Interpretation. This answer is an interpretation or an open question.
Probably not. This is a question of history, not something Scripture answers. There is no clear, trustworthy proof that he was gay. There is a lot of evidence, including King James’s own words, that he was not. A few things are hard to explain. But calling him gay means going far past the evidence. To be fair, that does not prove it was impossible.
Where did the claim come from? The earliest direct accusation on record is in a 1650 book called “The Court and Character of King James I” by Anthony Weldon. Weldon lived at the same time as King James, but his word is hard to trust. In 1617, around the time he went with the king to Scotland, people found out he had made false claims about the Scottish nation. He was dismissed from his duties. About 25 years after King James died, Weldon wrote this book. It made many attacks on the dead king, including the claim that he was gay.
Most of the few others who said the same thing seem to have had a personal problem with King James. People quickly came to his defense. Peter Heylyn, who lived at that time, wrote in his book “Examen historicum” that Weldon’s claims were false and had no real proof. Godfrey Goodman, who also lived then, said of Weldon, “I never read a more malicious-minded author.” Malicious means mean and hurtful.
What is the strongest evidence that he was gay? It is in his letters to a man named George Villiers. In them, King James calls Villiers “sweetheart.” Much of that kind of language was normal for that time. But in one letter, he calls Villiers his “wife,” talks about “a new marriage,” and says he would rather not live “a sorrowful widow’s life” without him. That letter does look borderline.
Still, there is more to think about. King James often used family titles as word pictures. In his advice to his son, he compared a king to a father and the people to his children. He even wrote to Queen Elizabeth, who ruled before him, and called her his friend, cousin, brother, mother, and wife. She was none of those things, and no one thinks they had a romance.
What is the strongest evidence that he was not gay? First, his marriage. He was married to Anne of Denmark for about 30 years, until she died in 1619. She gave birth to seven children and had at least two miscarriages. She became pregnant by James almost every year from 1594 to 1606. That was not just a marriage “for show.” We do not have to read between the lines to see it.
Second, his own words. King James wrote often about marriage and keeping your body pure. He told his son to stay faithful to his wife and to stay away from sexual sin. He wrote that marriage is “the greatest earthly felicity.” Felicity means happiness. In 1599, he wrote a book for his son called “Basilicon Doron.” In it, he listed sodomy, which means homosexual acts, with witchcraft, willful murder, and incest. He called them “horrible crimes” that a king should never forgive. In July 1610, he was asked to pardon some criminals. He pardoned several, but he refused to pardon those found guilty of sodomy. He also warned his son to stay away from “effeminate ones.” These are strange things for a gay man to say. Just as the Bible does, he listed homosexuality with witchcraft and murder.
People who want to discredit the King James Bible will keep saying he was gay. People who seek the glory of the Most High God will probably not be moved either way. They know how the King James Version came about, and they know King James openly stood against homosexuality. His version of the Bible is still the most trustworthy one in English.
Answered by Taught of Yah
