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Sodomy and the Pirate Tradition: English Sea Rovers in the Seventeenth-Century Caribbean
"A great . . . very interesting book."
Johnny Depp
"Burg puts historians to shame by raising extremely interesting questions that no one before had asked."
Christopher Hill in New York Review of Books
Pirates are among the most heavily romanticized and fabled characters in history. From Bluebeard to Captain Hook, they have been the subject of countless movies, books, children's tales, even a world-famous amusement park ride.
In Sodomy and the Pirate Tradition, historian B. R. Burg investigates the social and sexual world of these sea rovers, a tightly bound brotherhood of men engaged in almost constant warfare. What, he asks, did these men, often on the high seas for years at a time, do for sexual fulfillment? Buccaneer sexuality differed widely from that of other all- male institutions such as prisons, for it existed not within a regimented structure of rule, regulations, and oppressive supervision, but instead operated in a society in which widespread toleration of homosexuality was the norm and conditions encouraged its practice.
In his new introduction, Burg discusses the initial response to the book when it was published in 1983 and how our perspectives on all-male societies have since changed.
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1983
46 people are currently reading
1273 people want to read
About the author
B.R. Burg
7 books3 followersBarry Richard Burg (b. 1938) is a professor of history at Arizona State University.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
January 29, 2013
A couple of years ago, I took a History of Sexuality class. For our final project, we had to read a book from the list that my teacher gave to us. As soon I saw this book, I knew I HAD to do it. Because pirates! He assigned me my first choice then I realized I had to present to my class about pirate butt sex. That was fun.
However, this book is rather dry but Burg researched the topic well. At some points, it felt a bit like he was throwing spaghetti at the wall with his usage of sources and documents. I understand that it's not an easy topic to research and he kept repeating that he didn't know or was unsure about what he just wrote.
My teacher said that this is his first book and that Burg improved in his later books. Despite its faults, I kind of enjoyed it. It's not something that I'd recommend to a casual reader because it is not for pleasure reading. This is clearly a scholarly study and it's not easy for non-historians to read.
I rated it four stars because I still remember it clear as day years later and often bring it up in conversations and debates.
"PIRATES LIKED DEM WHORES"
"No, pirates liked men"
"BUT PORTS WERE FULL OF WHORES"
"Not in the Caribbean, go read Sodomy and the Pirate Tradition: English Sea Rovers inthe Seventeeth-Century Caribbean to learn more"
"wat"
"History major, I read stuff like this and like it"
"... ok you're the pirate butt sex expert I guess"
"Burg's the expert, not me"
"nerd"
However, this book is rather dry but Burg researched the topic well. At some points, it felt a bit like he was throwing spaghetti at the wall with his usage of sources and documents. I understand that it's not an easy topic to research and he kept repeating that he didn't know or was unsure about what he just wrote.
My teacher said that this is his first book and that Burg improved in his later books. Despite its faults, I kind of enjoyed it. It's not something that I'd recommend to a casual reader because it is not for pleasure reading. This is clearly a scholarly study and it's not easy for non-historians to read.
I rated it four stars because I still remember it clear as day years later and often bring it up in conversations and debates.
"PIRATES LIKED DEM WHORES"
"No, pirates liked men"
"BUT PORTS WERE FULL OF WHORES"
"Not in the Caribbean, go read Sodomy and the Pirate Tradition: English Sea Rovers inthe Seventeeth-Century Caribbean to learn more"
"wat"
"History major, I read stuff like this and like it"
"... ok you're the pirate butt sex expert I guess"
"Burg's the expert, not me"
"nerd"
June 8, 2020
Quite an interesting survey of buccaneer sexuality, touching upon many subjects—English legal codes, the evolving Western perception of sodomy, British island colonialism, masculinity, Restoration class structure—as it examines the sociosexual practises of freebooters in the West Indies circa 1640.
Worth a read if you’re interested in the workings of specific insular communities throughout history, how they adapt to unique stressors, and what daily life was like for a terror of the high seas.
Worth a read if you’re interested in the workings of specific insular communities throughout history, how they adapt to unique stressors, and what daily life was like for a terror of the high seas.
August 16, 2013
Seriously, this book has everything you always wanted to know. The chapter entitled "Buccaneer Sexuality" is of course the best, but it contains so many insights, such as that fellatio is the preferred method of male homosexual expression only in America, whereas in the UK they do something referred to in the text as "genital apposition,"* possibly because circumcision is more widespread here. Did pirates engage in fellatio? "Although the continual accumulation of smegmal matter, desquamated epithelial cells, bodily secretions, fecal and urinary traces, perspiration, bacteria, dust, and dirt my have rendered the practice of oral-genital contact appealing for some, it is at least as likely that these same accumulations could have made it obnoxious even for those who might normally have experienced sexual stimulation from moderately pungent genital odors" (Burg 137).
In addition to the naughty bits, there are a few touching love stories. I have already bought the rights to The Gay Pirates of the Caribbean.
*Remember to use a comma before and after genital apposition.
In addition to the naughty bits, there are a few touching love stories. I have already bought the rights to The Gay Pirates of the Caribbean.
*Remember to use a comma before and after genital apposition.
March 31, 2022
Giving this 4 stars out of respect. I wouldn’t recommend unless you are very interested in the topic.
Sadly, the book is not nearly as interesting as the title, but I guess it’s an important early contribution to LGBT history.
Quite a lot of the book is speculation, but well-founded, exhaustively (circumstantially) evidenced, and logically argued, and genuinely arrives at conclusions no one thought of before. I imagine this came out of a PhD dissertation, and the author had to rigorously defend his work from query and attack at every point. So the result is sadly rather dry reading from a general reader’s point of view. Also, a contemporary gay reader will find quite a few of the book’s own assumptions, concerns, perspectives, and terminology dated now. If you are reading this in prep for the gay pirates romance novel you are planning, it’s not going to be hugely forthcoming in providing local colour and diverting incident.
Sadly, the book is not nearly as interesting as the title, but I guess it’s an important early contribution to LGBT history.
Quite a lot of the book is speculation, but well-founded, exhaustively (circumstantially) evidenced, and logically argued, and genuinely arrives at conclusions no one thought of before. I imagine this came out of a PhD dissertation, and the author had to rigorously defend his work from query and attack at every point. So the result is sadly rather dry reading from a general reader’s point of view. Also, a contemporary gay reader will find quite a few of the book’s own assumptions, concerns, perspectives, and terminology dated now. If you are reading this in prep for the gay pirates romance novel you are planning, it’s not going to be hugely forthcoming in providing local colour and diverting incident.
April 24, 2018
A very interesting thesis on the homosexual proclivities of 17th Century pirates.
The second edition of this book, which was published a decade after the first, includes a forward to explain the context of the original publication. This context is very thorough in explaining the development of gay history, and its importance in the fight for queer equality. In particular, it took note of the American fight for gay members of the military, and how the study of history has been used as an instrument to argue that gay men and women have fought well for the military and yet treated terribly. This forward was really informative, and provided a context that I had not thought of before.
The first three chapters mostly focused on homosexuality in 17th Century England and the Carribean. The first chapter provided a very thoroughly evidenced argument that homosexuality was not particularly ostracised. Whilst illegal, sodomy was rarely punished and when it led to conviction, it was considered a lesser crime. The second chapter argued that those who ended up as bucaneers were more likely to be inclined to homosexuality. Whilst the argument was logical and seemed valid, there was far less evidence. The third argued that the sex ratio among British colonial Carribean islands was heavily male-biased (and the few women were unavailable for sex).
Next is where the argument weakened. Burg argues the homosexual behaviours of buccaneer based on a few main sources. First are the behaviours of modern-day environments that have little-to-no access to women - with particular attention to prison populations. Whilst Burg acknowledges the flaws in these arguments, he still continues to draw some pretty long conclusions. The other main sources are from texts at the time. These are very limited, because people didn't write about homosexual relationships. Unfortunately, it feels like Burg overblows most examples of homosexuality (as most are not overt), and is incredibly dismissive of most heterosexuality. I think this chapter weakened much of the thesis, as the argument was already well-made.
However, chapter fiver really brought it home and was the most interesting chapter in the book. Firstly it improves on the evidence, with descriptions of a bunch of cases of buggery against pirates. The main argument was that these cases were mostly brought for other reasons, and sodomy was a convenient charge because it was so widespread. These cases brought light to how gay sex happens on a boat: no privacy, mostly butt sex and a complete lack of felatio. The rest of the chapter discussed multiple facets of pirate life, and how homosexuality fit into them. A bit speculative at times, but really interesting!
The second edition of this book, which was published a decade after the first, includes a forward to explain the context of the original publication. This context is very thorough in explaining the development of gay history, and its importance in the fight for queer equality. In particular, it took note of the American fight for gay members of the military, and how the study of history has been used as an instrument to argue that gay men and women have fought well for the military and yet treated terribly. This forward was really informative, and provided a context that I had not thought of before.
The first three chapters mostly focused on homosexuality in 17th Century England and the Carribean. The first chapter provided a very thoroughly evidenced argument that homosexuality was not particularly ostracised. Whilst illegal, sodomy was rarely punished and when it led to conviction, it was considered a lesser crime. The second chapter argued that those who ended up as bucaneers were more likely to be inclined to homosexuality. Whilst the argument was logical and seemed valid, there was far less evidence. The third argued that the sex ratio among British colonial Carribean islands was heavily male-biased (and the few women were unavailable for sex).
Next is where the argument weakened. Burg argues the homosexual behaviours of buccaneer based on a few main sources. First are the behaviours of modern-day environments that have little-to-no access to women - with particular attention to prison populations. Whilst Burg acknowledges the flaws in these arguments, he still continues to draw some pretty long conclusions. The other main sources are from texts at the time. These are very limited, because people didn't write about homosexual relationships. Unfortunately, it feels like Burg overblows most examples of homosexuality (as most are not overt), and is incredibly dismissive of most heterosexuality. I think this chapter weakened much of the thesis, as the argument was already well-made.
However, chapter fiver really brought it home and was the most interesting chapter in the book. Firstly it improves on the evidence, with descriptions of a bunch of cases of buggery against pirates. The main argument was that these cases were mostly brought for other reasons, and sodomy was a convenient charge because it was so widespread. These cases brought light to how gay sex happens on a boat: no privacy, mostly butt sex and a complete lack of felatio. The rest of the chapter discussed multiple facets of pirate life, and how homosexuality fit into them. A bit speculative at times, but really interesting!
September 8, 2012
This was an excellent scholarly study of the social conditions that led men and boys to become pirates. The previous title was "Sodomy and the Perception of Evil," which is probably more apt. It's rather a shame that such a well-researched, scholarly book may be mistaken for a larkish commentary on gay pirates. The author is aware of this, and in fact many of his fellow researchers refused to be acknowledged by name, unwilling to be associated with a topic that is still controversial. What a shame that respectable historians whose research happens to include the topic of sodomy should remain anonymous, as if they are authors of pornography. This book is anything but prurient. Only one chapter deals directly with buccaneer sexuality, as much as it is possible to do so with so little documentation. The author does manage to unearth some truly obscure references and I don't think any historian could possibly know more about pirate sexuality, a topic which is inherently difficult to research because of the low literacy rates in the 16-18th centuries, and the inherent unwillingness of people to document intimate sexual details, particularly those relating to homosexual acts.
However the rest of the book is more of a history of the economic and social conditions that drove men to piracy, often involuntarily. Military "press gangs" forced men into naval service, and many escaped to pirate ships where they had more freedom and more financial gain than in the navy. Pirates themselves often forced their captives to become pirates at the threat of death. The romantic image of freedom-loving pirates is far from the truth. Many were thieves and killers and yet, most were no worse than naval men and must be considered within the context of the social mores of the time in which they lived, a time in which corporal punishment, slavery, looting, and harsh treatment of children were fairly typical.
The author is primarily concerned with "situational" or "opportunistic" homosexual acts such as found in male-only prisons, jails, naval ships, and boarding schools. As such he does not write about homosexuality in the modern sense - a concept which did not exist in the age of piracy. His topic is actually relationships between men, whether they are friendships, sexual interaction, business partnerships and occassionally, romance. Especially fascinating are his sections on the gangs of homeless children that roamed England until the social reforms of the Victorian era. Children of the poor were often driven out to fend for themselves as young as 8 years old, generally because of economic necessity. Parents simply couldn't feed or care for them, and typically had many more youngsters that needed their attention. To a modern perspective, this is absolutely heartless, but given a choice between starving their infants and starving their 8- or 9-year-olds, parents had no choice but to focus their resources on the youngest, and bands of these unwanted children roved England, stealing and finding whatever work they could. These gangs were largely male and the author theorizes that many later became pirates and retained the opportunistic homosexuality they learned in these bands of boys.
The author writes extensively on sodomy and the law, and from that perspective, this book is a very well-researched history of such laws and correspondingly, how the social response to homosexual acts has changed throughout the years. His basic argument is that sodomy was only deemed a serious crime and moral sin late in the 19th century, and that, in previous centuries, it was regarded more as a peccadillo akin to adultery, considerably less serious than rape. He does not address how sodomy transitioned from a minor transgression to the mortal sin and unspeakable crime it became in the late 19th century, perhaps because this era is is beyond the age of sail with which his book is concerned. My own view, not necessarily the author's, is that the Christian notion of sin changed a great deal over the centuries, and corporal sin such as lust began to be regarded as far more serious than a sin of attitude such as avarice. In the Middle Ages, lust was a fairly minor transgression, and except in cases of adultery or sexual assault, was not thought to cause much harm to any but the parties involved. It was the subject of much comic theatre and poetry, and probably regarded with less consternation than it is today. By the Victorian era, lust and sodomy were regarded as dreadfully serious moral transgressions, and the law changed accordingly to make sodomy punishable by death and later, by years of hard labor.
I wish the author had written more about why social and legal attitudes about sodomy changed, but he simply states that they did and leaves it at that. Nonetheless, his book is exceptionally well-researched and includes many citations from rare documents and letters, some of which I am sure have never before been published. As an overview of sodomy and the law in the 16th-19th centuries, and as social history of piracy and the daily life aboard a pirate ship, this is a superb book.
However the rest of the book is more of a history of the economic and social conditions that drove men to piracy, often involuntarily. Military "press gangs" forced men into naval service, and many escaped to pirate ships where they had more freedom and more financial gain than in the navy. Pirates themselves often forced their captives to become pirates at the threat of death. The romantic image of freedom-loving pirates is far from the truth. Many were thieves and killers and yet, most were no worse than naval men and must be considered within the context of the social mores of the time in which they lived, a time in which corporal punishment, slavery, looting, and harsh treatment of children were fairly typical.
The author is primarily concerned with "situational" or "opportunistic" homosexual acts such as found in male-only prisons, jails, naval ships, and boarding schools. As such he does not write about homosexuality in the modern sense - a concept which did not exist in the age of piracy. His topic is actually relationships between men, whether they are friendships, sexual interaction, business partnerships and occassionally, romance. Especially fascinating are his sections on the gangs of homeless children that roamed England until the social reforms of the Victorian era. Children of the poor were often driven out to fend for themselves as young as 8 years old, generally because of economic necessity. Parents simply couldn't feed or care for them, and typically had many more youngsters that needed their attention. To a modern perspective, this is absolutely heartless, but given a choice between starving their infants and starving their 8- or 9-year-olds, parents had no choice but to focus their resources on the youngest, and bands of these unwanted children roved England, stealing and finding whatever work they could. These gangs were largely male and the author theorizes that many later became pirates and retained the opportunistic homosexuality they learned in these bands of boys.
The author writes extensively on sodomy and the law, and from that perspective, this book is a very well-researched history of such laws and correspondingly, how the social response to homosexual acts has changed throughout the years. His basic argument is that sodomy was only deemed a serious crime and moral sin late in the 19th century, and that, in previous centuries, it was regarded more as a peccadillo akin to adultery, considerably less serious than rape. He does not address how sodomy transitioned from a minor transgression to the mortal sin and unspeakable crime it became in the late 19th century, perhaps because this era is is beyond the age of sail with which his book is concerned. My own view, not necessarily the author's, is that the Christian notion of sin changed a great deal over the centuries, and corporal sin such as lust began to be regarded as far more serious than a sin of attitude such as avarice. In the Middle Ages, lust was a fairly minor transgression, and except in cases of adultery or sexual assault, was not thought to cause much harm to any but the parties involved. It was the subject of much comic theatre and poetry, and probably regarded with less consternation than it is today. By the Victorian era, lust and sodomy were regarded as dreadfully serious moral transgressions, and the law changed accordingly to make sodomy punishable by death and later, by years of hard labor.
I wish the author had written more about why social and legal attitudes about sodomy changed, but he simply states that they did and leaves it at that. Nonetheless, his book is exceptionally well-researched and includes many citations from rare documents and letters, some of which I am sure have never before been published. As an overview of sodomy and the law in the 16th-19th centuries, and as social history of piracy and the daily life aboard a pirate ship, this is a superb book.
Read
July 31, 2011You have to love any scholarly work that contains the following methodological caveat: "The scarcity of data is due in part to the familiar problems of gathering information on homosexuality, but it is also a result of the difficulty plaguing research endeavors on Caribbean piracy. Not only was the corpse of the last potential interviewee dipped in tar and chained to a gibbet between flood marks at Wapping Stairs when George II was Kind of England, but the usual literary remnants particular to subjects of historical investigation were never extant for the cadre of illiterate and inarticulate sea rovers." That having been said, this book is, all told, consists almost entirely of pure speculation, however well grounded in research. It describes and contemplates a gap rather than a body of information. A good read, though, and apparently pretty influential.
July 8, 2017
This volume investigates the homosexual pirates in 17th century England. I found this study very enlightening especially as pirates in 21st century movies are typically represented as heterosexual and in pursuit of that one beautiful pirate woman. Homosexual behaviour is usually ignored or represented in today's clichés such as in One Piece. Considering that man/boy relationships are still tabooed, a authentic representation of famous pirate's sex lives, such as Blackbeard, would be offensive to the modern audience.
Apart from that, I found the depiction of social life in England during the Stuart period interesting. Homosexuality was mostly tolerated and not politicised in contrast to Victorian era or 20th century England. Influential figures such as James I and Francis Bacon engaged openly in homosexual love affairs. Furthermore, the precarious economic situation of many families and the lack of social legislation lead to the formations of youth gangs that dominated the street scene of many English towns and cities. Homosexual behaviour was prevalent in these boy gangs and piracy was supplied by this milieu in which homosexuality was part of the socialisation.
Apart from that, I found the depiction of social life in England during the Stuart period interesting. Homosexuality was mostly tolerated and not politicised in contrast to Victorian era or 20th century England. Influential figures such as James I and Francis Bacon engaged openly in homosexual love affairs. Furthermore, the precarious economic situation of many families and the lack of social legislation lead to the formations of youth gangs that dominated the street scene of many English towns and cities. Homosexual behaviour was prevalent in these boy gangs and piracy was supplied by this milieu in which homosexuality was part of the socialisation.
April 13, 2019
I picked this one up randomly because of the enticing title, and unfortunately the text didn't live up to it.
A big chunk of the book is demographic data, and most of the thoughts on sex are based on conjecture and a sort of trite comparison with prison society (yes, we get it, prison is one of the only other place where sodomy doesn't make one homosexual). There's only a couple pages on actual sex acts (spoiler: they're the boring kind), which is the aspect that would have interested me the most. Also, there's this really tacky leap taken in asserting that pirates practiced sodomy because they had women around and "could have raped them" but didn't, and instead used them for economic purposes.
A big chunk of the book is demographic data, and most of the thoughts on sex are based on conjecture and a sort of trite comparison with prison society (yes, we get it, prison is one of the only other place where sodomy doesn't make one homosexual). There's only a couple pages on actual sex acts (spoiler: they're the boring kind), which is the aspect that would have interested me the most. Also, there's this really tacky leap taken in asserting that pirates practiced sodomy because they had women around and "could have raped them" but didn't, and instead used them for economic purposes.
Read
September 18, 2020this was interesting. not going to give it a rating bc it's an academic text but certainly useful, even if i disagree with some of the arguments burg tries to make re. the tolerance of homosexuality in 1700s england
October 2, 2019
it was cute tbh if a little dry.. god bless those gay buccaneers, may they find treasure and maps and keys.
February 17, 2023
Okay… This was something. First off, I actually learned a lot about pirates. I don’t have the greatest knowledge of pirates in the world, so I ended up learning a lot from this book. That’s the upside to this.
However, there are a LOT of assumptions made in this. A lot of “likely’s” and “maybe’s.” The truth is, we simply do not have enough historical evidence that tell us of pirates’ habits and hobbies. The author makes a lot of arguments and is quite defensive—I’m assuming they’re making arguments back based off specific arguments they’ve heard against them. I do disagree with some, although once again, I cannot deny that it is definitely true that some pirates had relationships with their other male crewmates. However, in the end, there are just too many assumptions made that nothing is really concrete.
“Those in need and unable to seduce or purchase women, could always rely on their fellow sailors” (p. 64).
However, there are a LOT of assumptions made in this. A lot of “likely’s” and “maybe’s.” The truth is, we simply do not have enough historical evidence that tell us of pirates’ habits and hobbies. The author makes a lot of arguments and is quite defensive—I’m assuming they’re making arguments back based off specific arguments they’ve heard against them. I do disagree with some, although once again, I cannot deny that it is definitely true that some pirates had relationships with their other male crewmates. However, in the end, there are just too many assumptions made that nothing is really concrete.
“Those in need and unable to seduce or purchase women, could always rely on their fellow sailors” (p. 64).
July 8, 2020
Another reviewer stated it better than I can, but, to summarise:
1) extremely dated and impersonal in regards to speaking of queerness, calling gay men “homosexuals” and drawing false equivalencies between homosexuality and misogyny or pederasty
2) just,,, super dry,,, which i feel is the last thing you want in a book that has “s*domy” in the title
3) just overall not super relevant to my research except for setting the scenes for piracy
1) extremely dated and impersonal in regards to speaking of queerness, calling gay men “homosexuals” and drawing false equivalencies between homosexuality and misogyny or pederasty
2) just,,, super dry,,, which i feel is the last thing you want in a book that has “s*domy” in the title
3) just overall not super relevant to my research except for setting the scenes for piracy
January 5, 2011
Interesting, but marred by obvious authorial bias which meant that I couldn't find him a trustworthy guide.
January 27, 2019
A fascinating, if at times very academic, study of homosexuality amongst pirates in the 17th century. Very interesting, eye opening subject matter. Highly recommended
December 30, 2025
Libro interessante che esplora come l'ambiente dei pirati inglesi nei Caraibi spingesse uomini e ragazzini ad avere rapporti principalmente omosessuali (e quanto fossero misogini).
Considerando quello che ho letto sui corsari Barbareschi per la mia tesi su Algeri non mi sorprende che i pirati caraibici avessero questo tipo di dinamiche sessuali, perché anche nel Mediterraneo si trovano dinamiche di pederastia e una certa libertà sessuale, con le dovute differenze.
Tuttavia, l'autore qui a volte fa dichiarazioni pesantine senza citare le sue fonti. Non è tutto tirato fuori dal culo, però alcune cose non si possono ritrovare. Perciò, il libro va preso con le pinze e a mio parere come un'infarinatura generale sull'omosessualità piratesca, su cui evidentemente serve fare ulteriore ricerca storica. Inoltre i confronti che fa con i tempi odierni sono discutibili, citando studi psicologici e applicandoli in parte al passato con forzature.
Considerando quello che ho letto sui corsari Barbareschi per la mia tesi su Algeri non mi sorprende che i pirati caraibici avessero questo tipo di dinamiche sessuali, perché anche nel Mediterraneo si trovano dinamiche di pederastia e una certa libertà sessuale, con le dovute differenze.
Tuttavia, l'autore qui a volte fa dichiarazioni pesantine senza citare le sue fonti. Non è tutto tirato fuori dal culo, però alcune cose non si possono ritrovare. Perciò, il libro va preso con le pinze e a mio parere come un'infarinatura generale sull'omosessualità piratesca, su cui evidentemente serve fare ulteriore ricerca storica. Inoltre i confronti che fa con i tempi odierni sono discutibili, citando studi psicologici e applicandoli in parte al passato con forzature.
March 8, 2024
Everything you wanted to know about homosexuality in 17th century England and pirate sexuality but was afraid to ask.
This book's topic might be too niche for most readers but there's a lot of interesting information to unpack here for those who are motivated enough.
The only weakness of Burg's work is how hypothetical it is. Pirates and sailors and the stories of their sexuality have not survived into the present day, if they were ever even put to the paper in the first place. Solid historical data is similarly lacking in this area. This leaves Burg with lots of very, very educated guesses towards this side of pirate nature, but they are still just guesses. We will never ascertain this part of pirate life. While this may be true, Burg does his best to fill in the absence. I'm not sure if anyone else could have done so as convincingly.
This book's topic might be too niche for most readers but there's a lot of interesting information to unpack here for those who are motivated enough.
The only weakness of Burg's work is how hypothetical it is. Pirates and sailors and the stories of their sexuality have not survived into the present day, if they were ever even put to the paper in the first place. Solid historical data is similarly lacking in this area. This leaves Burg with lots of very, very educated guesses towards this side of pirate nature, but they are still just guesses. We will never ascertain this part of pirate life. While this may be true, Burg does his best to fill in the absence. I'm not sure if anyone else could have done so as convincingly.
May 9, 2017
Do you remember a few years ago when a major character on the show Black Sails had a gay story line? Despite the show's many lesbian scenes, gay scenes were just too much for some fragile viewers and the creators decided to tone it down. Here are some of the actual comments from man-babies when this was going on:
'they missed up the charecter with the fucking "gay" thing'
'yep, they messed the whole show, I'm not even finish the series'
'GAY SHIT'
'Why do they feel the need to fill shows with historical inaccuracies?'
'Why does every show I watch have to have a gay romance in it? It's as if Hollywood has an agenda to normalize homosexuality through our TV programming!'
'No, It's because the majority of the world is straight. Film is over representing the gays. Flint being gay was unnecessary, the majority of straight men don't want to see gay-romance scenes because they can not relate to it at all. And lastly it takes the masculinity away from Flint, this is not homophobic at all simply biology. Gay men have low testosterone and generally care about their nails more than being a man.'
'I truly hope they dont go any further than season 2 flashbacks with flints gay romance.
Im finally starting to like flint again now, but if he kisses 1 more dude i will stop watch this show'
'Was intrigued by this series until this episode. Even if I could abide Hollywood's crusade to normalize homosexuality, I cant identify with a gay male protagonist. I watched a few more episodes and found myself rooting for Captain Flint's rivals, but there was no getting around that he is the main character. Too bad.'
I'm almost sorry to bring all of this into a review of the book, and in some of the places I looked for comments I found a lot of supporting ones too. However, it does demonstrate a pervasive attitude with reference to a relevant piece of fiction. Namely: homosexuality is unnatural, ahistorical and unmanly. Any attempt to include homosexuality in a period piece is a PC insertion as part of the gay agenda. After reading B. R. Burg's excellent book on homosexuality aboard pirate ships I believe anybody who has espoused these views should be given a copy of Burg's book. To read or to stick where the sun doesn't shine, as they please. Because Burg's compelling arguments demonstrate that homosexual practices among pirates are more insertee than inserted.
Burg has in many respects put other historians to shame. Not just as has been suggested by asking novel questions, but also by novel solutions to answering them. There are so few records of life aboard pirate ships, so Burg builds his early arguments on the dearth of sources as to life in the places pirates came from. He convincingly shows that not only did these men grow up in environments were homosexuality was normal, they were in many ways limited to only that form of sexual expression. He also argues that our modern disgust of homosexuality would not emerge for nearly a century after the golden age of piracy.
From there on it's a dizzying tour of the ways in which men were drawn to sea, the disproportionately male Caribbean islands, and finally aboard the pirate ships themselves to analyse their sexual and social structures. Occasionally he gets bogged down in technical terminology and repetition, and it obscures the line of argument. Arguably this whole book could have been condensed down by 20 pages or so if he dispensed with some of the jargon, but is you can tolerate that it's a pleasure to read.
In short. This book did for me what all good history should, it changed the way I looked at a part of the past I thought I knew.
'they missed up the charecter with the fucking "gay" thing'
'yep, they messed the whole show, I'm not even finish the series'
'GAY SHIT'
'Why do they feel the need to fill shows with historical inaccuracies?'
'Why does every show I watch have to have a gay romance in it? It's as if Hollywood has an agenda to normalize homosexuality through our TV programming!'
'No, It's because the majority of the world is straight. Film is over representing the gays. Flint being gay was unnecessary, the majority of straight men don't want to see gay-romance scenes because they can not relate to it at all. And lastly it takes the masculinity away from Flint, this is not homophobic at all simply biology. Gay men have low testosterone and generally care about their nails more than being a man.'
'I truly hope they dont go any further than season 2 flashbacks with flints gay romance.
Im finally starting to like flint again now, but if he kisses 1 more dude i will stop watch this show'
'Was intrigued by this series until this episode. Even if I could abide Hollywood's crusade to normalize homosexuality, I cant identify with a gay male protagonist. I watched a few more episodes and found myself rooting for Captain Flint's rivals, but there was no getting around that he is the main character. Too bad.'
I'm almost sorry to bring all of this into a review of the book, and in some of the places I looked for comments I found a lot of supporting ones too. However, it does demonstrate a pervasive attitude with reference to a relevant piece of fiction. Namely: homosexuality is unnatural, ahistorical and unmanly. Any attempt to include homosexuality in a period piece is a PC insertion as part of the gay agenda. After reading B. R. Burg's excellent book on homosexuality aboard pirate ships I believe anybody who has espoused these views should be given a copy of Burg's book. To read or to stick where the sun doesn't shine, as they please. Because Burg's compelling arguments demonstrate that homosexual practices among pirates are more insertee than inserted.
Burg has in many respects put other historians to shame. Not just as has been suggested by asking novel questions, but also by novel solutions to answering them. There are so few records of life aboard pirate ships, so Burg builds his early arguments on the dearth of sources as to life in the places pirates came from. He convincingly shows that not only did these men grow up in environments were homosexuality was normal, they were in many ways limited to only that form of sexual expression. He also argues that our modern disgust of homosexuality would not emerge for nearly a century after the golden age of piracy.
From there on it's a dizzying tour of the ways in which men were drawn to sea, the disproportionately male Caribbean islands, and finally aboard the pirate ships themselves to analyse their sexual and social structures. Occasionally he gets bogged down in technical terminology and repetition, and it obscures the line of argument. Arguably this whole book could have been condensed down by 20 pages or so if he dispensed with some of the jargon, but is you can tolerate that it's a pleasure to read.
In short. This book did for me what all good history should, it changed the way I looked at a part of the past I thought I knew.
October 11, 2018
The book introduces itself as a non-academic book and that's evident enough when it makes claims like a lack of women leads, inevitably to homosexuality, without any sources for those claims, however, there are great kernels of wisdom throughout, and I've thus far learnt a lot about the perception of homosexuality prior to the Puritans and the "Reformation of Manners", before the state began to legislate on sexuality, it wasn't openly accepted, but rather a quietly tolerated practice for unmarried men. I was particularly impressed with the section dealing with the racial and gender demographics for the Carribean, which is interesting for showing the higher proportion of black females bought over compared to white females, for landowning slave-holders it represented a return on investment to have black offspring, those that they owned in perpetuity, whilst white females in indentured servitude were free after a fixed period and had none of the essential trade skills of their male counterparts, even when the colonies were desperate for settlers white women were being turned away.
Recommended, but with the caveat that it be read with some companion sources or prior knowledge.
Recommended, but with the caveat that it be read with some companion sources or prior knowledge.
May 11, 2022
While dated - this was first published in the early 80s, and the language is at times somewhat cringeworthy for the 21st century reader - and rather academically dry, this was nevertheless quite engrossing. Granted, Burg doesn't actually have a whole lot of evidence to back up his theories, but they certainly make for interesting reading.
July 31, 2013
I was convinced that many pirates were homosexual, but not 100% that it was as endemic as he argues. The material on the social milieu was as interesting as
the material on piracy itself.
the material on piracy itself.
June 26, 2021
Genuinely interesting angle of study.
October 3, 2023
This book was first published in 1983, so it is itself a historical artefact of a time when homosexual histories were just beginning and queer theory was only a gleam in post-structuralist eye. This edition has an introduction to the ‘new edition’ of 1995, which puts it into the context of ‘gay and lesbian histories’ and links it to the stories then being told by gay soldiers of being same-sex attracted in the military’s single-sex communities. The book was written at a time when homosexuality was deviant, and contrasts it with the seventeenth century in Britain, the Americas, and other European colonies, which Burg argues was a time when ‘sodomy’ was just part of life. It is a shock to read a sentence like, “Seventeenth-century Englishmen on all status levels were remarkably indulgent with homosexuality, at least to when judged by the attitudes of their Victorian and twentieth-century counterparts.” p. 44. Nowadays, of course, we would question whether 17th century sodomy equated with ‘homosexuality’ and challenge the ‘indulgence’ of time when sodomy was a civil crime punishable by death, even if few people were ever executed for it. Burg makes a good case for sodomy being used as an excuse to execute those found politically inconvenient or guilty of other crimes, rather than being the reason for the execution.
In his introduction, Burg says that this is not a ‘history’ and he’s right. There is simply too little data available to make a historical argument about the sexuality and sexual practices of pirates. What Burge does, instead, is take the historical evidence for society’s ‘indulgence’ with sodomy, for homosocial groups, for the ability of boys and men to choose a life at sea, and for the disparity between the sexes among Europeans in the Caribbean, add in the very tiny amount of historical data we have about pirates, and come up with the argument that they must have been engaging in sodomy with each other, usually by choice. But there just isn’t enough material to make this argument historically - Burg says that what he is doing is ‘speculative social science’. p. xli
It’s a fun and easy read, even if not actually history. I only have two problems with it. The first is the ‘indulgence’ with which Burg writes of rape and paedophilia. That may be historically appropriate when writing about a time when rape was a crime against another man’s property and there was no age of consent to sex. But, still, that jarred on me. And I struggle to trust an author who refers to the founder of the Boy Scouts as ‘Sir Richard Baden Powell’ rather than Lord (Robert) Baden Powell. If he gets that wrong, can I trust him on the rest?
In his introduction, Burg says that this is not a ‘history’ and he’s right. There is simply too little data available to make a historical argument about the sexuality and sexual practices of pirates. What Burge does, instead, is take the historical evidence for society’s ‘indulgence’ with sodomy, for homosocial groups, for the ability of boys and men to choose a life at sea, and for the disparity between the sexes among Europeans in the Caribbean, add in the very tiny amount of historical data we have about pirates, and come up with the argument that they must have been engaging in sodomy with each other, usually by choice. But there just isn’t enough material to make this argument historically - Burg says that what he is doing is ‘speculative social science’. p. xli
It’s a fun and easy read, even if not actually history. I only have two problems with it. The first is the ‘indulgence’ with which Burg writes of rape and paedophilia. That may be historically appropriate when writing about a time when rape was a crime against another man’s property and there was no age of consent to sex. But, still, that jarred on me. And I struggle to trust an author who refers to the founder of the Boy Scouts as ‘Sir Richard Baden Powell’ rather than Lord (Robert) Baden Powell. If he gets that wrong, can I trust him on the rest?
July 18, 2021
Oo this one is a real mixed bag. It's definitely interesting, and sheds some real light on ideas of sexuality more broadly in the seventeenth century, but I found that some of the conclusions it came to about pirates specifically were a bit farfetched. Part of the trouble with any history books about pirates is that we really don't know all that much about them for sure, so a certain measure of extrapolation is always necessary, and I do think the book's assertion that given that pirates were voluntarily off the grid and out of society they represented a relative safe haven for queer men at the time holds water, but other conclusions not so much.
Hatred of women is conflated with queerness in men, which is a bit of a reach given the number of very heterosexual misogynists that have existed throughout the years, and a pervading idea that relationships at the time were built on physical satisfaction over emotional connection lends a degree of distance to every interaction described and leads to an uncomfortably conflation of long standing relationships, casual hookups and sexual assault. I think a lot of this comes from the book being dated, and I do think it's worth a real if you have any interest in queer history, but just be aware that some matters are handled incredibly tactlessly throughout.
Hatred of women is conflated with queerness in men, which is a bit of a reach given the number of very heterosexual misogynists that have existed throughout the years, and a pervading idea that relationships at the time were built on physical satisfaction over emotional connection lends a degree of distance to every interaction described and leads to an uncomfortably conflation of long standing relationships, casual hookups and sexual assault. I think a lot of this comes from the book being dated, and I do think it's worth a real if you have any interest in queer history, but just be aware that some matters are handled incredibly tactlessly throughout.
November 7, 2022
This is a fascinating read on two levels. Firstly is the look at attitudes towards being gay in the late 1600s and 1700s, and how that might have manifested onboard pirate ships. The second is the fact that this essay was written in the 80s, and as such is interpreting 18th century attitudes through this lens (the biggest example of this I can give is the ultimate conclusion:
or, to paraphrase,
It's not without its problems - there are more than a few reaches here which seem to be pulled out of little more than thin air, and the author has a disconcerting habit of conflating being gay with paedophilia, but its definitely an interesting read
"The almost universal homosexual involvement among pirates meant homosexual practices were neither disturbed, perverted, exotic, nor uniquely desirable among them, and the mechanisms for defending and perpetuating such practices, those things that set the modern homosexual apart from heterosexual society, were never necessary"
or, to paraphrase,
maybe... gay people..... not inherantly bad?
It's not without its problems - there are more than a few reaches here which seem to be pulled out of little more than thin air, and the author has a disconcerting habit of conflating being gay with paedophilia, but its definitely an interesting read
November 9, 2018
I admit that I learned a lot about sailing and 17th century poor people's lives from this book. However, I don't think that Burg provided substantial evidence to support his thesis that pirates were mostly interested in sexual and romantic relationships with each other.
The book does prove how far we've come in terms of gay and bisexual rights since the early 80's. In some ways the past of Burg's book is as foreign as the buccaneer lives he describes. Burg's homosexual society is one of hiding and furtive sexuality, along with a good dose of fear of effeminate men and/or gender-nonconforming people.
I do think a large part of Burg's purpose in writing this book is to show that gay men can doesn't see much need for women to lives, especially the cruelty of the government which could sieze young men off the street to force into the Navy
The book does prove how far we've come in terms of gay and bisexual rights since the early 80's. In some ways the past of Burg's book is as foreign as the buccaneer lives he describes. Burg's homosexual society is one of hiding and furtive sexuality, along with a good dose of fear of effeminate men and/or gender-nonconforming people.
I do think a large part of Burg's purpose in writing this book is to show that gay men can doesn't see much need for women to lives, especially the cruelty of the government which could sieze young men off the street to force into the Navy
March 29, 2024
Hm. I was watching Black Sails and I thought to myself, "Would pirates really be this weird about gay people?" And then I remembered that I downloaded this book months ago. Burg makes the intriguing argument that male-male sex was the primary, perhaps even default mode of sexual expression in the buccaneer communities of the 17th-century Caribbean.
He delves into the context of male-male sex in Stuart England and argues that at this point in English history, it was less stigmatized than it would be in the following eras: charges of male-male sex were "minor matters, no more dangerous than the heterosexual promiscuity they perceived to be corrupting the English nation". Anyways, as interesting as the premise of this book is, it's pretty dry, which is fine–it's an academic text, but also repetitive and spends a lot of words on information that doesn't seem to support the central thesis. Page after page is spent explaining his calculations of men per tonnage of cargo, or how he determined the size of the English navy during a given year.
I definitely know more about sodomy in pirate communities of the 17th-century Caribbean and English navy now but I think a book 2/3 the length of what I read could have imparted the same information. Pick it up if you're curious but I recommend skimming.
He delves into the context of male-male sex in Stuart England and argues that at this point in English history, it was less stigmatized than it would be in the following eras: charges of male-male sex were "minor matters, no more dangerous than the heterosexual promiscuity they perceived to be corrupting the English nation". Anyways, as interesting as the premise of this book is, it's pretty dry, which is fine–it's an academic text, but also repetitive and spends a lot of words on information that doesn't seem to support the central thesis. Page after page is spent explaining his calculations of men per tonnage of cargo, or how he determined the size of the English navy during a given year.
I definitely know more about sodomy in pirate communities of the 17th-century Caribbean and English navy now but I think a book 2/3 the length of what I read could have imparted the same information. Pick it up if you're curious but I recommend skimming.
May 14, 2024
It's complicated to give this book a review. It's really eye opening and inspires a lot of thoughts and is kinda empowering? But in many other ways I can see why it's so controversial, and specifically from the historical point of view. Usually, I love historical revisionism, why not do it imo. But sometimes this book extrapolates stuff that just feels kinda unfounded.
But!! And that's the most important thing - I didn't come to this book to find out about actual gay pirates. That isn't a thing. I came to find out what sort of society existed on pirate ships in the 17th century and I do now kinda believe the argument that, in a way, (a very specific way) a whole lot of pirates weren't exactly heterosexual.
But!! And that's the most important thing - I didn't come to this book to find out about actual gay pirates. That isn't a thing. I came to find out what sort of society existed on pirate ships in the 17th century and I do now kinda believe the argument that, in a way, (a very specific way) a whole lot of pirates weren't exactly heterosexual.
September 27, 2024
absolutely unhinged read, i gasped so many times. they were so weird back then!!! i love it!!! crazy!!!
a couple quotes I saved -
"Port Royal was the Sodom of the Universe" (105) oh my Gosh
"[Women] were inferior to men as field laborers, and for the West Inrian residents with preferences for males, they were similarly inferior as sex partners."
wild. so funny. anyway this was eye opening. at the end of it they were like "conclusively we have no conclusive evidence but what else are we supposed to conclude."
a couple quotes I saved -
"Port Royal was the Sodom of the Universe" (105) oh my Gosh
"[Women] were inferior to men as field laborers, and for the West Inrian residents with preferences for males, they were similarly inferior as sex partners."
wild. so funny. anyway this was eye opening. at the end of it they were like "conclusively we have no conclusive evidence but what else are we supposed to conclude."
August 18, 2025
If you're looking for a lot of racy retellings and in-depth discussion of pirate sexual and romantic relationships, you're in the wrong place. It's hard to think of a succinct, alternative title for this book, but it's really a survey of male same-sex relationships, particuarly as regards the colonization of the Carribean, in the Stuart Era and a supposition of how those relationships, poorly recorded, would have played out in pirate communities given the mores of the time. An interesting read, but not so much for the references to sodomy.
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