Gay history

[W_L]

Seriously, I've been writing about gay history from the beginning of recorded history for a while and I keep forgetting to open a discussion on the topic.

 

Let me start with Ancient history up to Hellenistic era aka Alexander's empire

 

The earliest fictional/semi-historical account of same sex relationships came from the Sumerian epic Gilgamesh. Enkindu, the big wild hairy man, was the beloved of Gilgamesh, the unpredictable and emotionally immature king. Sounds almost like reality between certain gay couples with calming influence of one partner meeting the unpredictable nature of the other.

 

I took certain liberties, when writing Love and Again, but I would contend that Sumerian culture was pretty open during that time in their history to have gay epics be mainstream, possibly due to the influence of their rulers. Moving forward in time, Zoroastrian traditions as the first monotheistic hated and despised homosexuality in every land it crossed into. My 2nd story was based on biblical accounts, but there is also historical basis to speculate that the repression after early homosexual acceptance came from the first wave of monotheism. Zoroastrian traditions would later go into Judaism, Christianity, and Islam sadly including the anti-gay sentiment.

 

Then, you move westward and you got history of Greece and Crete, where legends were very open to gay relationships to certain degrees. In the Iliad, there is an oral tradition that Achilles and Patrochlos were lovers, which is interesting side note durian classical era of Greece.

 

Additionally, the Dorians, although Quasi-fictional/historical, are usually depicted as very pro-gay relationships among adult men and in certain places among boys and men. Anyone, claiming descent from Dorian nobility or Herculean nobility as my 4th and later stories go on to describe, would be under the same traditional concept that they should have homosexual relations along with heterosexual ones.

 

Now for the Lesbian community, you guys appear in history around this time period with incipiant female love stories and poetry. It's interesting to note that Lesbianism was not much countered or acknoledged in the early periods as male homosexuals.

 

I have to explain my dislike for Athens. Athens has always been the place, where gay writers and advocates point to what a good democracy should acknowledge for gay rights. I can understand why they point to Athens, but I must counter there example since it must be done.

 

Let me state for historical record, Athens would have been the death knell for gay rights, if it was not for Thebes preserving gay traditions. Socrates' execution among other notable thinkers and supporters of gay traditions was in fact an Athenian purge. Democracy does not guarentee equality or rights; the ideals of gay love became less inclined as Athenian public used homosexuals as scapegoats after their lost in recent wars with Sparta and her allies. I posit the Athenian tradition as a warning for future generations of gay men; don't believe that winning certain freedoms in a democratic society means you gain it indefinately as the winds of fortune change, so does the winds of public opinion.

 

Thebes would have been my choice for the open city of gay rights. Not just for the tradition of the Sacred Band, but they also have many legendary stories such as the first gay couple eloping to Thebes.

 

As for Alexander's ideas, it is a high point of contrast and understanding gay love versus pedophilia that was part of Greek tradition. He believed in equal love as taught by Aristotle, who was student of Plato whom was student of Socrates. Certain things that he hated was pedophilia for pleasure sakes.

 

It is implied in historical record and our culture, American, Greek, or otherwise, will not accept that Hephestion was sleeping with Alexander more than once. Hell, Alexander only had one son, who was born after his death, so the likelihood of paternity is doubtful. Alexander married woman like many other gay men after him to show he could continue traditions, while only loving one man. There are even stories from Plutarch and other ancient historians that Hephestion usually spend his nights with Alexander in the same tent, so come on how much more proof do our society need to say Alexander was the first monagomous homosexual.

 

Other parts of gay history and documentation of same sex relationships can be seen in the Far Eastern Chronicles of Confucius Dialectic. This line of stories and history is covered in my off site story, Worlds of Difference, eastern history is another round of stuff. In the far east, it was not age structure that propelled early homosexual unions as in early Greece. There were even vows of brotherhood that we could almost assume at points were gay marriage declarations.

 

Now that clears up the 15th century BCE- 3rd century BCE of gay history.

 

Some people say there is no such thing as gay history, hehe!

[Former Member]

Very interesting. Makes me want to learn more! (Promises self I'll wait until finals are over to do a little reading)

[TalonRider]

I used to have book titled, 'The Gay Book of Days' in which each day highlighted the birthday of someone, or an event, that happened on that day.

[AFriendlyFace]

What a wonderful and informative thread!

[Zombie]

☠️ Dead threads don’t have to stay dead 💀 

This newspaper article from December 2000 was written when newspapers were news that was printed on real paper  but it’s an interesting read on the largely forgotten Polari, a secret slang or vocabulary of “outsiders”, which is what homosexuals were during the 19th and much of the 20th century, and which had a significant impact on British and Irish gay culture

https://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2000/dec/10/life1.lifemagazine3

When the Manchester UK  branch of the the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence was formed they created, just for fun, a Polari version of the bible (please don’t look if you might be offended)

More recently David Bowie used Polari in Girl Loves Me on his final studio album Blackstar, released 2016

 

Edited July 23, 2022 by Zombie