Homosexuality and the Left in the Netherlands: 1890-1911

The attitudes of the Dutch socialist left toward homosexuality are examined, drawing upon a wide range of sources. At the end of the nineteenth century, a political debate on prostitution heightened social interest in sexuality in its diverse forms. Medical literature on sexual perversion was another starting point for the growing discussion of homosexuality. These debates were joined by Dutch socialists of divergent opinions. Whereas some of them wanted to acknowledge the right of homosexuals who were born that way to express themselves, only one exceptional author defended the right to homosexual sex. But most socialists were prejudiced against homosexuality and generally endorsed Frank van der Goes's proposal to eliminate homosexual behavior while accepting the notion of an inborn homosexual orientation.