Kertbeny and the nameless love

The word homosexuality, in its German form Homosexualität, was first used in an anonymous pamphlet published in Germany in 1869. Documentary evidence is given here confirming that the writer Karl Maria Kertbeny was its author. A sketch of Kertbeny's life is given, along with a discussion of the historical background and reasons for his introduction of the new terminology. The role that this and rival terminologies played in the changing attitudes toward homosexuality is traced through the following century in Germany, concluding with the reclaiming of the derogatory word schwul by the modern gay movement.