President Obama has been called the “first gay president.” But was Newsweek’s euphemism about Barack Obama more accurate than the authors knew at the time?
That’s the source of the speculation fueled by revelations of a 1982 letter Obama sent to ex-girlfriend Alex McNear obtained by the New York Post.
“In relation to homosexuality, I must say that I think this is an attempt to move away from the present, a refusal perhaps to perpetuate the endless farce of earthly life. You see, I make love to men daily, but in imagination,” Obama, who was 21 at the time, wrote to McNear in November 1982.
“My mind is largely androgynous and I hope to do more until I can think in terms of people, not women instead of men. But, when I return to my body, I see that I have been made a man, and physically in life, I choose to accept this contingency,” he added.
McNear, who once had a relationship with Obama during his time at Western College in Los Angeles, later removed certain provocative sections of his letters. These sections were discovered by acclaimed historian David Garrow and featured in his book, “Rising Star.”
Emory University now owns the letter and does not allow it to be photographed or removed. Garrow received a handwritten transcription of specific sections from his friend Harvey Klehr.
Recent interviews with Garrow, a biographer of former President Barack Obama, have revealed details, including Obama’s hope that Garrow would not access extensive letters sent to an ex-girlfriend during her years at Harvard Law School. These letters describe Obama’s fantasies about intimacy with other men.
Garrow, who no longer has a cordial relationship with the former president, has been in the media spotlight after publishing an in-depth article in Tablet magazine. This article previews his 2017 book “Rising Star: The Making of Barack Obama” and shares insights into private discussions with Obama on various topics, including his feelings expressed in letters to Sheila Miyoshi Jager.
“I’m a historian, not a psychotherapist, but, you know, I’m 70 years old. My sense of the world is that, you know, a vast majority of humanity has fantasy lives,” Garrow said. “So I don’t think, I don’t find that passage in any way outrageous. He’s kind of a representative of humanity.”
“Barack made it clear to me that he hoped I would never read them, I can put it that way. I think if the letters to Sheila ever become public, I think it will be a signal event,” Garrow told Fox News Digital. “These letters would detail how extremely serious and extremely intense a relationship was and that it continued throughout his Harvard Law School years.”
Interestingly, although “Rising Star” included Obama’s reflections on same-sex fantasies, this aspect did not gain much attention when the book was initially published. Garrow recently emphasized that detail while reflecting on his interactions with the former president.
NOW READ:
America’s top Covid experts cashed in on the pandemic to the tune of $325 million
“*” Indicates mandatory fields
OPINION: This article contains comments that reflect the opinion of the author.
English 
Español de Venezuela