Roman Empire Views on Homosexuality

The exquisite society to emerge will be governed by an elite comprised of gay poets. One of the major requirements for a position of power in the new society of homoeroticism will be indulgence in the Greek passion. Any man contaminated with heterosexual lust will be automatically barred from a position of influence. All males who insist on remaining

The way people ultimately view homosexuality, whether in religion, politics or modern popular culture, is all determined by traditional or changing points of view. This essay will discuss mainly liberal and conservative Christian interpretations of the Bible, including many verses that may support or condemn homosexuality. It will also discuss the political views and laws against same-sex marriage and the social activism in the homosexual community. This is all about view points and it has many conflicting views and arguments.

“In men, in general, sexual desire is inherent and spontaneous” whereas “in the other sex, the desire is dormant, if not non-existent, till excited” (457). Greg’s terminology is extremely power-laden. “Spontaneous” has the connotation of energy and activity, whereas “dormant” and “victim” imply inactivity. An important concept is the assumption that men, the “coarser sex,” act on women, the “weaker sex” (457).

Sexuality is defined as one’s sexual character which possesses the structural and functional traits of sex. In the Renaissance, this definition was accompanied with ideologies of gender. This incorporated knowledge led to their notions of the female being inferior to the male based on what was

According to Halperin, “the 'sexuality' of the classical Athenians...was constituted by the very principles on which Athenian public life was organized” (Halperin 419). By this he is referring to the fact that sexuality in the Ancient Athens society was socially constructed, but not in the way that it is understood to be socially constructed in modern thought. The so-called sexuality of the Ancient Greek peoples in Athens was directly related to how the society worked, how it was built and how it was understood. Halperin provides a quote from a French anthropologist who is named Maurice Godelier in order to make this point more apparent. This quote states that “it is not sexuality which haunts society, but society which haunts the body's sexuality” (Halperin 419). This statement re-emphasizes the fact that sexuality is a socially constructed concept, entirely dependant upon the society in which it is created in order to be best understood. The history of sexuality, therefore, is a brief history in the sense that the idea of sexuality is constantly being rethought and changed. Halperin sums up the concept of sexuality very well when he says that “[it]...is not a cause but an effect” (Halperin).

It was not until the twelfth century that homosexuality started to be condemned. This condemnation proved to live through then until now. Due to the fact that America incorporated these early views into its early laws, even the most bland of today's sex acts were seen as unlawful (“Homosexuality and Mental Health”). Since then, these laws have changed, however, there is still a primarily negative connotation on homosexuals when coming from a church or legal standpoint concerning the masses of America.

In “The Myth of Homosexuality” by Christine Downing, there is the discussion of homosexuality and its meaning over the years. Downing begins the article by stating how a myth has classified women-on-women and men-on-men relationships to fall under the same term of homosexuality, but there is much deeper understanding to it than that. The classification under one word has caused a lot of shaping concerning how they are viewed or how they view themselves. In order to look past the surface of what defines the myth, Downing states that we must start with the culture’s myth and it’s origin.

In terms of variant sexual trends, the ancient Egyptians did engage in a variety of acts. Although homosexuality was frowned upon in the culture, there is evidence explaining that homosexual sex between two cisgender men was scandalous but not taboo. Even the notorious “Book of the Dead” included hints of homosexual acts, but advised people not engage in them (McGeough, 2011). However, if individuals were to engage, it was considered to be shameful to receive and those who received were to as NKW (2011). There are many tales detailing the gods partaking in homosexual sex or relationships. Such tales include Neferkare & Sasenet, Seth & Horus, and Niankhkhnum & Khnumhotep. Specifically in the story of Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep, there is evidence

While the debate was still ongoing as to whether or not homosexual relationships were natural, advocates used the perception of unnaturalness to their advantage. The Greek satirist Lucian points to the apparent lack of homosexuality in animals as one of the many gifts they have been deprived of such as human intellect. Furthermore, he

Throughout the course of history, the topic of homosexuality and its acceptable behavior has been one of varying opinions and much heated debate. Although how tolerated homosexual behavior was all through history can differ depending on who your source is, most everyone can agree that a few large cultures were either strongly for, or against, homosexuality.

Ancient Greece is considered as being the most accepting of homosexuality. The belief that the human body was worthy of respect and admiration is one of the reasons that homosexuality was tolerated and often accepted in society. They did not see it as an evil thing because

Homosexuality is not a 20th century situation but has been in history from the age of ancient Rome, Greece, Egypt, and even China. The attitude toward homosexuality always has been a variable, depending on the social, cultural and morality, or even the political development (Barnecka et al., 2005). Back in Greek history the concept of relations between two men was seen as the highest form of love, whereas the Judaic view always was against and frowned upon these relations considering it immoral and illegal. However, when the Roman rule was destroyed and the Christians took over Europe, homosexuality was seen as perverse (Woodward, 1997).

Generally, homosexuality is known as sexual behaviors or attraction to members of the same sex or gender. Paul believed that this attraction was nothing but a myth, he did not think that it was natural or right for a man to be with a man or a woman to be with a woman. According to Paul, when “women exchanged natural intercourse for unnatural, and in the same way also the men, giving up natural intercourse with women, were consumed with passion for one another…” (Romans 1:26-27; NRSV) since men needed sex and could not

As religious culture took hold of many countries, the normality and acceptance of homosexual behavior became viewed as a sinful life. The spread of homophobia attributed to so-called “accurate translations” of the bible condemning such a lifestyle began as early as the 12th century. In the year 342, the Christian emperors Constantius II and Constans declared the death penalty for any man who played the role of a wife. In the year 390, the Christian emperors Valentinian II, Theodosius I, and Arcadius accused males "acting the part of a woman" to be publicly burned in order to make sure such acts openly condemnable. The Christian emperor Justinian, years 527–565, made those who would now be called "homosexuals" a scapegoat for problems such as famines, earthquakes, and pestilences (Crogiez, Jailette & Poinsotte, 2009). Overwhelming fear and distrust spread throughout the societies, permanently changing the way homosexuality would be received for decades.

Unlike twenty-first century America, ancient Greece viewed human sexuality depending on the person’s control on their sexual impulses. Bisexuality was very accepted and the most widespread same – sex relation was between an adult man and a pubescent boy. This relationship was usually just for sexual pleasure, than an actual emotional committed relationship. Like mentioned before ancient Greeks did not believe in sexual orientation rather, it depended whether the person was the penetrator or the penetrated. As a dominant male centered society, men imposed their