A wave of persecution started in Utrecht

Between 1730 and 1732, more than 300 people in the Netherlands were charged with sodomy, of whom at least 75 were executed. This was the largest such crackdown in the country’s history, and it was unprecedented both domestically and abroad. Hundreds of others were exiled or fled, forced to live dangerous, clandestine lives under assumed identities.

18th century – Sodomy – Barend Blomsaet and 17 other men were convicted and executed by strangulation in Utrecht. Their deeds concealed.

This text on the memorial stone placed in 1999 on the cathedral square (Domplein) in Utrecht reminds us of these trials.

Sodomy

The word “sodomy” is derived from the Bible, specifically the story of Lot and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 18-19. In the Biblical account, the men of Sodom demand that Lot bring out his male guests so they can “know” them. (In contemporary English, this translates to: “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, so that we may have sex with them.”) A similar narrative appears in the Quran.

In a more specific sense, “sodomy” referred to anal intercourse between men and men, men and women, or men and animals. Under the influence of the Catholic Church, the definition expanded to include any sexual act that was not intended for procreation. As a result, men who engaged in same-sex acts were the primary targets of persecution, though women who loved women were also punished.

The role of the sexton

The persecution began on January 12, 1730, with the testimony of Josua Wilts, the sexton of the Domtoren (the tower of the cathedral). Wilts claimed that, six months earlier, he and his children had caught lime carrier Gilles van Baden and barber Willem Luyten in an intimate act inside the Michael Chapel of the tower. They had watched the men through a hatch in the sexton’s house above. Wilts reportedly fired at the men, but they threatened him with knives before fleeing. It is believed that Wilts’s statement was motivated by his desire to avoid punishment for excessive drinking, as he faced the prospect of being sent to a reform house.

Molly houses and cruising areas

Wilts’s testimony led to the discovery of a broader network of men engaging in sodomy. This ‘unmentionable’ sin turned out not to be the only case and the tower of the cathedral not to be the only place. With the arrest of Gilles van Baden – the court found – “the thread of a tangle of this impiety” had been discovered. The court records paint a picture of a network of sodomites who met in inns or molly houses (lolhuysen). In Utrecht, these included the molly house “The Lively Death,” near the present-day Central Station, “Vredenburg Castle” behind the town hall, and the house of Hendrick Coopman near the Tolsteeg gate. In Coopman’s house, men gathered in a room where sexual acts were reportedly performed. In addition to these indoor spaces, men also met in open-air cruising areas, such as the Pandhof next to the Domkerk (Cathedral) and along the city’s fortifications. Some men referred to each other as “nephew” or “cousin,” which researchers suggest may have been part of a nascent “gay” identity and culture.

With a population of over 30,000, Utrecht was already one of the largest cities in the Netherlands at the time.

Persecution

Following the arrests of van Baden and Luyten, a two-year wave of persecution against suspected sodomites unfolded. In Utrecht alone, 18 men were sentenced to death and executed by strangulation. As part of the torture process, suspects, including wine merchant Barend Blomsaet and soldier Zacharias Wilsma, were pressured to reveal more names, uncovering a wider network of men involved in sodomy. The persecution soon spread across the Dutch Republic and into other parts of Europe.

Tribade

Little is known about women accused of sodomy in the early 18th century. However, accounts from the previous century describe women who lived as men in order to form relationships with other women. One of the most well-known was Hendrikje van der Schuur from Amsterdam, described by physician Nicolaas Tulp (the same Tulp depicted in Rembrandt’s Anatomical Lesson) not as a “sodomite,” but as a “tribade” (from the Greek tribein, meaning “to rub”). Hendrikje’s lover, Trijntje Barends, testified in 1641 that Hendrikje was a passionate woman, often engaging in sexual acts multiple times during the night. Hendrikje was sentenced to flogging and exile from the city.

It wasn’t until the Amsterdam sodomy trials of 1795 that more women were prosecuted for “sodomite filth” or “evil.” These women, often referred to as “tribades” or “fun whores,” lived in poverty on the margins of society and were typically sentenced to an average of six years in prison.

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