Gay Pride celebrations mark the time of year when we have cause to rightfully celebrate. We’ve come a long ways and like any holiday, Gay Pride has become commercialized, boosting the economies of cities around the world. Beer and liquor companies, at the top of the list, gain much, as do the hotels, eateries, bars & clubs. Profits are made, we all have a great time yet many forget those who still are persecuted and are not so fortunate (see related video clips by clicking on the link). Many out there have no idea of what Stonewall was, nor do they know anything about Harry Hay and the early pioneers of the gay rights movement. The organizers of Gay Pride events speak of “everyone coming together to celebrate” – many do come with that spirit but just as many do not. “Coming together” is something we still have not done in our community as discrimination and prejudice from within still run rampant (poz vs neg, old vs young, fat vs buff, color vs non color, lesbians vs men, gender biases, and so forth). “Coming together” looks great and makes great media news, looks great for the organizers too – “tells the world we have unity” – maybe so prior to, during and shortly after these events – then life returns back to normal and many continue to foster prejudice and bias within our ranks.
Don’t get me wrong – I celebrate Pride too! But I also live in this reality, have lived in it for the last 40 years or so. I have seen the positive changes and advances in laws but here we are into the 21st century and we still do not have the same rights afforded to others in society. Like others in our American society we too foster and harbor our own prejudices. Some of us have broken those learned behaviours and been able to accept others. Change comes from within the person first and only after that change can we move forward and embrace others, in doing so we may be able to effect positive change in others.
Revel in Pride – it is one thing that is truly yours. While we celebrate let’s also contemplate and think about how we can make a difference not just within ourselves but for others as well.
Jim Thurman aka the Dingo
MORE VIDEOS, HISTORY AND OTHER RELEVANT INFO CAN BE FOUND ON THE HOMEPAGES OF thedingoman, pozheart & badbubba.
A CONDENSED HISTORY OF GAY PRIDE
Michael Thomas Ford
Several years ago I found myself standing on a sidewalk in Southern California watching a gay pride parade. As the Dykes on Bikes roared past, breasts to the wind and mirrored sunglasses glinting in the morning light, a young man to my right sporting rainbow-colored running shorts and a pink tank top turned to his friend and said, "I wonder how all of this started, anyway." His companion took a sip from the rainbow-colored bottle of spring water in his hand and said, "I'm not sure. I've been coming ever since I was a kid. I just assumed it had always been going on."
Ah, the innocence of youth. Can it be that there really is a generation of gay people who don't know why once every year we hold Pride celebrations all across our fair land? Why, Pride is the single biggest party of the queer calendar. It is our Christmas, our Fourth of July and our Halloween all rolled up in one. It's the one day a year we get to take center stage and have ourselves a big old whoop-de-do. Not knowing about Pride is like not knowing what film "But you are, Blanche" comes from. For any self-respecting gay person, it's unthinkable.
Clearly this ignorance of our heritage cannot remain unaddressed. If you don't know where you come from, you can hardly be expected to know where you are going. And as even the quickest of glances will reveal, the changing face of Pride is a reflection of the changing face of queer life. In its pageant of banners and signs, its people and its music, we see our dreams and our joys, our accomplishments and our challenges.
So, in the spirit of education, I offer this handy time line of gay pride, from its origins through its present. My hope is that it will enlighten the uninformed, open the eyes of the uninitiated and remind the already aware of what we have achieved and what we have yet to do. Remember, to know Pride is to know ourselves.
1543 B.C.: The residents of Sodom and Gomorrah hold a spontaneous weeklong orgy. When one enthusiastic participant runs through the streets waving his toga over his head, it is mistaken for a parade, and an annual event is born. Sadly, its history is short lived due to an act of God.
1542 B.C.-A.D. 1968: Referred to by historians as the Time of No Floats, this dark period in gay culture saw very little in the way of organized events for queer people. Occasional parties and festivals were attempted but were generally not well attended because of little inconveniences like the bubonic plague, the Inquisition and the inability of the members of the Merrye Gaye Fellowes Chorus and Chamber Orchestra to agree on an arrangement of "My Lover Is the Sweetest Fruite" for their subsequently canceled spring concert.
1969: The birth of an era. Following the historic Stonewall Riots in New York City, everyone is filled with the power of liberation and a celebration is planned. When it is pointed out that late fall is hardly the time to be marching in the streets shirtless, the event is rescheduled for the summer of 1970, giving participants time to pump up and tan adequately.
1973: Thanks to the sponsorship of alcoholic beverage companies, gay pride events become a bit too reminiscent of the whole Sodom and Gomorrah thing. When shocking images of drag queens and leather men appear on the evening news and frighten viewers, organizers decide to capitalize the name of the event -- gay pride -- to make it seem like a movement and thereby gain some legitimacy.
1974-1979: Considered by many to be the shining moment in the history of gay pride, the details of this happy period are nonetheless shrouded in mystery, primarily because everyone involved was too stoned to work his or her camera properly. However, the by-products of this time, which include pierced nipples, the porn star as celebrity and a renewed sense of humor, can still be felt today.
1980: After the death of disco, Pride organizers worry attendance will drop. Fortunately, increased oppression provides a new theme, and the focus shifts from parades to rallies featuring long-winded speeches by hitherto unknown people about how being disliked really sucks.
1987: After several "downer" years marred by the AIDS crisis, gay pride festivities pick up steam again with the introduction of Freedom Rings, the "We're here, we're queer, get used to it" chant and the mysterious ability of Alicia Bridges to appear simultaneously at every parade nationwide singing "I Love the Nightlife."
1993: The era of political correctness. After voting to change the festival name to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered, Transsexual, Queer and their Friends, Families and Supporters Pride, organizers panic when they realize the new name cannot be easily emblazoned on pins and T-shirts. As with Madonna and Cher, the name becomes, simply, Pride.
1997: Those born after Stonewall, annoyed at having missed out on all of the good drugs and easy sex, attempt to make up for it by creating zines and poetry slams expressing their angst. Their older brethren insist they have no sense of history and loudly cheer floats featuring members of Senior Action in a Gay Environment before attempting to pick up tricks from the queer youth contingents.
2000: Having become "just like everyone else," Pride celebrators are no longer distinguishable from straights. In one major city, onlookers at the annual parade believe that the event, featuring grand marshals Bruce Bawer and Andrew Sullivan riding in a wood-paneled station wagon, to be a convention of Promise Keepers.
2004: With new cases of HIV infection in gay men once again rising at an alarming rate and renewed backlash against the community following the nationwide debate over gay marriage, a feeling of urgency threatens to return to Pride celebrations. Thankfully, the continued sponsorship of alcoholic beverage companies allows participants to forget these trifling matters and concentrate on what's really important.
Michael Thomas Ford is the author of numerous books, including the "Trials of My Queer Life" series of essay collections and the novels "Last Summer" and "Looking for It." You may visit him at www.michaelthomasford.com.
Gay pride
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gay pride or LGBT pride refers to a world wide movement and philosophy asserting that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals should be proud of their sexual orientation and gender identity. Gay pride advocates work for equal "rights and benefits" for LGBT people. The movement has three main premises: that people should be proud of their sexual orientation and gender identity, that sexual diversity is a gift, and that sexual orientation and gender identity are inherent and cannot be intentionally altered. Marches celebrating Pride (pride parades) are celebrated worldwide. Symbols of LGBT pride include the rainbow flag, the Greek lambda symbol, and the pink as well as black triangles reclaimed from their past use.
History
Advocates of gay pride have used history to point to oppression as well as differing levels of acceptance of homosexuality throughout history. The ancient Greeks did not conceive of sexual orientation as a social identifier, as Western societies have done for the past century. Greek society did not distinguish sexual desire or behavior by the gender of the participants, but by the extent to which such desire or behavior conformed to social norms. These norms were based on gender, age and social status.
"Lesbian" derives from the name of the island of Lesbos, which was famous for the poet Sappho, who wrote love poetry to female lovers. Homosexuality in the ancient Roman Empire is considered to have been widespread but was tempered by the complex social systems of the society.
During Medieval times all forms of sexuality began to be repressed by the church as the idea of heaven and hell gained popularity. As technology fell behind simple luxuries such as clean running water and proper sewage became a thing of the past. This caused horrible conditions and disease. People began to believe that they were suffering from the wrath of God, blaming immorality. Any and all forms of homosexuality became not only shameful but punishable by death.
19th century movement in Germany
At the turn of the century in Germany there was an early gay rights movement akin to today's Gay Pride movement. Lead by Magnus Hirschfeld, this movement sought to educate the public and to bring about the repeal of Paragraph 175, a provision of the German Criminal Code begun on the 15th May, 1871, which made homosexual acts between males a crime.
Notable figures in contemporary history
Part of the gay pride movement honors past LGBT figures who prospered despite persecution for their openness and coming out of various perceived closets. There have been notable figures that have fought for or involved themselves in gay rights, or their right to live their lives as they saw fit. Oscar Wilde is amongst the more famous for his writings as well for his imprisonment for the "love that dare not speak its name". Quentin Crisp also battled societal norms to live and love without the fear of arrest. Author of The Naked Civil Servant he has become an icon and camp figure within LGBT communities and symbol of gay pride for many.
The Holocaust
During World War II as Nazi Germany began its domination of Europe many people found themselves being rounded up and sent to concentration camps. Genocide or the mass murder of numerous groups was undertaken. Homosexuals were one of these groups with gay men being marked with a pink triangle badge while lesbians were most often designated with a black triangle.
Modern history of movement
Stonewall riots
On June 27, 1969, a group of men rioted following a police raid on the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar at 43 Christopher Street, New York City. The late Miss Stephen Whittaker a transgender rights activist and founding member of both the Gay Liberation Front and the Gay Activists Alliance, is credited by many as the first to actually strike back at the police and, in so doing, spark the rebellion. Further protests and rioting continued for several nights following the raid.
The Stonewall riots are generally considered to be the beginning of the modern gay rights movement.
The 1970s
Gay Liberation Front and Gay Activists Alliance in the early post-Stonewall era, coordinated the first year anniversary rally and then the "Christopher Street Gay Liberation Day March" on June 28, 1970 to commemorate the first year anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion.[ First year anniversary marches organized by other groups were also held in San Francisco and Los Angeles in 1970.
Brenda Howard also originated the idea for a week-long series of events around what is now known as Pride Day; this became the first of the extended annual LGBT Pride celebrations that are now held around the world.
In New York and Atlanta the annual day of celebration to commemorate the Stonewall Riot came to be called Gay Liberation Day; in San Francisco and Los Angeles it was called Gay Freedom Day. Both names spread as more and more cities and towns started holding similar celebrations.
The 1980s
In the 1980s there was a major cultural shift in the Stonewall Riot commemorations. The previous loosely organized, bottom-up marches and parades were taken over by more organised and less radical elements of the gay community. The marches began dropping "Liberation" and "Freedom" from their names under pressure from more conservative members of the community, replacing them with the philosophy of "Gay Pride"[ (in the more liberal city of San Francisco, the name of the gay parade and celebration was not changed from Gay Freedom Day Parade to Gay Pride Day Parade until 1994). The Greek lambda symbol and the pink triangle which had been revolutionary symbols of the Gay Liberation Movement were tidied up and incorporated into the Gay Pride, or Pride, movement, providing some symbolic continuity with its more radical beginnings.
Homosexuality in ancient Greece
In classical antiquity, writers such as Herodotus, Plato, Xenophon, Athenaeus and many others explored aspects of same-sex love in ancient Greece. The most widespread and socially significant form of close same-sex sexual relations in ancient Greece was between adult men and adolescent boys, known as pederasty. (It is important to note, however, that marriages in Ancient Greece between men and women were also age structured, with men in their 30's commonly taking wives in their early teens.) It is unclear how such relations between women were regarded in the general society, but examples do exist as far back as the time of Sappho.
The ancient Greeks did not conceive of sexual orientation as a social identifier, as Western societies have done for the past century. Greek society did not distinguish sexual desire or behavior by the gender of the participants, but by the extent to which such desire or behavior conformed to social norms. These norms were based on gender, age and social status. There is little extant source material on how females viewed sexual activity.
There are two main views of male sexual activity in ancient Greek society. Some scholars, such as Kenneth Dover and David Halperin, claim that it was highly polarized into "active" and "passive" partners, penetrator and penetrated, an active/passive polarization held to be associated with dominant and submissive social roles: the active (penetrative) role was associated with masculinity, higher social status, and adulthood, while the passive role was associated with femininity, lower social status, and youth. In this view, any sexual activities in which a male penetrated a social inferior was regarded as normal; "social inferiors" could include women, male youths, foreigners, prostitutes, or slaves; and being penetrated, especially by a social inferior, was considered potentially shameful.
Other scholars, however, argue that male-male relations usually involved an adult male and a youth: the older male took the active (penetrative) role. They also describe them as "warm," "loving," and "affectionate," and argue that the Greek tradition of same-sex relations was central to "Greek history and warfare, politics, art, literature and learning, in short to the Greek miracle."
Pederasty
The most common form of same-sex relationships between males in Greece was "paiderastia" meaning "boy love". It was a relationship between an older male and an adolescent youth. In Athens the older man was called erastes, he was to educate, protect, love, and provide a role model for his beloved. His beloved was called eromenos whose reward for his lover lay in his beauty, youth, and promise.
Elaborate social protocols existed to protect youths from the shame associated with being sexually penetrated. The eromenos was supposed to respect and honor the erastes, but not to desire him sexually. Although being courted by an older man was practically a rite of passage for young men, a youth who was seen to reciprocate the erotic desire of his erastes faced considerable social stigma.
The ancient Greeks, in the context of the pederastic city-states, were the first to describe, study, systematize, and establish pederasty as a social and educational institution. It was an important element in civil life, the military, philosophy and the arts. There is some debate among scholars about whether pederasty was widespread in all social classes, or largely limited to the aristocracy.
The morality of pederasty was closely investigated in ancient Greece, some aspects being considered base and others idealized as the best that life had to offer. In Plato's Laws, carnal pederasty is described as "contrary to nature"; however, the speakers in this dialogue acknowledge that an effort to abolish pederasty would be unpopular in most Greek city-states.
In the military
The Sacred Band of Thebes, a separate military unit reserved only for men and their beloved youths, is usually considered as the prime example of how the ancient Greeks used love between soldiers in a troop to boost their fighting spirit. The Thebans attributed to the Sacred Band the power of Thebes for the generation before its fall to Philip II of Macedon, who was so impressed with their bravery during battle, he erected a monument that still stands today on their gravesite. He also gave a harsh criticism of the Spartan views of the band:
"Perish miserably they who think that these men did or suffered aught disgraceful."
Pammenes' opinion, according to Plutarch, was that
"Homer's Nestor was not well skilled in ordering an army when he advised the Greeks to rank tribe and tribe... he should have joined lovers and their beloved. For men of the same tribe little value one another when dangers press; but a band cemented by friendship grounded upon love is never to be broken."
These bonds, reflected in episodes from Greek mythology, such as the heroic relationship between Achilles and Patroclus in the Iliad, were thought to boost morale as well as bravery. They typically took the form of pederasty, with more egalitarian relationships being rarer. Such relationships were documented by many Greek historians and in philosophical discourses, as well as in offhand remarks such as Philip II of Macedon's recorded by Plutarch demonstrates:
"It is not only the most warlike peoples, the Boeotians, Spartans, and Cretans, who are the most susceptible to this kind of love but also the greatest heroes of old: Meleager, Achilles, Aristomenes, Cimon, and Epaminondas."
During the Lelantine War between the Eretrians and the Chalcidians, before a decisive battle the Chalcidians called for the aid of a warrior named Cleomachus. He answered their request, bringing his lover to watch. Leading the charge against the Eretians he brought the Chalcidians to victory at the cost of his own life. The Chalcidians erected a tomb for him in the marketplace in gratitude, and adopted pederasty.
Love between adult men
Given the importance in Greek society of cultivating the masculinity of the adult male and the perceived feminizing effect of being the passive partner, relations between adult men of comparable social status were considered highly problematic, and usually associated with social stigma. However, examples of such couples are occasionally found in the historical record.
Achilles and Patroclus
The first recorded appearance of a deep emotional bond between adult men in ancient Greek culture was in the Iliad (800 BC). Although Homer does not explicitly depict the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus as sexual, by the beginning of the Classical era (480 BC) the two heroes were interpretated as pederastic icons. Since the ancient Greeks were uncomfortable with any perception of Patroclus and Achilles as adult equals, they tried to establish a clear age difference between the two. There was disagreement on whom to make the erastes and whom the eromenos, since the Homeric tradition made Patroclus out to be older but Achilles dominant. Other ancients held that Achilles and Patroclus were simply close friends.
Aeschylus in the tragedy Myrmidons made Achilles the protector since he had avenged his love’s death even though the gods told him it would cost his own life. However Phaedrus asserts that Homer emphasized the beauty of Achilles which would qualify him, not Patroclus, as “eromenos”.
Historical adult male couples
Among the historical male couples, where both partners were adults, are Euripides, in his seventies, and Agathon, already in his forties. The legendary love between Alexander the Great and his childhood friend, Hephaistion is sometimes regarded as being of the same order.
Sapphic love
Sappho, a poet from the island of Lesbos, wrote many love poems addressed to women and girls. The love in these poems is sometimes requited, and sometimes not. Sappho is thought to have written close to 12,000 lines of poetry on her love for other women. Of these, only about 600 lines have survived. As a result of her fame in antiquity, she and her land have become emblematic of love between women, although she apparently was in fact bisexual.
Pedagogic erotic relationships are also documented for Sparta, together with athletic nudity for women. Plato's Symposium mentions women who "do not care for men, but have female attachments." In general, however, the historical record of love and sexual relations between women is sparse.
Scholarship and controversy
After a long hiatus marked by censorship of homosexual themes, modern historians picked up the thread, starting with Erich Bethe in 1907 and continuing with K. J. Dover and many others. These scholars have shown that same-sex relations were openly practiced, largely with official sanction, in many areas of life from the 7th century BC until the Roman era.
Although this perspective is the scholarly consensus in North America and Northern Europe, some scholars believe that homosexual relationships, especially pederasty, were common only among the aristocracy, and that such relationships were not widely practiced by the common people (demos).
One such scholar is Bruce Thornton, who argues that insults directed at passive homosexuals in the comedies of Aristophanes show the common people's dislike for male homosexuality. Other scholars, such as Victoria Wohl, emphasize that in Athens, same-sex desire was part of the "sexual ideology of the democracy," shared by the elite and the demos, as exemplified by the tyrant-slayers, Harmodius and Aristogeiton. Even those who argue that pederasty was limited to the upper classes generally concede that it was "part of the social structure of the polis." Outside academia, both opponents of LGBT rights and Greek nationalists have latched on to the argument that homosexuality was limited to the elite for political purposes.
The subject has caused controversy in modern Greece. In 2002, a conference on Alexander the Great was stormed as a paper about his homosexuality was about to be presented. When the film Alexander, which depicted Alexander as romantically involved with both men and women, was released in 2004, 25 Greek lawyers threatened to sue the film's makers, but relented after attending an advanced screening of the film.
Homosexuality in ancient Rome
Sources for Ancient Roman homosexual practice, and attitudes and acceptance of it are abundantly available. There are literary works, poems, graffiti and comments on the sexual predelictions of single emperors. Graphic representations are, on the other hand, rarer in ancient Rome than in classical Greece. Attitudes towards homosexuality changed over the time and from context to context, ranging from strong condemnation to quite open acceptance. Indeed, it was also purported to be one of the cultural facts of certain provinces.
In discussing such attitudes, it is fundamental to recall that the term "homosexuality" is entirely problematic for the ancient world since there is no single word in either Latin or ancient Greek with the same meaning as the modern concept of homosexuality. Although it again and again becomes apparent that bisexuality was more the norm, even the ancient authors agree that there were ancient Roman men who had sexual relations exclusively with men.
History
Early Republic
In the early Roman Republic, pederasty was considered a degenerate Greek practice and as such was generally forbidden or not done.
Mid and late Republic
As Greek attitudes gradually became accepted in Rome during the late Republic and early Empire, however, a new form of same-sex relations emerged that was quite different from homosexuality in ancient Greece, but owed much to it. As men, particularly the pater familias, wielded complete authority in Roman society, the Roman experience of same-sex relations is often characterized by master/slave-style interactions. Slaves still were considered legitimate sexual partners, often if not always regardless of their wishes. In short, an adult Roman citizen male could acceptably penetrate (whether a male or a female) but not be penetrated - catamite was commonly used as a slander.
Empire
Though perhaps not the originator of the practice, the emperor Nero appears to have been the first Roman emperor to marry a male. According to Edward Gibbon, writing in 1776, of the first twelve emperors only Claudius was exclusively involved with women. All others took either boys or men as lovers. The fact that Claudius had no male lovers actually drew criticism from Suetonius.
Pederasty largely lost its status as a ritual part of education — a process already begun by the increasingly sophisticated and cosmopolitan Greeks — and was instead seen as an activity primarily driven by one's sexual desires and competing with desire for women. The social acceptance of pederastic relations waxed and waned during the centuries. Conservative thinkers condemned it — along with other forms of indulgence. Tacitus attacks the Greek customs of "gymnasia et otia et turpes amores" (palaestrae, idleness, and shameful loves).
Other writers spent no effort censuring pederasty per se, but praised or blamed its various aspects. Martial appears to have favored it, going as far as to essentialize not the sexual use of the catamite but his nature as a boy: upon being discovered by his wife "inside a boy" and offered the "same thing" by her, he retorts with a list of mythological personages who, despite being married, took young male lovers, and concludes by rejecting her offer since "a woman merely has two vaginas." Among the Romans, pederasty reached its zenith during the time of hellenophile emperor Hadrian. A man whose passion for boys paralleled that of his predecessor, Trajan, he fell in love with Antinous, a young teenage Greek, and had his eromenos deified upon the latter's premature death. Commodus had a number of male lovers. Elagabalus also had numerous male lovers and even married one of these in a public ceremony. Philip the Arabian was also known for his fondness for young men.
Roles and preferences
While it was the norm in Greece and Rome that the younger partner was passive and the older active, there is (especially from the Roman period) evidence that older men preferred the passive role. Martial describes, for example, the case of an older man who played the passive role and let a younger slave occupy the active role. Often it was also assumed that only the active participant gained pleasure from sexual intercourse. In general, the passive role was equated with the role of a woman and therefore felt to be rather low. Suetonius reported that the Emperor Nero, in taking the passive sexual role with the freedmen Doryphorus, imitated the screams and whimpering of a young woman. Men taking the passive role were often liable to be accused to take too much care of their appearance to attract and please potential active partners. Such men were usually shown in a negative light, having the word kinaidos / cinaedus applied to them (which could also be applied to eunuchs).
There are also other examples. Again Suetonius reported that Emperor Galba felt drawn to strong and experienced men. More than once it is reported that soldiers were sexually assaulted by their higher officers.
In addition to repeatedly described anal intercourse, there is also plenty of evidence that oral sex was normal. Here graffiti from Pompeii is unambiguous: "Secundus is a cocksucker of rare ability." In contrast to ancient Greece, a large penis was a major element in attractiveness. In Petronius is a description of how a man with such a large penis in a public bathroom looked up, excited. Several emperors are reported in a negative light for surrounding themselves with men with large sexual organs.
Subculture
There are at least some signs that something approaching a homosexual subculture was already starting to develop in ancient Rome, although it certainly does not compare with modern subcultures. In Rome around 200 BC there was already a road where male prostitutes preferred staying, specialising in either the passive or active role. Other men searched for sailors in the vicinity of districts close to the Tiber. Public baths are also referred to as a place to find sexual partners. Juvenal states that such men scratched their heads with a finger to identify themselves.
Female homosexuality
By the first century AD, there is a larger scope of sources on the possibility of female homosexuality. Ovid denied the possibility that such a thing ever existed. Later comments, however, are extremely hostile, and even go as far as the killing of a woman by her husband. Martial himself, who shows himself to be amused by all other kinds of 'deviation', has a very negative opinion of lesbian love. In Egypt, however, some love spells in Greek have been found, which were clearly written by a woman the purpose of winning the heart of another woman, and so female homosexuality clearly occurred elsewhere in the Empire outside of Rome itself, and was not always seen in such a negative light.
Moral opinions
Above all, pederasty was condemned in the Republican era and dismissed as a sign of an effeminate Greek lifestyle. In the mid Republic homosexual acts were widely accepted, if the active partner was a Roman, and the passive partner a slave or non-Roman. Deviations from this pattern were morally condemned, but apparently had few legal consequences. Martial and Plautus describe a wide range of homosexual behaviors, in part to poke fun at them like other minor standard deviations, but without too much real moralizing. On the other hand, there is also from the year 108 an indictment against C. Vibius Maximus, a Roman officer in Egypt who had a sexual relationship with a young nobleman.
Juvenal condemned many forms of male homosexuality, and especially laments Roman men of high birth who show a moral front but secretly took the passive role. He found men who openly played the passive role pitiful but at least honest, and praised true love found by a man for a boy. Public speeches usually condemned all forms of homosexuality. When Julius Caesar conqueror held office in Macedon, he had a relationship with the local Nicomedes and played the passive role but, though this damaged his reputation, it apparently had no legal consequences. The emperor Hadrian had a relationship with the younger Antinous, although this was also criticized.
With the arrival of Christianity, but perhaps also a little earlier, all kinds of same-sex love became increasingly taboo. In 390, the first law banning same-sex love was enacted, making it punishable by death.
The circumstances surrounding the massacre of Thessaloniki at the end of the 4th century post offers a clue that even in the Christian era homosexuality itself was still accepted in large parts of the population, while officially prosecuted. A popular wagon driver was accused of having sexually harassed an army-commander or servant of the emperor. The wagon driver was arrested, but pointed out there was unrest, as the people of the town were calling for his release. The wagon driver also enjoyed great popularity despite his homosexuality.
SOURCES FOR THESE ARTICLES:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/a/2004/06/13/PKGI572U481.DTL
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_LGBT_history
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay_Pride
http://www.pozqueers.snappville.com/profilefamily.php?familyname=pozqueers&id=pozqueers/thedingoman
Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil of the Royal Family of Gujarat in north west India, will be one of the three opening speakers at EuroPride 2008 in Stockholm.
He made headlines around the world when he publicly came out of the closet in 2006 and has subsequently spoken to Oprah Winfrey, starred in the gay film Emotionally Yours and set up an HIV-awareness charity to educate gay men about the dangers of the disease.
The charity, Lakshya, has solemnised gay "marriages" and is conducting research into acceptance for homosexuality in Holy Scriptures.
"I am honoured to be invited as one of the opening speakers for Stockholm EuroPride," he said.
"Especially since I live in a country where LGBT issues are still taboo.
"I look forward to visiting Scandinavia for the first time and the possibility to initiate future collaborations. I am convinced it will be a memorable journey."
EuroPride's theme this year is Swedish Sin, Breaking Borders.
"We have chosen Manvendra Singh Gohil because he can give EuroPride visitors a image of the situation for LGBT people in other parts of the world," said Jonah Nylund, President of Stockholm Pride.
Stockholm EuroPride 2008 opens on July 25th with a three day film festival.
The festival area Pride House will open July 28th to August 1st and the festival area Pride Park opens on July 30th. The Pride Parade will be held on August 2nd.
London-based gay rapper QBoy is among the acts performing this year along with Alcazar, QBoy, Kick, Discoboys and Backroom Matches.
British soldiers to march in uniform at Pride
published Monday, June 16, 2008
Britain's military says soldiers and airmen will be allowed to wear their uniforms to this year's gay Pride march in London.
The military said Saturday it would permit British Army and Royal Air Force personnel to show off their military affiliation in the July 5 parade.
The decision brings the forces in line with the Royal Navy, which already allows sailors to participate in uniform.
Britain began allowing gay men and women to serve openly in the military in 2000. While military personnel have been able to participate in the Pride march since then, soldiers and airmen have done so in civilian clothes.
Gay rights groups welcomed the decision. (AP)
Copyright 2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Nice article there! The writer is right. Some of the newer generation has no idea about when or how Pride started.
The Stonewall riots were instigated by angry drag queens and a few others in that bar. They tossed, turned and burned a few cars too.
Memorial Day, Pride, Independance, Labor Day and even Christmas have become highly profitable for many commercial and non profit interests. Most people these days look at those holidays as an excuse to go out drinking. They forget the true meanings.
Its interesting that those Greek lawyers threatened to sue the film makers of Alexander the Great. The man has been dead for thousands of years. Randy
Thanks for reminding many of us of the other realities. The associated videos some may not be able to stomach. There are some who are quick to say that this is not "their reality" and use that as an excuse to remain quiet or ignore what is going on around them.
Some of us older guys know from past experiences how some leaders and activists are quick to make the call to "come out be counted" - when we did that we were often asked to contribute money and services. Then when "the missions were accomplished" we were ignored or looked down upon because of OUR LIFETSYLES. Bikers, leathermen, beras, men of color and drag queens always were included in the "call for action" since numbers speak for themselves. Many though did nto want to socially acknowledge us later.
Regardless of varying opinions and thoughts you are right. This is our time to celebrate what has been accomplished by those who truly embraced our community for something more than power and or profit.
Please visit the community themed pages of THEDINGOMAN, POZHEART & BADBUBBA for the video & photo time capsules. Look for "THE DINGOMAN EXPERIENCE" boxes that have the titles of featured articles.
‘As the nights lengthen and the leaves take on their autumn colours, many of our cities prepare for a seasonal festival dominated by dark and fright...
Two years ago I embarked upon creating a new community for HIV+ poz gay men. After years of being on several HIV+ poz gay men Yahoo groups and other...
Many HIV poz gay men still do not know what serosorting is about. There are also quite a few HIV+ gay men, and others, who are just as quick to make...
Some HIV poz gay men (and poz hets as well) who deal with pain, nausea or have lost their appetite choose to smoke pot rather than taking legal meds...
HIV poz gay men who are on disability and other HIV+ gay men who are on tight budgets don’t have to let money matters keep them from taking time to ...
