Gerhardus "Gert" Hekma (24 September 1951 – 19 April 2022) was a Dutch

anthropologist An anthropologist is a person engaged in the practice of anthropology. Anthropology is the study of aspects of humans within past and present societies. Social anthropology, cultural anthropology and philosophical anthropology study the norms an ...

and sociologist, known for his research and publications, and public statements about (homo)sexuality. He taught

gay and lesbian studies Queer studies, sexual diversity studies, or LGBT studies is the education of topics relating to sexual orientation and gender identity usually focusing on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, gender dysphoria, asexual, queer, questioning, inte ...

at the Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences of the

University of Amsterdam The University of Amsterdam (abbreviated as UvA, nl, Universiteit van Amsterdam) is a public research university located in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The UvA is one of two large, publicly funded research universities in the city, the other being ...

from 1984 to 2017.

Career

Hekma finished Gymnasium-β, and in 1978 obtained his master's degree in

Cultural anthropology Cultural anthropology is a branch of anthropology focused on the study of cultural variation among humans. It is in contrast to social anthropology, which perceives cultural variation as a subset of a posited anthropological constant. The portma ...

at the

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam The Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (abbreviated as ''VU Amsterdam'' or simply ''VU'' when in context) is a public research university in Amsterdam, Netherlands, being founded in 1880. The VU Amsterdam is one of two large, publicly funded research ...

. From 1979 to 1981, he worked at

Utrecht University Utrecht University (UU; nl, Universiteit Utrecht, formerly ''Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht'') is a public research university in Utrecht, Netherlands. Established , it is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands. In 2018, it had an enrollme ...

. He was one of the organizers of the June 1983 social-scientific

congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

"Among Women, Among Men" (Dutch: "Onder Vrouwen, Onder Mannen"). In 1987, Hekma received his PhD in

Historical anthropology Historical anthropology is a historiographical movement which applies methodologies and objectives from social and cultural anthropology to the study of historical societies. Like most such movements, it is understood in different ways by differe ...

from

. From 1984 (succeeding Mattias Duyves) until 2017, Hekma was an assistant professor and teacher at the

, specializing in the sociology and history of (homo)sexuality. Hekma's research is part of an academic

counterculture A counterculture is a culture whose values and norms of behavior differ substantially from those of mainstream society, sometimes diametrically opposed to mainstream cultural mores.Eric Donald Hirsch. ''The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy''. H ...

, and some of his statements, in particular about

pedophilia Pedophilia ( alternatively spelt paedophilia) is a psychiatric disorder in which an adult or older adolescent experiences a primary or exclusive sexual attraction to prepubescent children. Although girls typically begin the process of puberty ...

and about

sadomasochism Sadomasochism ( ) is the giving and receiving of pleasure from acts involving the receipt or infliction of pain or humiliation. Practitioners of sadomasochism may seek sexual pleasure from their acts. While the terms sadist and masochist refe ...

, have caused conflicts between him and some of his colleagues and the university board, and resulted in

threat A threat is a communication of intent to inflict harm or loss on another person. Intimidation is a tactic used between conflicting parties to make the other timid or psychologically insecure for coercion or control. The act of intimidation for co ...

s directed at Hekma. Hekma has served as editor or

editorial board The editorial board is a group of experts, usually at a publication, who dictate the tone and direction the publication's editorial policy will take. Mass media At a newspaper, the editorial board usually consists of the editorial page editor, ...

member of many

periodicals A periodical literature (also called a periodical publication or simply a periodical) is a published work that appears in a new edition on a regular schedule. The most familiar example is a newspaper, but a magazine or a journal are also exampl ...

. He has also co-organized several

conferences A conference is a meeting of two or more experts to discuss and exchange opinions or new information about a particular topic. Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always decisions, are the main ...

, and has studied the life and works of

Jacob Israël de Haan Jacob Israël de Haan (31 December 1881 – 30 June 1924) was a Dutch Jewish literary writer, lawyer and journalist who immigrated to Palestine in 1919 and was assassinated in Jerusalem in 1924 by the Zionist paramilitary organization Haganah for ...

Louis Couperus Louis Marie-Anne Couperus (10 June 1863 – 16 July 1923) was a Dutch novelist and poet. His oeuvre contains a wide variety of genres: lyric poetry, psychological and historical novels, novellas, short stories, fairy tales, feuilletons and s ...

, and

Gerard Reve Gerard Kornelis van het Reve (14 December 1923 – 8 April 2006) was a Dutch writer. He started writing as Simon Gerard van het Reve and adopted the shorter Gerard Reve in 1973. Together with Willem Frederik Hermans and Harry Mulisch, he i ...

. He has taught students at

Queens College Queens College (QC) is a public college in the Queens borough of New York City. It is part of the City University of New York system. Its 80-acre campus is primarily located in Flushing, Queens. It has a student body representing more than 170 ...

and at the

City College of San Francisco City College of San Francisco (CCSF or City College) is a public community college in San Francisco, California. Founded as a junior college in 1935, the college plays an important local role, annually enrolling as many as one in nine San Franc ...

. In 2017, three activities took place related to Hekma's retirement: a two-day

symposium In ancient Greece, the symposium ( grc-gre, συμπόσιον ''symposion'' or ''symposio'', from συμπίνειν ''sympinein'', "to drink together") was a part of a banquet that took place after the meal, when drinking for pleasure was acc ...

, "Perils and Pleasures: Confronting Erotic Diversions", in

Amsterdam University Library Amsterdam University Library is the library of the University of Amsterdam (UvA) and the Academic Medical Centre (AMC). The central complex of the Library is in the town centre at Singel, close to Heiligeweg and Koningsplein. The Library's Spe ...

; an exhibition, "Rooie Flikkers en Homostudies UvA", at IHLIA in the

Openbare Bibliotheek Amsterdam The Openbare Bibliotheek Amsterdam (; OBA; English: Amsterdam Public Library) is an organisation of public libraries in Amsterdam, Diemen and Ouder-Amstel in the Netherlands. The first library opened in 1919 at the Keizersgracht in Amsterdam. ...

; a Mosse Lecture by Hekma. The latter was organized by the

George Mosse Fund The Foundation George Mosse Fund of the University of Amsterdam (Stichting George Mosse Fonds van de Universiteit van Amsterdam) is a Dutch foundation ( stichting) that aims to promote gay and lesbian studies. It was founded in 2001 at the Univ ...

, that he co-founded in 2001.

Personal life

Hekma is the son of a notary and grew up in

Bedum Bedum (; gos, Beem) is a former municipality and a town in the northeastern Netherlands. Populated by inhabitants in , Bedum is one of the larger of Groningen's several satellite towns. On 1 January 2019 it merged with the municipalities of De M ...

, the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. He was a frequent visitor of the DOK gay disco and was a member of the

radical Radical may refer to: Politics and ideology Politics * Radical politics, the political intent of fundamental societal change *Radicalism (historical), the Radical Movement that began in late 18th century Britain and spread to continental Europe an ...

"Red Faggots" (Dutch: "Rooie Flikkers"). Hekma was a

book collector Book collecting is the collecting of books, including seeking, locating, acquiring, organizing, cataloging, displaying, storing, and maintaining whatever books are of interest to a given collector. The love of books is ''bibliophilia'', and someo ...

, and had a fetish for

satin A satin weave is a type of fabric weave that produces a characteristically glossy, smooth or lustrous material, typically with a glossy top surface and a dull back. It is one of three fundamental types of textile weaves alongside plain weave ...

. He was a fan of

Marquis de Sade Donatien Alphonse François, Marquis de Sade (; 2 June 1740 – 2 December 1814), was a French nobleman, revolutionary politician, philosopher and writer famous for his literary depictions of a libertine sexuality as well as numerous accusati ...

: not only is De Sade one of his favorite authors and a source of inspiration, Hekma was also fascinated by De Sade's position on violence, and has used De Sade to provide his students with another perspective on sexuality and violence. Hekma advocated against

masculinity Masculinity (also called manhood or manliness) is a set of attributes, behaviors, and roles associated with men and boys. Masculinity can be theoretically understood as socially constructed, and there is also evidence that some behaviors ...

paternalism Paternalism is action that limits a person's or group's liberty or autonomy and is intended to promote their own good. Paternalism can also imply that the behavior is against or regardless of the will of a person, or also that the behavior expres ...

and traditional

gender role A gender role, also known as a sex role, is a social role encompassing a range of behaviors and attitudes that are generally considered acceptable, appropriate, or desirable for a person based on that person's sex. Gender roles are usually cen ...

s. In 2007, he received

death threat A death threat is a threat, often made anonymously, by one person or a group of people to kill another person or group of people. These threats are often designed to intimidate victims in order to manipulate their behaviour, in which case a d ...

s after supporting the idea of including a boat for

adolescents Adolescence () is a transitional stage of Developmental biology, physical and psychological Human development (biology), development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age of majo ...

at the

Amsterdam Gay Pride Amsterdam Pride, Amsterdam Gay Pride or Pride Amsterdam is a citywide queer-festival held annually at the center of Amsterdam during the first weekend of August. The festival attracts several hundred-thousand visitors each year and is one of ...

. In 2014, Hekma co-created a

petition A petition is a request to do something, most commonly addressed to a government official or public entity. Petitions to a deity are a form of prayer called supplication. In the colloquial sense, a petition is a document addressed to some offi ...

addressed to the

Supreme Court of the Netherlands The Supreme Court of the Netherlands ( nl, Hoge Raad der Nederlanden or simply ''Hoge Raad''), officially the High Council of the Netherlands, is the final court of appeal in civil, criminal and tax cases in the Netherlands, including Curaça ...

, pleading with the Dutch Supreme Court to not ban pro-pedophilia association

Vereniging MARTIJN Vereniging Martijn (; "Martijn Association"; stylized as MARTIJN) was a Dutch association that advocated the societal acceptance of pedophilia and legalization of sexual relationships between adults and children. Establishment The organization ...

. His support of MARTIJN resulted in death threats and an attempted burglary. Hekma has stated he was not a pedophile. He and his

significant other The term significant other (SO) has different uses in psychology and in colloquial language. Colloquially, "significant other" is used as a gender-neutral term for a person's partner in an intimate relationship without disclosing or presuming ...

, sociologist Mattias Duyves (1953), were together for more than forty years. They met in 1977 and married in 2007. Both champion sexual and relational freedom. Hekma was interviewed for

John Scagliotti John Scagliotti is an American film director and producer, and radio broadcaster. He has received honors for his work on documentaries about LGBT issues including '' Before Stonewall'' and '' After Stonewall''. Biography During the 1970s, Scaglio ...

's documentary film ''Before Homosexuals'' (2017).

Selected publications

Hekma has published widely on the

LGBT history LGBT history dates back to the first recorded instances of same-sex love and sexuality of ancient civilizations, involving the history of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) peoples and cultures around the world. What survives afte ...

in the

and Europe, both as a sole author and as a

contributing editor A contributing editor is a newspaper, magazine or online job title that varies in its responsibilities. Often, but not always, a contributing editor is a "high-end" freelancer, consultant, or expert who has proven ability and has readership dr ...

. His publications include

scientific works : ''For a broader class of literature, see Academic publishing.'' Scientific literature comprises scholarly publications that report original empirical and theoretical work in the natural and social sciences. Within an academic field, scienti ...

and

popular Popularity or social status is the quality of being well liked, admired or well known to a particular group. Popular may also refer to: In sociology * Popular culture * Popular fiction * Popular music * Popular science * Populace, the total ...

documents. A selection follows. * ''Homoseksualiteit, een medische reputatie'' 'Homosexuality, a Medical Reputation''(1987) * ''Goed verkeerd'' 'Rightly Wrong''(1989) * ''The Pursuit of Sodomy'' (1989) * ''De roze rand van donker Amsterdam'' 'The Pink Outskirts of Gloomy Amsterdam''(1992) * ''Homoseksualiteit in Nederland van 1730 tot de moderne tijd'' 'Homosexuality in The Netherlands from 1730 to Modern Times''(2004) * ''ABC van perversies'' 'The ABCs of Perversions''(2009) * ''A Cultural History of Sexuality in the Modern Age'' (2011) * ''Sexual Revolutions'' (2014)

References

External links

at the

, via

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hekma, Gert 1951 births 2022 deaths Dutch anthropologists Dutch sociologists Dutch gay writers Dutch LGBT rights activists People from Bedum Academic staff of the University of Amsterdam 20th-century Dutch male writers 21st-century Dutch male writers Dutch biographers Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam alumni Gay academics

Career

Personal life

Selected publications

See also

References

Further reading

External links