care for you more if you were a woman!" lightly exclaims some affectionate Dionian—"though, thank God, you are not one!" He wrings the hand of the silent Jack, whose heart is pierced by the bitter irony of that "Thank God, you are not one!" from the lips of the man he loves with a woman's heart, under the mask of a male friendship. Another painful aspect of an "undeclared" intimacy between two friends can long-continue with a double concealment. This phase is treated in the English novelette, "Imre: A Memorandum". A virile urano-dionistic type sometimes struggles with an uranistic sentiment which he detests, cannot understand, fights down fiercely. A striking study of this sort of psychologic tragedy is made in a French novel by Mme. Alfred Valette, whose pen-name is "Rachilde"; the story "Les HorsNature" being originally published in the well-known Paris periodical, "Le Mercure de France", a magazine in which French uranistic fiction has long been a feature, including stories by Eckhoud and others. Aside from disclosures or suppressions of a romance, many broken intimacies between men occur when the Dionian after he has become more or less uranistic in his emotion for his friend, is led back to his normal sexual interests by falling in love with a woman, and decides on marriage; realizing that it must mean a break with the too-sensitive Uranian. Miserable indeed is the Uranian then, unless he can rise to a less sexual plane of sentiment. He is abandoned, his dream is over! He cannot blame anyone. He can, he should, simply submit. But what shall console him? How can he surrender the man he loves, even when it is for the other's happiness? In a later chapter, "The Uranian in Relation to Marriage", one or two instances of this struggle are given.
Uranians as Valued Friends of Women.
Not able to love a woman sexually, the Uranian not a woman-hater, and who is in fact fond of the society of charming and interesting women, is frequently precisely their most valued, useful and beloved friend. The Uranian can be the "model" friend of the other sex. To them he is dispassionate yet cordial, perceptive and sensitive to their emotions, as is no Dionian. Many are the speculations in social circles, why some attractive, superior man does not choose himself a wife, become plighted to some girl whose preference for him is as marked, as is his admiration for her. So warm an intimacy, but to no clear result! Is there a secret bar? Does she not love him enough? Does he not love her?
The Tragic or Co- mic Results of the Uranian Attitude of Defense.
Often indeed the woman herself, as well as her friends. cannot understand why man's affection stays where it does, no disclosure of warmer feeling upon her admirer's lips. Unfortunately, sometimes it crosses hers; to meet his deepest regret and embarassment. Now and then, tragic, or tragic-comic, results of the silence of the Uranian, are heard of; more dramatic if the recalcitrant male is suspected to be cynically too indifferent. In such cases feminine revenge can go crudely far. The mystery of the death of Monaldeschi, the secretary of Queen Christina of Sweden, whom she ordered be beheaded with scandalous precipitation one night, during her famous visit to Prance, lately has been partly attributed to this cause. Similar stories are told of the abrupt and cruel strokes of pseudo state-justice by Catherine II of Russia, not to mention other romantic sovereigns of more ardour than patience. A few seasons ago, in Lisbon, took place such an affair, that made much scandal at the time. Among the brilliant literary men of the city, was one L—, renowned for his beauty and charming manners, but outspoken in his aversion to any sexual relations with women, and equally frank in similisexual intimacies. One of the most beautiful of the Lisbon cocotterie was a young woman whose services as model to a well-known French painter have made her face and figure the common property of Europe. She made repeated advances to L— with no success. As her interest warmed, came his plainer avoidance of her. At last occurred her ardent offer; and his cold refusal. One summer evening, toward midnight, L— was returning from his club. A close carriage overtook him. Two strong negroes stepped down from the box, and one of them asked L— if he would speak to a lady in the carriage. The unwary L— advanced. He was gagged, tied, thrown into the vehicle and driven away with its occupants—two ladies. One of them was the slighted Venus, the other a lady-friend who also felt aggrieved against the uranistic gentleman. L— was taken to the residence of the friend. There he was literally ravished to exhaustion! Towards morning he was conveyed to one of the remoter spots of the Campolide, and left, still bound and gagged, on a bench, where he was found by a watchman and taken home. The affair was the talk of the Portuguese clubs for weeks. The heroine left Lisbon, with her establishment and friend, the same day.
The Complete Uranian's "Hor- ror Corporis Feminae".
The antipathy of a completely uranistic man to bodily contact with a woman, not merely his physical insensibility, or his aesthetic coldness cannot be "explained" or "reasoned away". Not more can we explain many primary instincts in human nature, by argument. But one element of the sub-conscious kind in this aversion, in multitudes of cases is the Uranian's sense of a woman as physically a sort of unclean thing. She seems to the Uranian far less wholesome, than a man. Her embrace and reception seems to him full of secret impurity; even if he knows her to be most attentive to all manner of toilette-processes; absolutely free of disease. He feels, too, a disgust at the sexual periods of women. Her pregnancy is a repulsion. There is the dread of venereal diseases. Not inappropriately may here be mentioned the theory of many Uranians that their intercourse is a valuable check against the over-population of the globe. The uranian sexualism has thus a theoretic connection with the malthusian doctrines. Many homosexuals claim that for this end similisexual relations should be encouraged; just as we have seen that under the Mosaic Code, and facing the problem of the increase of the Jews against the Canaanites, it was a felony because more or less a hindrance to the desired census.
Separator
How is the Uranian Physi- cally Satisfied.
As to what brings to the Uranian his physical gratification and appeasement absurd popular notions are plentiful enough, including those grounded on the ideas of bodily hermaphroditism. There is a general ignorance of this matter among otherwise educated people. The law confuses physical expressions of similisexualism, both active and passive. There cannot, of course, be precisely the same bodily conjunction, even when coitus analis or buccal coition are the processes, as when the opposite sexes unite. But the Uranian is satisfied without such perfect physical union. Nude embracements and close contacts genitally as a rule suffice for all the pleasurable sensations of normal sexual intercourse. Mere close embraces, or a coit. inter fern, is usually adequate toward complete orgasm by him. Often less than that is needed. For, one must remember that the Uranian passion is informed much by a sort of idealism, far more vivid and nervous than the sensation of normalists. The Uranian's instinct demands less of the actual physique. Usual as are buccal onanism, mutual masturbation and so on, they are not invariably instinctive to Uranian. In his more refined class he is intensely sensitive to a spiritual possession of his friend, his psychic conquest of the beauty of the male. Imagination has a powerful share in even the physical pleasure of all superior similisexualism. The bodily aspects of similisexual loves and their harm or good as compared with effects of normal sexual gratifications by Dionians, will be treated in an Appendix to this study.
Of "Active" and "Passive" Uranianism.
There are two salient phases and temperaments in similisexualism, often not indicated by exterior detail; as has been noted. In one, the similisexualist always inclines to give himself up; instinctively makes the surrender, psychical and physical as does a woman, avoids exertion. He leaves most to his partner, even while he has strong desires and enjoyments. Here is the "passive" temperament, of course. The "active" type in which the individual feels inclined always to be the aggressor, physically to dominate, has been somewhat specially illustrated in the foregoing examples. In the following group we can observe this more feminine temperament. There is no rule of preliminary judgment on the psychiater's part, though in delicate physiques and weak morale generally is met a more passive than active temperament. On the other hand, a vigorously masculine physique, a bearded pasha or some athletic warrior or bronzed sailor, may always have the desire to be passive, rather than active, in homosexual intercourse. The differences, divergences from a fully virile type, even to physical effeminization, are important in the passivist. Especially by passive uranians, when physical rapports are in question, is anal coition desired. I cite here an example from "Psychopathia Sexualis".
Instance: Passive Uranism.
"Mr. C—, not in public life, comes from a neuropathic father and a very nervous mother. One brother suffered from paranoia, and another one is physically degenerate. Three sisters, younger, are wholly normal. Mr. C— is neuropathic, has a slight 'tic.' C— was talented in music, poetry, and interested himself in the theater. Toward scientific studies, especially mathematics he was not at all talented, and with trouble got past his school-examinations. As far back as he can remember, he felt himself attracted to masculine individuals. In the beginning he had "passionate enthusiasms" for older schoolmates. With entry into puberty, he fell in love with a male teacher, a guest of his parents. His feeling was toward the feminine role. His sexual dreams, etc. directed themselves only to male persons and passively. C— declares that he feels himself physically like a woman. As a boy he played exclusively with dolls, and later was interested in women's affairs, felt an aversion to male interests. He most liked the company of young girls, because they were "sympathetic", etc. He dislikes smoking and drinking spirituous liquors. He has specially cared for cooking and embroidery. Never has had strong libido. Seldom had sexual relations with men while growing up. His "ideal" was such a relationship, himself in the female role. The idea of coit. cum mulier. repelled him with horror. Since reading "Psychopathia Sexualis", he has been terrified about himself, at the chances of legal punishment (if caught in intercourse with males) and has succeeded in keeping clear of sexual intercourse with men. This abstinence has induced pollutions and neurasthenia. On this account, C— has sought medical aid. C—has a vigorous beard, and except for delicate features and a remarkably fine skin, he shows no signs of departure from the virile type. Genitalia normal, except the want of due descent of scrotum. In his deportment, on the street, walk and general bearing, there is nothing striking, though he is tormented with dread of his sexual peculiarity being remarked. On this account he is shy of people. If he hears coarse conversation he blushes like a girl. Once when somebody was talking of contrary sexualism, he fainted. Music puts him into a nervous perspiration. On close inspection, Mr. C— appears psychically feminine; quite too timid, in a girlish way, and wanting independence of character. The nervous restlessness, 'tic', and moderate neurasthenic indications, betray the really constitutional neuropathic type".
The Uranian Impulse Respects no Class: Pervad- es All Social, Moral, Mental, Grades.
The similisexual sentiment is no respecter or station in life, and interesting exhibitions of it occur in humbler as well Grades. as exalted ranks. I select here such a case, from the psycho-pathologist last mentioned: condensing somewhat the memorandum:
Instance.
"B— a waiter by occupation, single, was sent to me by his family-physician; with whom B— had fallen in love, as suffering from contrary-sexualism. B— willingly and with decency described his vita ante acta et sexualis, specially; glad at last to obtain an authoritative opinion as to his sexual condition, which has seemed to himself diseased. B— cannot give any information as to his grandparents, His father was a quick-tempered, excitable man, a potator, and much given to sexuality. After this father had had twenty-four children by the same wife, he separated from her, and then three times made his housekeeper pregnant! The mother of B— is a healthy woman. Of many sisters, six are alive, several are ill with nervous maladies, but none is abnormal sexually, except one sister who has a sexual aversion to men. B— was a sickly child. His sexual life began at eight years. … At twelve years, he began falling in love with men, mostly those in the thirties and with mustaches. At that early time, erectio et pollutio. From that date, daily masturb. in thinking about some man with whom he was in love. Most special satisfaction if penem viri in os arrigere: at this ejaculatio, with extreme enjoyment. Only twelve times till now this satisfaction. He has never felt any disgust for the private parts of another man, but quite the contrary. Pederasty (coitus analis) is disgusting to him, in the highest degree, and he has never allowed it. But he feels inclined always to the passive role in his perverted sexuality. His love for a sympathetic man is unlimited. He is willing to do anything for such. He shivers with excitement and delight if he merely sees such a man. When B— was nineteen he allowed himself rather often to be induced by his comrades to visit brothels of women. He had no pleasure in such coitus and only in the actual moment of ejaculation was he sexually relieved … But he has twice been a father. The last child, a girl, of eight begins to show perverse sexualism, which much troubles him. He wonder if there is no help again it. C— declares that he always has the feelings of a woman when in the sexual role with men. In order to attain erectio when with a woman he was always forced to call up the image of some man that he loved. He has always believed that his sexual perversion rose in the wish of his father to have him born a girl … Drinking, smoking, masculine occupations and amusements he has never had any taste tor; on the contrary he likes sewing and cookery and whenever he could do so, he used to dress-up as a girl, and he was often ridiculed because of his liking for dolls when a child. His interest in circuses is for the male performers … He has never had any sense of feminine charms … The patient is graceful in build, has slight growths of hair on the cheeks, and slight mustache (which did not come till he was twenty-eight). Except as to a slightly wavering walk nothing betrays his womanish nature … His demeanour in the highest degree is decent. Genitalia large, well-developed, normally hirsute; posteriori masculine, etc.
Male Prostitution Generally Passive.
In two later chapters of this book will be illustrated the uranianism which while debased ideally and effeminized physically is associated with irresponsable social life, an absolute vagabondage included, and is largely passive. As may be inferred, the male prostitute is much of this class, whether he be completely similisexual or not. He has the "professional" disadvantage of being obliged to avoid the open publicity of solicitation, etc. of the female prostitutes. How readily he overcomes that set-back, and utilizes his chances toward blackmailing-schemes, we shall soon see in examining homosexual prostitution.
Can the Uranian Be "Cured".
We have thus glanced at various phases of the second Intersex, without making special classifications such as will be the subject of our further studies. Accepting generalities of the sort are we to conclude that Uranian mankind is "curable"? The word presupposes something too much. The question of change in the Uranian depends on how far his nature is completely inborn; how far it may be bred in temperament and nerve; how far absolute intersex; in what degree there has been prenatal condition. How much of the manifestation is a cultivation, by the individual, how much is a psychic process associated even with physiologic traits?—though, as we have pointed out a typical physique is not essential. Can we "cure" Nature? Can we make the leopard change his spots?
The Primary Er- rors in Diagnostis Pathological.
We must here, particularly meet here a series of fundamental errors of not only the popular notion, but of even the scientific mind, time and again; viz, that the Uranian suffers from a nervous disease; that his status is indisputably "pathological;" that his outward type determines his sex; and that in consequence of being intersexual he is morally vicious, degenerate, and criminal. We have seen how modern law, in many parts of the world, still makes him the latter type. We see how statute-books visit on him the penalty of his "contrary" intersexual condition, with truculent severity. But this all is acting toward a man much as if the man were to be punished because he has a leg or arm shorter than his next-door neighbour, or prefers vegetable diet to fleshmeats. Of "moral cure" often there should be no question, because no need. Complete, inborn, intersexual uranianism cannot be "cured". The shame of a gross blunder falls to the psychiater who promises a "cure" of what is not a disease. Too many a doctor, otherwise intelligent and honest, advises marriage as a "remedy"; or experimentally commits his patient to courses of useless "normal" sexuality. In vain does the real, innate Uranian seek to feel as to woman the absorbingly aesthetic, the intellectual, the sexual drawing awakened in him by a male. The male is the only natural completion of his Ego. In vain does such an Uranian seek to overcome his horror corporis feminae, even if as to women he have intellectual interests, close friendships, kind affections. In vain is made by him the experiment of marriage. Complete, natural similisexualism is no real abnormality, no disease. It is unchangeably intersexualistic Nature. Undoubtedly a well-gratified, skilful, virile psychiater should strive to "cure" an imperfect, fanciful and superficial similisexualism; to correct minds and bodies really morbid. Acquired and surface diversions of sexual instinct, frequently can be so corrected. But to the inbred Uranian coming to a physician for help, a psychiater can best give sympathy, enlightenment, moral encouragements to self-respect, counsels against anything obviously degenerative to soul or body, in such mystic, disturbing, tyrannic instincts. The intersexual type must be stimulated toward an elevated intellectual and ideal plane, in his sexualism. He must be helped to make the most of himself, before God and man. He must be warned from cowardly wishes for death; urged to carry his burden bravely, till death shall seek him and (let us try to believe) lay it aside for him. This—with due aid to the physique of a "patient" is all that most psychiaters can do. Ignorantly unjust sentiments of society against legitimate satisfaction of similisexual instincts, the want of equable laws for man, woman and intersex, will slowly be bettered. Meantime must the man who is homosexual be taught that he is not more criminal or monstrous than the "normalist". Common-sense, science und humanity together demand this sort of medical-psychiatric sentiment; and in time social ideas and laws, the world around, will endorse such logical, humane acceptances.
When only is the Uranian Capable of "Unnatural" Sexualism?.
In fact only in one way can the real Uranian be guilty of "unnatural" acts of sexualism; for we are of course putting aside such obvious offences against nature and humanity as bestiality or the debauchment or physical injury to minors, a forcible sexual intercourse, and so on. Unnatural condition for an Uranian comes when involuntarily he attempts "normal" intercourse, with a woman; with the sex that by nature's decree repels him, that often he loathes in any corporeal relationship. Prostitute, mistress or wife—then is he indeed guilty of a sin against Nature, violates his sexual Ego, as does the normalist, the completely masculine man, sin against his nature in sexual relations with other than a woman.
The Highest Type of Uranian often Does not Wish to be "Cured".
The fact is much in evidence that the best type of Uranian often does not wish nor seek a "Cure" when once enlightened as to himself, and is clear about his moral position. Such intersexuals in a large proportion have no desire to change psychology or lot, unless perhaps such wishes come in hours of bitterness, under social persecution and injustice, or when some unhappy passion overflows. But often not even then would the Uranian be other than he is! He suffers. For his own sake, and for the sake of others he wishes that their lot were better. But there is likely to be firm in his soul the conviction that the impulse in him is pure, is perhaps the truest and highest sort of love; that in the Scriptural phrase, it is a "thing of God". Races, laws, society long may persist in repudiating or punishing it. But the world will progress slowly to wider sexual insights. Coming generations will redeem a present-day and ignorant intolerance of similisexual impulses, when united to sound ethical concepts, to superiour intelligences and to respectable lives.
