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Homophobia: A History


emmarainbow

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emmarainbow

I've been reading Homophobia: A History by Byrne Fone. Very interesting indeed, and I suggest to anyone who's interestied in that kinda stuff, although it's depressingly and focuses only on western society, as well as tailing off and being only american for the last 100 years. It also seems to skate over bi and trans issues a great deal, but still worth a read.

It's 10 years old, but while discussing an ancient greek play, it very briefly mentions asexuality, which is cool enough but...

Ancient Greeks? They had a play with an asexual character? Wow!

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Lucian of Samosata wrote the 'Erotes', which describes 4 men. Theomnestus likes men and women, Charicles likes the ladies and is descibed by Fone as possibly the first recorded homophobe. Callicratidas likes young men. They call upon Lycinus, the narrator, to be an impartial judge as to who is best, 'since you incline to neither passion'.

That made my day. We're in antiquity, we are.

2014 Mod Edit: This is a link to an English translation of the text. The relevant excerpt:

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I have to say, I have a not-so-secet-love for asexual history. In the ancient play "Hippolytus" the main character is, as far as I could ever tell, asexual.

'Since you incline to neither passion'= awesome!

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Oh that Lucian of Samosata. Always with the boundary breaking. What a guy.

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And a reason why homosexuals were rare in history compared to today is because people kept killing them. :blink:

And in history 'forced marriages and sex' were a lot more common to which supressed the visibilty of asexuality.

I'm glad I'm living in a era of much more freedom. :D

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Wow, that's incredible. This could be an invaluable resource for anyone that would claim asexuality is a new phenomenon.

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Dame du Lac
I have to say, I have a not-so-secet-love for asexual history. In the ancient play "Hippolytus" the main character is, as far as I could ever tell, asexual.

'Since you incline to neither passion'= awesome!

Yes, Hippolytus would be like a few people you find on AVEN; a repulsed asexual who thinks he's more pure than others. Of course, by refusing to worship the goddess Aphrodite he dies a horrible death...

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