These gay lovers were exposed & marooned on a deserted island in 1727. Now, their story is finally being told.
@alexjb24 had when they first got a peek at the art on display at the National Gallery Of Victoria in Australia. “Started off thinking ‘oh HI’ when I saw this exhibit,” they wrote of their encounter with the guys.Subscribe to our daily newsletter for a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.But then they read what this piece was really about and “kinda choked up”:started off thinking ‘oh HI’ when I saw this exhibit then read the explainer and kinda choked up pic.twitter.com/WndedXRneTLabeled as “Untitled (Bram)” and “Untitled (Ruel),” respectively, these pieces are part of an exhibit from Australian artist Drew Pettifer titled A Sorrowful Act: The Wreck Of The Zeewjik, one that aims to shine a light on forgotten queer history.As the placard notes, these dual portraits tell a story from 1727, when two young male lovers (Bram, 18, and Ruel, 22) were aboard the Zeewjik, a ship porting cargo for the Dutch East India Company.Per historical records, Bram and Ruel’s affair was discovered, and shortly after they were convicted of sodomy.
Their punishment? They were marooned on separate islands in the Houtman Abrolhos archipelago, off the coast of Western Australia, where they each died alone.A post shared by Drew Pettifer Studio (@drewpettiferart)Due to their trial, the young lovers’ heartbreaking tale is recognized as “the first recorded moment in (European) queer history in Australia.” Unsurprisingly, tragedy has plagued our community from the very beginning, and Pettifer’s work re-contextualizes the past in order to make us rethink our present.Over on Gay Twitter™, the pieces seem to have their intended effect, with @alexjb24’s post—and the sight of Bram and Ruel’s perky pecs—raking in 1.8 million views and counting.Hello, readers!
