The original translation's probably correct. Marx and Engels were massive homophobes:
"That is really a very odd 'Urning' you just sent me. Those are just unveilings being extremely against nature. The pederasts begin counting themselves and find that they are forming a power within the state. Only an organisation was missing, but according to this it seems to be already existing in the secret. And as they are counting so important men within all the old parties and even in the new ones, from Rösing to Schweitzer, their victory is inevitable. 'Guerre aux cons, paix aux trous de cul' it will go now. It is only a luck that we personally are too old to have to fear, this party gaining victory, to have to pay bodily tribute to the victors. But the young generation! By the way, only possible in Germany that a guy like that appears, translates the dirt into a theory and invites: introite, and so on. Unfortunately he was not yet as courageous as to confess openly being 'That', and still has to operate coram publico 'from the front' even though not ,from the front into as he once says by mistake. But first wait until the new North-German penal law has acknowledged the droits de cul then it will turn out quite differently. As for poor people from the front like us, with our childish favour for women, things will be going badly enough. If one could make use of that Schweitzer, it was to elicit from this strange man of honour the personal details of the high and the highest ranging pederasts, what surely would not be difficult for him as a congenial person...."
(Marx Engels Werke vol.32 -German edition - p. 324/5. Engels to Marx, June 22, 1869)
Sorry to be the one to share this with you. There's a lot of other nasty shit in their letters as well. Kill your heroes and all that.
As somebody whose first language is German, i can attest that Knabenliebe would correctly be translated as pederasty, not sodomy. Just putting this out for the sake of accuracy, though - these terms were routinely conflated up until a few decades ago, and homophobes still deliberately conflate homosexuality and pedophilia to this day. Saying "they were dunking on pedos, not gays" doesn't work as an excuse when it's common to believe these to be one and the same.
The passage you quote is completely in line with homophobic discourses of their time. When you were a raging homophobe in 19th century Germany, it was a common fear to view queer rights advocacy as something that would lead to a "gay state" where straight men would be forced to "pay bodily tribute to the victors".
Your quote also shows that there were people around who already knew better, both in bourgeoise liberal and socialist parties.
The original translation's probably correct. Marx and Engels were massive homophobes:
"That is really a very odd 'Urning' you just sent me. Those are just unveilings being extremely against nature. The pederasts begin counting themselves and find that they are forming a power within the state. Only an organisation was missing, but according to this it seems to be already existing in the secret. And as they are counting so important men within all the old parties and even in the new ones, from Rösing to Schweitzer, their victory is inevitable. 'Guerre aux cons, paix aux trous de cul' it will go now. It is only a luck that we personally are too old to have to fear, this party gaining victory, to have to pay bodily tribute to the victors. But the young generation! By the way, only possible in Germany that a guy like that appears, translates the dirt into a theory and invites: introite, and so on. Unfortunately he was not yet as courageous as to confess openly being 'That', and still has to operate coram publico 'from the front' even though not ,from the front into as he once says by mistake. But first wait until the new North-German penal law has acknowledged the droits de cul then it will turn out quite differently. As for poor people from the front like us, with our childish favour for women, things will be going badly enough. If one could make use of that Schweitzer, it was to elicit from this strange man of honour the personal details of the high and the highest ranging pederasts, what surely would not be difficult for him as a congenial person...."
(Marx Engels Werke vol.32 -German edition - p. 324/5. Engels to Marx, June 22, 1869)
Sorry to be the one to share this with you. There's a lot of other nasty shit in their letters as well. Kill your heroes and all that.
As somebody whose first language is German, i can attest that Knabenliebe would correctly be translated as pederasty, not sodomy. Just putting this out for the sake of accuracy, though - these terms were routinely conflated up until a few decades ago, and homophobes still deliberately conflate homosexuality and pedophilia to this day. Saying "they were dunking on pedos, not gays" doesn't work as an excuse when it's common to believe these to be one and the same.
The passage you quote is completely in line with homophobic discourses of their time. When you were a raging homophobe in 19th century Germany, it was a common fear to view queer rights advocacy as something that would lead to a "gay state" where straight men would be forced to "pay bodily tribute to the victors".
Your quote also shows that there were people around who already knew better, both in bourgeoise liberal and socialist parties.
Absolutey, I know nothing about German. What I meant to point out was Engels and probably Marx conflated the two.
Thanks for saying it better than I did ❤️