The invention of sexuality

Careful observation among the ladies of large cities soon convinces one that homosexuality is by no means a rarity. Uranism may nearly always be suspected in females wearing their hair short, or who dress in the fashion of men, or pursue the sports and pastimes of their male acquaintances; (…) The female urning may chiefly be found in the haunts of boys. (…) Love for arts finds a substitute in the pursuits of the sciences. At times smoking and drinking are cultivated even with passion. Perfumes and sweetmeats are disdained.

Richard von Krafft-Ebing, Psychopathia Sexualis (1886)

Updated: 04.11.2015 — 05:37