The Sexual Constitution of Political Authority

This book analyses the history of same-sex political scandals and rumours in Europe from antiquity to the present; addressing court and media ‘trials’ to address the question of how political authority, public offices, and the relationship between rulers and the ruled are sexualised. The book examines the shifting ways in which political power has been culturally constructed in relation to same-sex desire over the course of several centuries of European history, arguing that how we treat or respond to the sexual orientation of rulers and holders of public office reveals something important about the sexual dimensions of political power.