Interview by Paul Salfen
In this interview, Director Shaun Peterson and two of the scholars from the film; John Stauffer (Harvard Professor of English and African and African-American Studies) and Tom Balcerski (Occidental College, Presidential & Political Historian examine the intimate life of one of America’s Lover Of Men examines the intimate life of America’s most consequential president, Abraham Lincoln.
As told by preeminent Lincoln scholars and never before seen photographs and letters, the film details Lincoln’s romantic relationships with men. Lover Of Men widens its lens into the history of human sexual fluidity and focuses on the profound differences between sexual mores of the nineteenth century and those we hold today. The film fills in an important missing piece of American history and challenges the audience to consider why we hold such a limited view of human sexuality. Lover Of Men is not only an exploration of gender roles and sexual identity, but also serves as an examination of American intolerance.
