Aspies For Freedom

This probably means nothing to most of you and is my speculation but I believe the character DOC MARTIN (ITV1) played by Martin Clunes is meant to have Asperger Autism. I think this because of the characters behaviour and people refering to him as 'different'. I like that character.

Has anyone mentioned Andy Kaufman (1949-1984) as a possible aspie?

I hadn't seen the entire list so I didn't know about Andy Kaufman being there. Bruce Chatwin was another one that I had thought of that I now found in your list. What about Richard Brautigan 1935-1984? Or Peter Sellers?

Lili Marlene, Im curious to know why H. P. Lovecraft was not on your list of famous (possible)Aspies. Unlike Yeats his writing style is incredibly pedantic and exceeding lacking in emotion and character development. His stories almost portray people as being very robotic and the only emotion he introduces in his stories is fear. He was an exceedingly left-brained person and the way he wrote was more like a scientist than a writer.

Make me think of Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth. But I think he's a NewYorkian or something so it might be just that...

*sigh* Just about EVERY scientist and mathematician with the slightest inclination towards introversion is now suspected of having asperger syndrome. Ive even heard some aspies try to claim Thomas Jefferson  and Stonewall Jackson....:rolleyes. But tell me Lili Marlene, what makes you think that William Butler Yeats had it?

"The term 'gay' may be recent but the concept of (male)homosexuality has been understood for Thousands of years."

That's simply not true. The fact that you would make that statement indicates your ignorance of the subject. You should either confine your discussion to topics you know something about or remain a learner rather than a self-appointed authority.

"I thought it was a known fact that Alexander the Great was gay."

It was known that he had a sexual/romantic relationship with Hephaestion -- among other males -- but the concept of same-sex orientation was not remotely understood at that time. There wasn't even a word for 'homosexual" as a discrete category until, I think 1896. And even then it was grossly misunderstood and misapplied.

All that was understood in earlier times was that a particular sexual act (or acts) could (but should not) take place between persons of the same sex. It was thought of strictly in terms of a verb, an act, usually performed for wicked, criminal or insane reasons -- hence the idea of perversion, the willful turning aside from what was normal.

I suppose one could argue that it is a perversion for a heterosexual to have sex with a person of the same gender. And at that time it was assumed that all people were "heterosexual" since the general (non)understanding at that time was purely of a genital/procreational nature. The word heterosexual didn't exist, or course, because there was no understanding that such a distinction was necessary.

Some time periods and cultures were less harsh in judging the act, but there was still no particular understanding that there was an actual type of person who was actually oriented toward same-sex affection and sexual attraction, and for whom it was therefore natural. The idea of gay identity and orientation was still far off.

All that said, I would rather not see this thread hijacked. There are many good sources for learning about how the concepts of sexual orientation and identity have evolved.

Here's what I've got on my bookshelf, dude. When you're finished reading them, send me a private message. At this point, you don't understand enough to participate in a discussion of the subject.  And...

STOP HIJACKING THE THREAD

The Construction of Homosexuality by David Greenberg

A Natural History of Homosexuality by  Mondimore

Homosexuality and Civilization by Louis Crompton

Gay Life & Culture: A World History by Robert Aldrich

Out of the Past: Gay and Lesbian History from 1869 to the Present by Neil Miller

Born to Be Gay: A History of Homosexuality by William Naphy

Conundrum: The Evolution of Homosexuality by N. J. Peters

"I do not claim to be an expert on homosexuality nor do I care that much."

You've made the former much more obvious than the latter.

BACK on TOPIC:

What about famous Aspie Couples? There must be some...

Woody Allen and Diane Keaton...?

anyone else?

This is just a long shot! A very long shot! Composer Alvin Lucier; American. One thing I've heard about him is that he has created his own time cycle of 28 hour days. Well, something odd like that anyway. A week is 168 hours and 6x28 is 168. That seems very un-NT:ish to me.

... I'm thinking........ I'm thinking.....

(It's totally unrelated - If there is no exception to the rule; then that is an exception in itself!)

John Kennedy Toole, 1937-1969; The author that wrote A Confederate of Dunces but committed suicide after years of not getting a publisher for it. It took his mother 7 years to find the right person to read the manuscript and another 4 years before it was published.

Antisocial personality anyone?

S a good idea to cite your source. Post # 266 is a quote from Wikipedia.