The hit HBO show Our Flag Means Death is back with season two. We have been waiting over a year for this delightful show to return. The show stars Taika Waititi as Blackbeard and Rhys Darby as Stede Bonnet - two real pirates - who fall in love with each other. The gay pirates are back and they have me ready to set sail for more gay pirates.
Were pirates really gay? Does this story have any basis in reality or is this all a bit of horny fan fiction? Well, actually, there is some fact behind this story and behind the idea of gay pirates in general.
Obviously, some pirates were gay, but what you might not realize is that pirates got married to one another from time to time...male pirates. The term was called "matelotage" which is a French word for a "fellow sailor".
The purpose behind the marriage wasn't always romantic or lustful. It was much more about the business relationship behind a marriage contract. In fact, that's probably why it was common practice. The idea was that these sailors agreed to share their treasures with one another. The matelots or "mates" (ahoy, matey! See? That's where it came from) would agree to a sort of partnership, like a civil union, where they can inherit their partner's property (and booty) just in case one of them dies.
This was common in the 17th and early 18th centuries until the Golden Age of Piracy came to an end around the mid-1700s. These seamen enjoyed a lot of benefits in this interesting version of gay marriage.
But did they have sex? Of course!
Not all mates were financially based. A lot of them were very affectionate, engaging in pretty open bromances. They did, of course, get romantic and sexual. These guys were living on a boat - what else were they going to do besides bang each other? While matelotage was an open practice, the sex wasn't always out in the open. That sort of depended on crews and captains, some of whom were still not down with dudes getting booty from each other.
There are fascinating stories of certain captains and their mates, of mates getting jealous of one another, and even of mates avenging the deaths of their mates killed by other pirates. This is some seriously steamy stuff, folks! No wonder Our Flag Means Death is so gay - piracy was pretty dang gay.
So was Blackbeard actually in love with Stede? These were indeed real people as was the close relationship between the two which Blackbeard's crew did not understand. People assumed Blackbeard was fascinated by Stede...but it sure does feel like that fascination bled into a full-fledged crush. That's the basis of the show!
Their relationship mysteriously dissolved after some time which is likely where the show picks up as season two is going to show us exactly what is going on with heartbroken lovers. Will they or won't they? You know I hope they will! And I hope other pirates get gay and stay gay.
