There are authors whose work exerts a strong fascination because they published emancipatory literature before the founding of a gay rights movement and with hardly any positive models of identification. Alongside the gay activists Heinrich Hössli and Karl Heinrich Ulrichs (whose important writings begin in 1864), there is also the lesser-known Otto de Joux. Besides outlining his life and his writings, I want to explore how he was viewed by the early homosexual movement and how he is read today. New digitally archived contemporary print media not only corroborate Otto de Joux’s assertions but also supplement them, offering new angles for queer historical research.
Life and Work
With this article I aim to honor the Austrian writer Otto de Joux (born January 1, 1862 in Klagenfurt; died December 30, 1900 in Dresden) for his work and to keep his memory alive. My focus centers on three publications that intersect with a homosexual context. In addition to his two books The Stripped of the Joy of Love (1893, 1897) and The Greek Love in the Present (1897), there is also his essay Uranism and the Homosexuals (1898). His third book The Dangers of the Modern Marriage. Social and Ethical Studies (1897) has no relation to homosexuality and will not be considered here. I will first correct the name that has been wrongly circulated for decades, and later examine his stroke with subsequent delusions, which probably led to his death. A short biographical sketch is provided in Ludwig Eisenberg’s Künstler- und Schriftsteller-Lexikon Das geistige Wien (1893, vol. 1, p. 240).
Otto de Joux is not Otto Rudolf Podjukl
Until now, the entire field of homosexual historical research has assumed that Otto de Joux was a pseudonym for the author Otto Rudolf Podjukl. The basis for this assumption lies in bibliographic mentions of his two books on homosexuality in the Yearbook for the Sexual Intermediates (Jahrbuch für sexuelle Zwischenstufen, 1st year, 1899, pp. 225-226), which include the double note “Joux, Otto de (Otto Rudolf Podjukl).” The Jahrbuch, published by the Scientific-Humanitarian Committee (WhK), is a reputable and citable source, and historians were likely pleased that the author’s pseudonym could be decoded so readily.
But fundamental considerations have been set aside. Naming the real name of a pseudonymous author would have been a heavy outing during the author’s lifetime, which would not have harmonized with the committee’s political line. Moreover: why would the WhK reveal the author’s real name while alive (1899) only to use the pseudonym after his death—in several posts in the Jahrbuch up to 1910? Conversely, it would have been sensible and consistent with the WhK’s political stance to posthumously resolve the author’s pseudonym. Also: why would Otto de Joux hide behind a pseudonym during his lifetime, but publish a front-facing photo of himself in his book The Greek Love in the Present. Psychological Studies (1897)? That would not fit together.
There is no known source confirming that Otto de Joux was Otto Rudolf Podjukl. I therefore assume that Otto de Joux was the author’s legal name and that he did not use a pseudonym. A possible explanation for the incorrect attribution in the Jahrbuch could be that Otto de Joux described in one of his books a homosexual club in which a criminal named Otto Potjukl (sic) allegedly operated. Perhaps the same first name of the two men led to confusion.
There is, however, also a remark by Magnus Hirschfeld that does not fit neatly with these considerations: Hirschfeld claimed to know the author personally and, in 1922/1923 (reprint: From Then Till Now, 1986, p. 83), stressed that Otto de Joux was among those authors who “deny their true names.”
The Stripped of the Joy of Love (1893, first edition)
Otto de Joux’s first book bears the title The Stripped of the Joy of Love. A Contribution to the Psychology of the Soul (1893). In it he develops a new terminology for homosexuals by using terms such as “The Stripped of the Joy of Love” (= homosexuals), “the sons of Eva” (= gay men), and “the daughters of Adam” (= lesbians). In addition to the terms Ulrichs had borrowed, he introduces other descriptors like “female love” (p. 26) and uses the term “Homosexuals” rather rarely. The first edition includes 23 chapters, but there is no discernible structure or content organization. His book is popular science; the prose is highly emotional, at times melodramatic, so one might suspect the author aimed to write a gay novel. It would be natural to assume that Karl Heinrich Ulrichs was a major influence on Otto de Joux. However, de Joux knew only Ulrichs’ VII. Writing “Memnon,” which, in his view, “contains much truth but also many faults” (p. 13). A key difference is that only Ulrichs showed a sex-positive attitude.
In addition to references to art, culture and prominent homosexuals, certain details in de Joux are interesting because they foreshadow later periods. For instance, he notes that homosexuals of his time already called each other “sisters” and “aunts” (i.e., dykes) and gave themselves female first names (p. 68). Because gay men did not become dangerous to women, close friendships between women and homosexuals were possible (pp. 178; terms like “Gabi” or “Fruit Fly” would later emerge for women seeking friendships with gay men). Some passages are even entertaining, for example when he writes about a man who believed his passion for cavalrymen could be “cured” and then discovered a penchant for infantry (pp. 76-77). I will return later to phrases that denigrate, such as “Many of the man-boys are (… ) ugly and monstrous, which is a pity, since they offend the deepest souls of sensitive men” (p. 185).
The Stripped of the Joy of Love (1897, second edition)
For the second edition, the title was changed to The Stripped of the Joy of Love or The Third Sex. A Contribution to the Psychology of the Soul (1897). With “the third sex” the author adds another emancipatory self-designation he borrowed from Ulrichs. At first it is puzzling that this “enlarged and improved edition” contains fewer pages (253 instead of 256) due to tighter typography. A foreword to the second edition (pp. 9-14) and a new chapter about the Bavarian “Fairy King” Ludwig II (pp. 136-140) were added, bringing the edition to 24 chapters. In the copy held by the Bavarian State Library in Munich, linked here by scan, there are handwritten marginal notes by an unknown person that appear to serve as a decryption of uncertain biographical details, such as the actor Wilhelm Kunst (pp. 73) and Emil Mario Vacano (pp. 230). Besides the library stamp, the copy bears the former owner’s stamp “Ex libris J. Schedel.” So it comes from the estate of the homosexual activist Joseph Schedel (1856–1943), suggesting the marginal notes may belong to Schedel.
The Hellenic Love in the Present (1897)
In his second book, The Hellenic Love in the Present. Psychological Studies (1897), Otto de Joux connects antiquity’s view of homosexuality with his own era. For him, “Hellenism” is the same as “Uranism,” i.e., homosexuality (p. 199). In the subtitle he replaced the outdated term “Seelenkunde” with psychology. He decided to write this second book after receiving 736 letters of thanks and praise for his first book within a year (p. 129; cf. p. 168). He writes that “Urninge” (= homosexuals) are “different from us” (p. 18), indirectly asserting his heterosexuality. Through such passages it becomes clear that the target audience for his books included both gay and straight readers. Unlike his first book, this one deals exclusively with male homosexuality.
“The Hellenic Love in the Present” was already available in early 1897, which is evident from an advertisement in the Börsenblatt für den deutschen Buchhandel (February 11, 1897). Thus, this second book appeared at a time when there was still no homosexual movement. The WhK’s founding as a representative body for homosexual interests would occur only a few months later, on May 15, 1897. That is relevant because de Joux’s books printed a much-noted call to gays and lesbians to become active themselves.
An Early Call for Gays and Lesbians to Take Action
In the appendix of The Hellenic Love in the Present (1897, pp. 273-276) there appears an “Appeal to all educated and noble people”, which is considered one of the first global calls for gays and lesbians to organize and advocate for their own interests. The appeal is dated November 1896 and signed only by Wilhelm Erler von Aistoß, about whom little else is known. The appeal urged financial support to disseminate emancipatory literature among “the most influential figures in public life” such as jurists and physicians at no cost. Yet it must be noted that in his Closing Word (pp. 268-272), de Joux himself had become much more explicit: gays and lesbians should organize, and the movement must not slow down for a single moment. He envisioned a league or federation to advance their interests. His friend and publisher Max Spohr reportedly had a magazine already in the works.
There is also a second, very similar call in the appendix of the second edition of The Stripped of the Joy of Love (1897, pp. 249-253) dated “Spring 1897.” This call is signed by nine people, including Otto de Joux, Dr. Th. Ramien (i.e., Magnus Hirschfeld), Max Spohr (the publisher), and Wilhelm Erler von Aistoß. It also requests financial support for a homosexual journal and brochures to be distributed for free. It adds: “From Dr. Ramien a statement has been prepared that is to be submitted for signatures by the intellectual elite of our people.” The second call confirms the donations raised through the first call—more than 680 marks.
The announcement of forming a homosexual interests group and a magazine should be seen in connection with the WhK’s founding (May 15, 1897) and the Jahrbuch für sexuelle Zwischenstufen (from 1899). The statement intended for the intellectual elite of the people appears to refer to the December 1897 petition for the repeal of § 175 of the Reichsstrafgesetzbuch (Criminal Code), which August Bebel signed (see Hirschfeld: From Then Till Now, 1986, p. 105 and Yearbook for the Sexual Intermediates, 1899, pp. 3, 239-280). Wilhelm Erler von Aistoß cannot be a pseudonym of Otto de Joux, as both names are listed together in the second call rather than one substituted for the other.
“The Uranism and the Homosexuals” (1898)
Only through newly scanned newspapers did I come across Otto de Joux’s multi-part essay “Uranism and the Homosexuals. A Study” (in: Die neue Heilkunst. Volkstümliche Halbmonatsschrift, 10th year, issues 5-9, pp. 39-40, 48, 54, 64, 75-76, 83-84, 91-92). Despite the clearly provocative title, the first three pages meander around the topic. He then asserts that any thinking and just person ought to understand that criminal prosecution is a mistake because homosexuality is merely “a kind of safety valve” to prevent overpopulation. Among homosexuals there are indeed sick individuals who deserve to be despised and prosecuted, but not more than among heterosexuals. In antiquity male homosexuality was esteemed, female homosexuality (as with the poet Sappho) was mocked, and yet, as with antiquity, it was not, as is often claimed, about “paedicatio” (anal sex) but about embraces and kisses. Homosexual poetry contains an “overabundance” and an intimacy that a normal soul could never grasp. Linguistically and in content, these remarks align with what de Joux also wrote in his books.
The editor of Die neue Heilkunst at that time was the writer and public speaker Reinhold Gerling (1863-1930), who is known today as an early ally in the homosexual rights movement and who himself published several smaller writings on homosexuality. Gerling’s openness likely contributed to de Joux receiving ample space for his article series.
Otto de Joux’s Writings Were Attacked, Defended, and Banned
As I noted in a previous TheColu.mn article about the Börsenblatt für den deutschen Buchhandel—“When Booksellers Meet Homosexuality” (August 24, 2024)—a published exchange about Otto de Joux’s first book in January 1894 is among the most important contributions to early writings on homosexuality in the Börsenblatt. Under the headline “Attempted Boycott,” the publishing bookseller Johannes Grunow reported a conflict with the Spohr publishing house. He had received advertising material for The Stripped of the Joy of Love from Spohr and, outraged, handed Spohr’s letter over to the state prosecutor. The prosecutor demanded the book from Spohr, but after reviewing it found no grounds for action. Spohr then demanded reimbursement for the book from the complainant and threatened a boycott of deliveries. After some hesitation Grunow reimbursed him (Börsenblatt, January 25, 1894, pp. 533-534). Spohr did not receive an apology, but nevertheless left as the victor. A few days later, the Börsenblatt published Spohr’s response, in which he compared Joux’s book to Richard von Krafft-Ebing’s Psychopathia Sexualis and explicitly defended the “descriptions of the mental states and struggles” of homosexuals (Börsenblatt, January 29, 1894). For Mark Lehmstedt, who has researched the history of the Max Spohr Verlag (Bücher für das ‘dritte Geschlecht’, 2002, pp. 51-53), it is “remarkable how much effort Max Spohr put into fighting not only for a book he published but for the ideas represented in it.”
There are also Börsenblatt notices of a ban on The Stripped of the Joy of Love in Austria in 1894 (April 21, 1894). This is confirmed by the Amtsblatt zur Wiener Zeitung, which announced bans on The Stripped of the Joy of Love (March 29, 1894) and The Hellenic Love in the Present (September 25, 1897).
Did Otto de Joux Commit Plagiarism in Budapest? (1893-1894)
In the German-language newspaper Pester Lloyd from Budapest, at least three non-homosexual stories appeared under the name Otto de Joux, such as “The Christ Child from the Street. A Christmas Story” (December 24, 1893) and “Fantastic Carnival” (February 4, 1894). After the publication of his short story “Maienliebe” (May 29, 1894), he was accused of plagiarism, allegedly copied from Jens Peter Jacobsen’s novel Niels Lyhne. In response, Pester Lloyd announced in its issue of May 31, 1894 that it would end all further collaboration with Otto de Joux. In the above-mentioned Das geistige Wien encyclopedia (1893, vol. 1, p. 240), it is noted that Otto de Joux also wrote for the Pester Lloyd. Whether the plagiarism charge was justified would require closer investigation. Plagiarism would be atypical for him, in my view.
Stroke and Delusions (1898-1900)
In mid-June 1898 several newspapers reported in near-identical terms that Otto de Joux, now living in Berlin, had become a “victim of spiritualist and religious delusions.” He reported visions of a deceased person and believed himself to be the “new Messiah, destined to reveal the sins of wicked people.” His relatives accused him of the gravest crimes, and he predicted dreadful deaths for those who treated him badly. Reports claimed that during a Rhine River trip he checked into a Koblenz hotel, where his loud nightly prayers and conversations with spirits disturbed other guests, leading to his initial hospitalization and then transfer to the Andernach provincial psychiatric asylum. Because he was born in Austria and his relatives lived in Vienna, he was to be transferred to an Austrian asylum (e.g., Volkswacht, June 11, 1898).
Author Hans Freimark, who had close ties to the early homosexual movement and was open to spiritism, linked de Joux’s illness with sexuality in his book Kundis “Occultism and Sexuality” (1909, pp. 368-369). Freimark associated “in the last years of his life (mid-1898 to end of 1900) a controlling spirit around him with whom he had sexual relations” and claimed de Joux had a “habit of meddling in other people’s sins or秘密.” He considered many of de Joux’s “revelations” as fantastical and expressions of his “lush erotic fantasies.” Freimark’s note about de Joux’s “feminine” inclination is an indirect reference to his sexuality. For Freimark, these misrepresentations appear to be part of his illness.
Death of de Joux (1900)
Apparently the planned transfer to an Austrian asylum did not occur. Following Freimark, de Joux died at the age of 38 from a “cerebral softening,” i.e., brain tissue decay due to poor circulation, which aligns with Magnus Hirschfeld’s account (JfsZ, 3rd year, 1901, p. 608) that de Joux died on December 30, 1900 in Dresden of a stroke. Because he was born in Klagenfurt, I contacted the Carinthian State Archives, whose staff were helpful but could not provide further information.
Factual checks on some of Otto de Joux’s claims
To the extent possible I have researched whether Otto de Joux’s claims can be corroborated or at least appear credible, especially those about more than 50 homosexual men and women, most of whom were prominent and whose lives and works the later homosexual movement drew upon to bolster the self-confidence of readers. Names include Adele Spitzeder, Alexander “the Great,” August Count von Platen, Edward II of England, Emil Mario Vacano, Frederick II of Prussia, Johann D. Gries, Johann Joachim Winckelmann, Johannes von Müller, Queen Christina of Sweden, Lord Byron, Ludwig II of Bavaria, and Michelangelo, among others. Otto de Joux amassed an astonishing amount of background knowledge about these and other figures. Because his writings demonstrate solid research, I felt justified in including in my previous TheColu.mn articles on Friedrich Hölderlin, Franz Grillparzer, and the novel Fridolins heimliche Ehe some of Otto de Joux’s observations as well.
Many of Otto de Joux’s claims reappear in the writings of later homosexual movements and appear to have been taken over by him. A likely example is that both Otto de Joux (The Stripped of the Joy of Love, 1893, p. 85) and the Yearbook for the Sexual Intermediates (JfsZ, 1899, p. 229) mention the Polish novel “Pamiatki” by Julian Madjewski. The situation changes, however, when Magnus Hirschfeld (From Then Till Now, 1986, p. 76) discusses a marriage between a Frenchwoman and a Cologne homosexual, about which Otto de Joux also wrote (The Stripped of the Joy of Love, pp. 77) and adds details that could not have come from de Joux himself. Below I will present only a few anecdotes about persons that can be corroborated by other sources and that appear to be little known in queer historical research.
A Gay Club in Austria (1883)
According to de Joux, Vienna hosted a homosexual “Club of Reasonable People” which, when “brought into the light of day,” provoked “head-shakes and regret” (The Stripped of the Joy of Love, 1893, p. 128).
In 1883 several Austrian newspapers reported on this club. The starting point was a trial against Otto Potjukl, who faced charges in 1880 for extorting Theresea Oehlschläger. He allegedly had information about a compromising correspondence involving a man employed by her; the case led to a one-year prison sentence in a private hearing. In the trial, a witness accused a person of belonging to the “Club of the Reasonable,” whose members gave themselves female names. A man called himself “Mignon,” a name that can be read in the context of Goethe, gender roles, and Italian longing (see Wiener Allgemeine Zeitung, April 20, 1883, and Morgen-Post, April 21, 1883). The Viennese weekly Neuigkeits-Welt-Blatt (April 24, 1883) added details about the 26-year-old private teacher Otto Potjukl and the “Club of the Reasonable,” which pursued “immoral purposes.”
Joséphin (Joseph) Péladan and the Androgynous (1884)
Otto de Joux addresses a novel by the French writer and occultist Joséphin Péladan in which the protagonist Valérien discusses androgynous men with another character (The Stripped of the Joy of Love, 1893, pp. 23-24). Although de Joux does not name the book, his brief remarks are enough to identify Péladan’s Le vice suprême (“The Supreme Vice,” 1884). In that novel the androgyne is depicted as a defining feature of decadence, but also as an ideal of spiritual and artistic perfection.
The Tender Marriage of Countess Sarolta Vay with a Woman (1889)
Otto de Joux reported on the Hungarian countess Sarolta Vay, who in Klagenfurt acted as a man under the name Sándor Vay. She courted a “Miss” from an esteemed family and the two converted to Catholic matrimony. After eight months of a “happy and tender marriage,” Vay was identified as a woman and subjected to a psychiatric evaluation. She claimed that if she had to surrender to a man, she would have died of horror and disgust (The Stripped of the Joy of Love, 1893, p. 17).
This incident occurred in 1889, and Austrian newspapers reported it in similar fashion (“Neues Wiener Tagblatt,” November 7, 1889; “Neues Wiener Abendblatt,” November 8, 1889; and “Linzer Tagespost,” November 9, 1889). The sensational story of Countess Vay is well known in lesbian history and is discussed, for example, by Hanna Hacker in her book Frauen und Freundinnen (1987; reissued 2015; see also Wikipedia).
Alfred Meißner loved Franz Hedrich with all his heart (1893)
The two authors Alfred Meißner (1821–1885) and Franz Hedrich (1823–1895) shared a close friendship. Since the 1850s Hedrich worked as Hedrich’s ghostwriter. Later Hedrich extorted money from his former friend by threatening to reveal their literary collaboration publicly. Pressured by Hedrich’s demands, Alfred Meißner committed suicide in 1885. This story was discussed in several contemporary publications, but no homoerotic relationship can be inferred from them. It was also processed in Karl Ed. Klopfer’s novel Zwei Dichter (1893), in which the names Alfred Meißner and Franz Hedrich are changed to Albert Merwald and Ferdinand Hagendorff. The novel is not accessible and cannot be borrowed through interlibrary loan. If it portrays a homoerotic friendship, it remains open whether it is fictional or based on reality.
Otto de Joux points to this novel and emphasizes that there are “many signs” of Meißner’s homosexuality, such as “his boundless love for Hedrich (sic).” Meißner loved his friend with a “force of the heart, a power that only a Urning could possess” (The Stripped of the Joy of Love, pp. 152-154).
Otto de Joux in the Judgment of His Contemporaries
Many contemporaries commented on Otto de Joux in various ways. The writer Johannes Guttzeit (Natural Right or Crime? 1897, pp. 23-26, 31-32) notably includes longer quotations from Otto de Joux without commenting on them, apparently treating de Joux’s statements as reliable sources that support his own arguments. The physician and sexologist Albert Moll (1862-1939) argued in his main work Contrary Sexual Feelings (1899, p. 94) that the “vast majority” of the many brochures about homosexuality have no scientific value. Yet he highlights Otto de Joux’s writings for a number of “quite interesting details.”
“His Books Do Not Deserve to be Printed” (Elisàr von Kupffer, 1899)
Elisàr von Kupffer reviewed in the Der Eigene (a homosexualist magazine) the new edition of Karl Heinrich Ulrichs’s writings and criticized de Joux in this context: “There is indeed a lot written in this field (homosexuality) that seems to favor the question of homosexual emancipation but lacks real value and, in my view, does not deserve to be printed with seriousness. I am thinking of Otto de Joux’s books,” which, like others, appear shallow and “without clear open mind” (Der Eigene, 1899, p. 26). Kupffer is best known today as the editor of the first gay anthology. The reception of Ulrichs and de Joux in Der Eigene and Magnus Hirschfeld’s circle diverges significantly from their reception in the WhK’s early era.
In a previous article I already noted that Der Eigene did not have a broad reception of Ulrichs, likely tied to Ulrichs’s masculine ideal. The same goes for Der Eigene’s handling of Otto de Joux. Hirschfeld’s and the WhK’s reception of Ulrichs and de Joux stands in sharp contrast to the above.
He Spread “Sunshine” Around Him (Magnus Hirschfeld, 1900, 1914)
Magnus Hirschfeld wrote in a memorial piece on Otto de Joux: “During the two years of his stay in Berlin, where I knew him personally, I found him to be an ideally disposed person who spread something like sunshine around him.” Hirschfeld emphasized for the WhK that de Joux’s memory should be kept in honorable esteem (JfsZ, 3rd year, 1901, p. 608). What this meant became clear in the following yearbook: the WhK contributed financially to his grave marker (JfsZ, 4th year, 1902, p. 980—not online) and his book The Hellenic Love in the Present belonged to the WhK library (JfsZ, 12th year, 1910, p. 128). The location of de Joux’s grave is unknown. A similarly honoring stance toward Otto de Joux and his writings is seen in several other entries in the first twelve volumes of the Jahrbuch.
Hirschfeld also mentioned de Joux several times in his main work The Homosexuality of Men and Women (1914; see index with 20 references). Most of these are quotations from his two books. He contradicts de Joux only on his claim that homosexual men can recognize each other by sight (p. 40). Even in this book Hirschfeld hardly addresses de Joux’s private life. The question why he took such an intense interest in homosexuality remains open.
Advertising Edward Carpenter’s The Intermediate Sex with a Quote from de Joux, 1907
One finds it noteworthy that Edward Carpenter’s book The Intermediate Sex. The Intersex Lovers (1907) was advertised in the magazine Jugend (1907, issue 29, p. 634) with a long quotation from de Joux. This suggests that Otto de Joux’s name was already well known—and regarded as a serious, credible author—within the homosexual movement at that time.
How Otto de Joux Is Seen Today
Anyone with an interest in queer history may have encountered the name Otto de Joux, and it seems many authors share the fascination with emancipatory literature that emerged before the homosexual movement began. De Joux is often mentioned but usually only in brief terms. For example, the large exhibition catalog Goodbye to Berlin. 100 Years of the Gay Movement (1997, p. 75) points to homosexual clubs in Vienna, Rome and Brussels with the source “The Stripped of the Joy of Love” (pp. 126, correctly p. 128). In Bernd-Ulrich Hergemöller’s biographical lexicon Man for Man (2010, p. 615), three sentences summarize Otto de Joux’s life and work. Overall, his reception has remained rather superficial and he has apparently never been a sole object of focused scholarly inquiry. There is therefore only a small amount of secondary literature to reference.
Inconsistent Argumentation as a Preventive Strategy (Marita Keilson-Lauritz, 1997)
Literary scholar Marita Keilson-Lauritz notes in her dissertation The History of One’s Own History (1997) that in Otto de Joux and several other early emancipatory works, expressions of disgust alternate with liberal-progressive attitudes and then with an ascetic-denying stance by homosexuals. This “inconsistent argumentation” may have been a preventive strategy (p. 251). Keilson-Lauritz also points to many authors who were described by de Joux as homosexual.
With Otto de Joux Began the Homosexual Movement (Mark Lehmstedt, 2002)
Mark Lehmstedt offers in his book Bücher für das “dritte Geschlecht” (2002, pp. 44-53) a detailed and informative tribute to de Joux’s work. From him I learned about the significant correspondence in the Börsenblatt mentioned above. To describe de Joux’s importance, Lehmstedt sets the bar high: “If Ulrichs was the solitary precursor, then with Otto de Joux began nothing less than the true history of the homosexual emancipation movement in Germany.” If one agrees with Lehmstedt’s assessment—which is well justified—one might even drop the “in Germany” since German gay movement was uniquely global, especially in Berlin.
The Special Nature of the Frontispiece Photo (Andreas Brunner, 2005)
Andreas Brunner (Geheimsache — Leben: Schwule und Lesben im Wien des 20. Jahrhunderts, 2005, pp. 33-34) notes de Joux as an Austrian writer and reproduces high-quality facsimiles of the title pages of his books. Brunner emphasizes the unusual fact that Otto de Joux was the first to publish a photograph of himself on the frontispiece of a “gay confession book.” The term “confession literature” is somewhat misleading: in the book de Joux lets many gay men speak for themselves, but he does not clearly disclose his own sexual orientation.
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My Conclusion
Because of the hints about de Joux’s delusions and possible plagiarism in the Pester Lloyd, I initially feared that his statements about homosexuality might need to be read with caution, and I therefore checked many of his assertions more closely. I am glad to say that after examining them, I gained the impression that he wrote his books (1893, 1897) and his article series (May 1898) with a clear mind and that his stroke likely occurred only one month later, in June 1898. A large portion of the facts he gathered, on which he based his emancipatory demands, are not found in other early authors of homosexual emancipation. I have pointed to some findings that may be new for queer history research, and I can imagine that more discoveries will follow through other newly digitized sources. I would welcome that!
Otto de Joux used terms such as “The Stripped of the Joy of Love,” “the sons of Eva,” and “the daughters of Adam” in his own coinages, but these never became widely adopted. Only a few authors from the early homosexual movement picked up these formulations. For instance, the author Reinhold Gerling—who, as noted above, seemed to know de Joux personally—used a similar formulation in the book title The Third Sex and the Stripped of the Joy of Love (1904/1919) in the second part. (The use of “The Third Sex” in the first part could have been drawn from Magnus Hirschfeld, Karl Heinrich Ulrichs, or even de Joux.)
Many of de Joux’s explanations today appear bizarre, and even in historical significance he remains behind Karl Heinrich Ulrichs. Yet he remains a fascinating contemporary witness to the history of homosexuality, who did extensive research and had a lot to say, and whose attempt to write emancipatory literature for homosexuals deserves respect in its own right. His books held the potential to help people find themselves as homosexuals. This article is the most extensive contribution to his life to date. It is quite possible that future work—perhaps through newly digitized sources—will uncover even more about his life and work. I would welcome that.
