Скачать или смотреть 5 Wild Roman Secrets History Forgot! Being GAY!

That’s a fascinating topic! Being gay—or more broadly, engaging in same-sex relationships—in ancient Rome looked quite different from how we think of sexuality today. Romans did not categorize people by "gay," "straight," or "bisexual" the way modern society does. Instead, they cared much more about roles, status, and power in sexual relationships.

Here are some key points:

1. No Concept of "Gay Identity"

Romans did not have a word that maps neatly onto "homosexual."

Same-sex attraction wasn’t seen as an orientation—it was about behavior and social roles.

What mattered most was who played the dominant role and who played the passive one.

2. Active vs. Passive Roles

For men, being the active/penetrative partner was considered socially acceptable, especially if the partner was of lower status (a slave, prostitute, or much younger man).

Being the passive/receptive partner (especially if you were a freeborn Roman male) was seen as shameful and effeminate, threatening one’s masculinity and social honor.

3. Social Status and Power

Roman citizens were supposed to maintain dignity and control.

It was acceptable for a citizen man to have sex with:

Slaves (male or female).

Prostitutes (male or female).

Foreigners (often considered outside the strict rules of Roman virtue).

It was not acceptable for a Roman citizen man to be the passive partner or to engage openly with another equal-status freeborn Roman male.

4. Same-Sex Love and Literature

Despite taboos, there are many examples of affection between men in Roman writings.

The poet Catullus wrote about both women and men.

Martial, a satirical poet, openly joked about male-male affairs.

Juvenal mocked men who married other men, but that shows it was happening.

Emperors themselves had same-sex lovers:

Hadrian and his beloved Antinous are the most famous example. After Antinous’ death, Hadrian deified him and established a cult in his honor.

5. Same-Sex Marriage?

There are records of men marrying men in Rome.

Emperor Nero is said to have married two different men, one as his “husband” and another as his “wife.”

These unions were controversial and mocked, but they did exist.

6. Women and Same-Sex Desire

Female-female relationships were less documented (Roman men didn’t write much about women’s private lives).

The poet Ovid mentions women desiring other women in his Ars Amatoria.

Roman society tended to dismiss or fetishize women’s relationships, but it seems they did exist quietly in the background.

👉 In short, being "gay" in ancient Rome was not about identity but about status, power, and proper roles. Affection and love between people of the same sex definitely existed, but the rules of Roman masculinity made how it was expressed very different from today.
#gay #samesexrelationships #spiritualjourney #Ancientrome