Homosexuality

Karoly Maria Benkert, a psychologist of Hungarian descent who was born in Austria, first used the word "homosexuality" in the late 19th century. Despite the fact that the phrase is new, arguments concerning sexuality in general and same-sex desire in particular have sparked philosophical debates that range from Plato's Symposium to modern queer theory. It is crucial to briefly explore some of the social history of homosexuality since the history of cultural understandings of same-sex attraction is significant to the philosophical concerns generated by those understandings. The concept of natural law and some interpretations of it that restrict homosexual intercourse are born out of this history, at least in the West. Natural law continues to be a major topic of discussion in today's religious, political, and even legal conflicts concerning homosexuality. The advent of the gay liberation movement in the West is possibly the biggest recent societal upheaval regarding homosexuality. This trend is partially represented in philosophical circles by a somewhat broad set of thinkers who are associated with the term "queer theory." Whether homosexuality, and therefore also heterosexuality and bisexuality, is socially created or merely driven by biological processes is a key question posed by queer theory, which will be discussed below.

As has often been pointed out, the ancient Greeks had no words or ideas that might be compared to the modern distinction between "heterosexual" and "gay" (e.g., Foucault, 1980). Ancient Greek literature is replete with passages that speak to sexuality today, including dialogues by Plato like the Symposium, Aristophanes plays, Greek art, and vases. The opinions of the ancient Greeks are briefly described below, although it's crucial to note that there was geographical variance. For instance, whereas same-sex eros was generally discouraged in some areas of Ionia, it was accepted and even celebrated in Elis and Boiotia (such as Thebes) (cf. Dover, 1989; Halperin, 1990).

At least according to ancient Greek authors, the most typical idea concerning sexual orientation is that people can erotically respond to beauty in either sex. For instance, Diogenes Laeurtius claimed that Alcibiades, an Athenian general and politician who lived in the fifth century B.C., "drew away the husbands from their wives in his adolescence and the wives from their husbands as a young man." (Quoted on page 144 of Greenberg, 1988) Some people were noted for having just one gender's interests in mind. For instance, Zeno of Citium, the father of Stoicism, and Alexander the Great were both renowned for their singular fascination with youths and other males. However, these people are typically portrayed as the exception. Furthermore, rather than being viewed as a moral issue, the choice of whose biological sex one is attracted to is perceived as a matter of taste or desire. A figure in Plutarch’s Erotikos (Dialogue on Love) argues that “the noble lover of beauty engages in love wherever he sees excellence and wonderful natural endowment without regard for any distinction in physiological detail” (ibid., 146). (ibid., 146). Gender simply becomes a "detail" that doesn't matter; character and beauty are what matter most.

The gender to which one was erotically attracted (at any given time, given the idea that people will likely be attracted to people of both sexes) was unimportant, but other factors were, like whether or not one practiced moderation. Status issues were likewise of utmost significance. Women and male slaves were acceptable sexual partners because only free men had full status. But sexual relations between freemen posed a status issue. The key contrast between adopting an active or insertive role and a passive or penetrated one in ancient Greek sexual encounters was the former. Only inferiors, like women, slaves, or male teenagers who weren't yet citizens, were permitted to play the passive role. Therefore, the ideal same-sex partnership according to culture involved an older guy, who was most likely in his 20s or 30s, known as the erastes, and a young boy, known as the eromenos or paidika, whose beard had not yet started to grow. In this partnership, there was a ritualized wooing that included presents (like a rooster) and other conventions. The erastes had to demonstrate that his intentions for the boy went beyond just sexual attraction. The child was warned not to give in too readily and, if more than one man was after him, to use judgement and choose the more honorable one. There is evidence that intercrural intercourse, or having the erastes face his beloved and insert his penis between the eromenos' thighs, was frequently used to prevent penetration. The couple agreed that their union would only last until the boy reached adulthood (Dover, 1989). Although there were undoubtedly numerous adult male same-sex relationships that were acknowledged and not heavily stigmatized, continuing in a subordinate role while one should be an equal citizen was regarded as worrisome. Being attracted to men was frequently considered as a sign of manhood, whilst the passive role was therefore seen as negative. Stories of same-sex exploits have been attributed to Greek gods like Zeus as well as other significant individuals in Greek myth and literature like Achilles and Hercules. In the Symposium, Plato makes the case for having a same-sex army. The Sacred Band of Thebes, a regiment made up of 500 warriors, was established by Thebes. They had a reputation for bravery in warfare throughout antiquity.

Regarding their understanding of same-sex desire like in sex viet nam and sexual concerns more generally, ancient Rome and ancient Greece shared many similaritiese. Particularly under the Republic, this is true. Even before Christianity became popularity, Roman culture under the Empire gradually started to have more unfavorable attitudes regarding sexuality, most likely as a result of the social and economic unrest. pornsexzone.com