JFM3 thinks Mason Lodges were the first gay bars

I always thought of the masonic society as a kind of social club for gays that eventually spun out of control.

Think about it. You're a gay man in europe 250 years ago. How are you going to find dates? There must have been some kind of secret society with special handshakes and signals which one could use to locate other gays without raising unwanted attention.

Now your gay club gets found out: "Um, no officer, we were all shirtless because we're in a kind of special club, acting out a morality play ... yes, we all believe in God ... um, we were doing "initiations", that impart uh ... special knowledge ... why certainly you can be a member, I can tell your a man of good report and ... uh, what? no, you can't go back there, it's only for, um, 33rd degree masons..." So now you have a social club for regular guys that's a front for your gay bar. Imagine how weird it all must have seen from there.

This is clearly what Crowley was doing with the O.T.O., at least along one axis of analysis.


Bogus Magus:
hahahahahaha jfm3 that's brilliant!

I am not sure if it has to be 'gay' exactly, though. I have always found that male-bonding thing to be more prevalent with macho males. I live in Wales now, and sombunall men's favourite pastime is to go out and play rugby (roughly, American football without armour) rolling around in the mud and grabbing each other - then they all go and mess around in the showers or a communal plunge pool, and then go get drunk and sing with their arms around each other. Suggest to them that they prefer the company of men to their wives and girl-friends though, and you'll really get into trouble.

Whereas, sombunall gay guys actually live the life those macho's only dream or brag about - having sex with a whole bunch of different people, picking up strangers with no hassle, coming several times a day, etc.

Does anyone know if anyone has written an 'alternative history' - to include kings, and occult groups, politics and religion - from a gay perspective?