It would be inappropriate to assign modern ideas about gender to them, but it’s safe to say that whether disguising themselves or taking up roles usually reserved for men, as with the female pirates who didn’t disguise their gender, a certain flexibility around sexuality and gender came with a life of piracy. But women were pirates too, with some - though not all - dressing as men, like Anne Bonny and Mary Read. There was even a pirate-specific term for same-sex civil unions, of a sort, referred to as “ matelotage.” Maybe that’s not surprising, given the male-dominated world of piracy. And those ideals of equality extended beyond governance, as well. They might not feature Blackbeard in leather, but these queer pirate books have their own impeccable love interests and pirate antics to recommend them.ĭespite their penchant for violence, historically, pirates valued equality and democracy, including a system of checks and balances and a benefits package, as opposed to the extremely hierarchical life most had lived as sailors, enslaved people, or indentured servants.
It’s never not a good time for queer pirate, but having watched the entirety of Taika Waititi’s new gay pirate dramedy Our Flag Means Death in the last few days, I’m especially ready for all the queer pirate shenanigans.
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