Hey guys I was wondering if you knew any slang terms for male prostitutes from 1680-1720? The more there better, the meaner the better. Thanks!
"Mollies" were fairly common - characterizing men who engaged in same-sex sexual acts, often in "molly houses" which were not necessarily brothels (as I don't believe men usually paid to interact with other men) but there was a fair amount of cross-dressing that happened in these spaces. Many of these men did not view themselves as "homosexual" (though this term did not exist until the nineteenth century), and had wives, children, and a "traditionally" masculine lifestyle. See Anna Clarke's book "Desire" - it's a great text for a general history of sexuality in Europe.