| Karl
Ulrichs published Vindex, the first of twelve
pamphlets, in 1864 to defend "Urnings," men who
seek other men as sexual partners. Inclusa, his
second pamphlet, followed quickly and in it he articulated
the first scientific theory of homoerotic desire. Urnings, he wrote, are attracted to other men because they
are hermaphrodites of the mind. Even though they
have male bodies, their souls are female so they are
naturally drawn to male sexual partners. Therefore,
laws like ¶175
that impose criminal penalties on Urnings are unjust.
Ulrichs believed that the
Urning disposition is natural and inborn, but doctors like
Karl Westphal and later Richard von Krafft-Ebing appropriated his theory and
labeled Urningism a mental illness.
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