7 US presidents who were rumored to be gay or bisexual

As American voters prepare to choose between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump in the 2024 US presidential election on Tuesday (November 5), we take a look at seven USA leaders who have faced rumors about their sexuality.

There have been 46 presidents to date – and according to official doctrine, all of them have allegedly been heterosexual.

But given that at least 43 of them served at a time when homosexuals were still oppressed, there has long been speculation that a few gay dates were overlooked.

We count seven leaders who are haunted by rumours.

1. James Buchanan (in office 1857-1861)

Buchanan was the 15th president of the United States, serving only one term from 1857 to 1861.

Considered one of the most ineffective presidents, the bachelor has faced speculation about his sexuality throughout his life.

Many have questions about Buchanan’s close and intimate relationship with future Vice President William Rufus King, who lived together for more than a decade.

King described the couple’s relationship as a “communion” and they were rarely seen apart. Many commentators at the time noted the couple’s closeness, with Andrew Jackson referring to them as “Miss Nancy” and “Aunt Fancy”.

2. John Kennedy (1961-1963)

John F. Kennedy, of the influential Catholic Kennedy family, served as the 35th President of the United States from 1961 until his assassination in November 1963.

Despite his Catholic upbringing, Kennedy was inseparable from his friend Kirk Lemoine “Lem” Billings after the pair first met in prep school.

The pair were inseparable: Mr. Billings helped manage Kennedy’s presidential campaign and was a vanguard at his wedding – and even got his own bedroom in the White House.

Although their relationship was considered platonic at the time, author Jerry Oppenheimer claims the pair had “a friendship that included oral sex, and Jack was always on the hook.”

3. Barack Obama (2009-2017)

Not all rumors about the president’s sex life are credible. The 44th and current president is a staunch supporter of LGBT equality, and his staunch support has sparked speculation among homophobes.

Conspiracy theorist Wayne Marsden previously claimed that Obama “used basketball games to pick up men” and had “homosexual encounters with Congressman Arthur Davis, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist.”

The late Joan Rivers added fuel to the conspiracy theory firewhen she joked about a gay president: “We already have that with Obama … you know Michelle is a tri***.”

Alex Jones of Info Wars took the joke to heart – as did Pastor James David Manning, who prophesied it Vladimir Putin would “stop” Obama.

4. Lyndon Johnson (1963-1969)

Lyndon B. Johnson served as the 37th president from 1963 to 1969, amid controversy over government persecution of gays.

However, he avoided scandal himself when his close personal friend and de facto chief of staff, Walter Jenkins, was exposed.

On the eve of the 1964 presidential election, Jenkins was arrested and charged with rioting with another man in a public restroom at a YMCA in Washington, D.C., which forced his resignation.

Johnson insisted he had no idea about Jackson’s personal life, saying: “I couldn’t have been more shocked at Walter Jenkins if I had heard that Lady Bird was trying to kill the Pope.”

Opponents, however, got plenty of mileage out of obscene innuendo — with bumper stickers that joked, “All the way with LBJ, but don’t go near the YMCA.”

5. Alexander Hamilton

As fans of the musical Hamilton know, the founding father is Alexander Hamilton never became president – after the scandal about his stormy personal life.

In addition to his affair with a woman, doubts were also cast on his relationships with men.

During the American Revolution, his letters to close friends John Laurens and the Marquis de Lafayette became more affectionate and flowery – while many accounts describe Hamilton as “effeminate”.

In one letter, Hamilton described himself as a “jealous lover” over Laurence’s failure to respond, adding: “Like a jealous lover, when I thought you had scorned my affections, my affection was alarmed and my vanity was touched.”

In another letter after Laurence’s departure, he wrote: “I wish, my dear Laurence, that it would be in my power by deed, and not by words, to convince you that I love you. I will only tell you that, until you said good-bye to us, I hardly knew the value you taught my heart to place on you.

He added, “You shouldn’t have used my sensitivity to steal my feelings without my consent.”

Historians have not agreed on the nature of the letters, however, with some insisting that they were purely platonic.

6. Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865)

One of America’s most famous presidents, Abe, has also spent much of his life associating with men.

At an early age, the president shared a bed with Joshua Speed, who later became a congressman. Not forgetting his roots, Lincoln several times offered Speed ​​a position in the government, but each time he was refused.

Lincoln also shared a narrow bed with companion Billy Green in his 20s.

Greene remarked of their cozy living situation: “When one turned the other over, it had to do the same… his hips were as perfect as a man could be.”

7. Bill (and Hillary) Clinton (1993-2001

There have been many rumors and many gossips about the unconventional marriage between the 42nd President Bill Clinton and former First Lady Hillary Clinton.

President Clinton the First in 1998 admitted to infidelity with secretary Monica Lewinsky, but the powerful couple were rumored to have affairs with representatives of both sexes.

Right-wing pundit Ann Coulter accused Bill Clinton of being a “covert homosexual,” adding, “I think this kind of rampant depravity does show some level of covert homosexuality.”

David Letterman joked, “Although the former president admitted he once told Coulter he was gay, it was just a polite excuse to explain why he didn’t spank her bony ass.”

Rumor has it that the relationship between Kevin Spacey’s House of Cards character Frank Underwood and his wife is based on the Clintons.

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